Poor auditory memory results in a person having difficulty remembering what has been said. Short term and/or long term memory may be affected, they may remember things said in the past, but not recall their own words from just a moment ago. Or they may have no long term memory for things they have heard.

Poor auditory sequencing skills interfere with a person's ability to follow instructions. This is an extreme form of poor auditory memory. It can cause significant difficulties on the job or in social situations.

Poor listening skills mean that the person has difficulty selecting the sounds to listen to. He may hear a confusing jumble of unsorted sounds, rather like having the television, radio and vacuum cleaner all running at the same time.


Basic Math Skills
What is the purpose of this section?

The Basic Math Skills Section is designed to determine how a person processes math facts and to gain a sample of their skill level. Rather than a paper and pencil test, this assessment of basic math skills is oral so that the administrator can observe and question the person about how he or she arrives at the answers.

What to look for?

Watch for counting and guessing. Any hesitation indicates that the person does not know the number facts by automatic recall. Having persistent trouble "memorizing" basic number facts in all four operations despite adequate understanding and instruction is a common challenge for individuals with learning disabilities.3

Special considerations :

If the person responds without hesitation, mark the A __ for Automatic Recall. Otherwise ask the person how he or she arrived at the answer and mark the appropriate category:


3 Garnett, Kate Ph.D. (1988). Math Learning Disabilities. Learning Disabilities Journal. LD Online. <http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/math_skills/garnett.html > and Geary, David. Mathematics Disability: What we know and Don't Know. LD Online. <http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/math_skills/geary_math_dis.html >