A Resource for Teachers, Clinicians, Parents, and Students by the Brain Injury Association of New York State.
 

At Home #10: forgetful

Problem: The student appears to be forgetful. Forgetting homework, forgetting newly learned information and the like.


I. GENERAL MEDICAL POSSIBILITIES

II. COGNITIVE/SELF REGULATORY POSSIBILITIES

III. BEHAVIORAL POSSIBILITIES

  1. Oppositionality
  2. Manipulativeness
  3. Task Avoidance

IV. SOCIAL- EMOTIONAL POSSIBILITIES

  1. Depression
  2. Anxiety
  3. Frustration


I. GENERAL MEDICAL POSSIBILITIES 

1.Medication Side Effect:Some students may be forgetful as a side effect of medication.

2. Fatigue:Some students have memory/retrieval problems as a result of fatigue (e.g., insufficient sleep).

3.Seizures: In rare cases, impaired memory may be a result of subclinical seizures that may or may not be diagnosed. If seizures have not been diagnosed, but are suspected, a seizure evaluation should be recommended. When students with TBI evidence cognitive problems that are unpredictable and incompatible with the student’s normal behavior, consultation with a physician or neuropsychologist may help staff understand the source of the problem. If seizures are diagnosed, the prescribed medication regimen should be followed along with environmental management.

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II. COGNITIVE/SELF-REGULATORY POSSIBILITIES

1.Attention Deficit: Some students may have weak memory/retrieval as a result of difficulty attending. (See  Tutorial on Attention) (See Tutorial on Attention)

2.Initiation Impairment: Some students may have difficulty with memory (encoding or retrieving information) as a result of initiation impairment (frontal lobe injury). (See Tutorial on Initiation)

3.Self-Regulation/Strategy Impairment: Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of a self-regulation/strategy impairment. (See Tutorials on Self-Regulation; Strategic Thinking and Learning; Problem Solving)

4.Superior Involuntary (Incidental) Learning: Some students have difficulty with memory/retrieval because they are confused by the instruction to try to learn or remember. They learn more effectively when simply oriented to a concrete task with the to-be-learned information presented within the context of the task – but not as a learning task. (See Tutorial on Involuntary (Incidental) Learning)

5.Specific Retrieval Problems: Some students have difficulty with memory as a result of specific retrieval problems. (See Tutorials on Retrieval; Word Retrieval)

6.Specific Encoding Problems: Some students have difficulty with memory because they have specific difficulty encoding the information (i.e., placing it into memory storage). (See Tutorial on Memory)

7.Organizational Impairment: Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of organizational impairment. (See Tutorial on Organization) Note: This is very similar to specific encoding impairment.

8. General Slowness in Information Processing: Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of general slowness in information processing. (See Tutorial on Slow Information Processing)

9.Weak Task Orientation: Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of uncertainty regarding what is required of them. (See Tutorials on Language Comprehension; Organization)

10.Difficulty with Transfer of Learning (Generalization): Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of difficulty transferring what they have learned to a new setting or activity. (See Tutorial on Transfer/Generalization)

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III. BEHAVIORAL POSSIBILITIES

1.Oppositionality: Some students may appear to have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of oppositional behavior. (See Tutorials on Behavior and Behavior Problems after TBI; Behavior Management: Prevention Strategies)

2.Manipulativeness: Some students may appear to have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a form of manipulation (other than oppositional behavior). (See Tutorials on Teaching Positive Communication Alternatives to Negative Behavior; Behavior Management: Prevention Strategies)

3.Task Avoidance: Some students may appear to have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a way to avoid specific tasks. (See Tutorials on Noncompliance; Errorless Learning; Problem Solving; Behavior Management: Prevention Strategies; Behavior Management: Contingency Management)

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IV. SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL POSSIBILITIES

1.Depression: Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval because they are upset, depressed, and/or lack positive relationships with peers and/or adults. (See Tutorials on Depression; Peer Relationships)

2.Anxiety: Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of anxiety. (See Tutorial on Anxiety)

3.Frustration: Some students may have difficulty with memory/retrieval as a result of feeling frustrated. (See Tutorials on Self Regulation/Executive Function Routines after TBI; Teaching Positive Communication Alternatives to Negative Behavior)

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