Module 6: Accommodations for Cognitive Impairments

Types of Cognitive Impairment

According to the U.S. Census (http://www.census.gov/prod/2001pubs/p70-73.pdf), 14.3 million Americans aged 15 or over have a cognitive or emotion-related mental disability. Most people with significant cognitive limitations will not be able to meet the requirements of teaching. However, people with less significant limitations may be able to perform the essential functions of the job, and in fact, many people with attention deficits or learning disabilities have been attracted to teaching as a way to help students who might have similar challenges. About 3.5 million Americans age 15 or over (1.7% of the population) has a learning disability.

In this section, three types of cognitive impairment will be covered:

Attention / Memory Difficulties
Visual and Auditory Information Processing Difficulties
Literacy Difficulties

Accommodation Techniques

General

Change the task so that the cognition-related barrier is avoided. A task might be performed in a different manner that does not pose a barrier.
Seek assistance with minor tasks that are creating a barrier. Students or fellow teachers may be able to provide assistance on occasion. For example, a student might be asked to pass out papers.

Attention / Memory Difficulties

Establish habitual patterns within the environment. Using consistent work patterns will help in the development of procedural memory of how to perform the tasks.
Minimize competing information in the environment. Reduce the amount of unnecessary information in the environment (e.g., noise, numerous visual choices, inconsistency) so that the teacher does not need to sort and filter though as much information to get to the relevant piece.

Visual and Auditory Information Processing Difficulties

Emphasize relevant information and objects in the environment. Many of the strategies used to make relevant information easier to access are the same used by people with sensory impairments. For example, cuing might be used to draw attention to a desired feature. Some people find it easier to focus on text that is presented a certain way.
Use redundant multi-modal information. Providing information in both visual and auditory modes can be helpful if a teacher is better at understanding and remembering information that is presented in only one mode versus another.

Literacy Difficulties

Minimize the need to understand language. People with cognitive limitations can experience difficulty interpreting language. When the environment provides information in a way that is not language based, then it can become more readily understandable to those who have difficulty with deciphering language.
Minimize the need for calculations. Automated systems for calculation can be used for reducing math errors.

Accommodation Ideas for:

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