In both instances, the central nervous system is not processing symbols correctly.
Auditory processing involves the ability to analyze and make sense of information taken in through the ears.
Auditory memory refers to the learner's ability to store, process and recall what has been heard. One example of the result of an auditory deficit is that the individual fails to hear vowel or soft consonant sounds in spoken words.


Learner input

For many learners, being asked to participate in the screening/assessment process may be very new for him or her and most likely is the first time that anyone has asked how he/she learns. Although a learner may be very foreign to this type of involvement, most learners have plenty to offer when asked the right questions to help them become more self-reflective. The role of the practitioner is to provide an encouraging, non-threatening environment and the tools to help the learner to provide input. When a learner can recognize a change in his or her skills, then he or she is doing self-assessment. Encouraging learner input not only provides additional information to help build an effective training plan but it also encourages the learner to persist with learning and increases his/her ownership of the learning process.

We know from adult learning theory that adults learn when:
  • They are involved
  • They are asked about their preference in the form of learning (learning style)
  • They connect new information with existing information
  • They contrast information with their own experiences

There are a multitude of benefits to be gained from ongoing learner input throughout the journey of discovery. Because this may be a very new experience for some learners, providing them with a list of questions or a statement checklist may help facilitate this process. Although there are many self-assessment tools/checklists available and programs may already be using some, we have included the "Analyzing My Learning: Strengths and Struggles" in Chapter Four Appendix A because it focuses on learning disability characteristics, is written in the first person and is fairly simplified. This tool is an information checklist for learners to assess their strengths and challenges. The "Analyzing my Learning: Strengths and Struggles" is an 'adapted-for-learner-use' version of the Adult Learning Disability Screening Tool (ALDS) that we addressed in Chapter Three. Its primary purpose is to build self-understanding and advocacy on the learner's part.