Social:

The learner:

• May find social situations difficult
• May be noticeably out of place in a group setting
• Can misinterpret what others say, tones of voice, facial expressions and the subtleties in social situations
• Lacks awareness of one's personal space
• Has difficulty establishing friendships

Other general behaviors :

The learner:

• Has variable or unpredictable performance
• Experiences difficulty absorbing major ideas from oral presentations (instructions, lectures, discussions)
• Needs information to be repeated and reviewed before understanding is achieved
• Has problems with following directions
• Has difficulty retaining information without excessive rehearsal and practice
• Cannot recall familiar facts on command, yet can do so at other times
• Has poor decision-making skills
• Has difficulty drawing conclusions, making inferences, dealing with abstractions
• Has poor motivation and/or extreme drive to complete a task
• Gives up easily or is afraid to make mistakes in answering
• Is most comfortable with familiar, unchanging settings
• Can exhibit rigid behaviour and may insist on using a strategy despite its ineffectiveness

Discussion question

What observations are indicative of auditory processing and memory? Of visual processing and memory?

Helpful hints!

Visual processing refers to the learner's ability to make sense of information taken in through the eyes.
Visual memory is concerned with the individual's ability to retain a full mental image of what s/he has seen.