I. GENERAL MEDICAL POSSIBILITIES 

1. Medication Side Effect: Some students may have a problem with difficult academic tasks as a side effect of medication.
               
2. Chronic Pain: Some students may have a problem with difficult academic tasks as a result of being in chronic pain.

3. Fatigue/Hunger/General Nutrition: Some students may appear to have written composition problems as a result of fatigue (e.g., insufficient sleep) or hunger.

4. Seizures: In rare cases, problems with difficult academic tasks may be a result of subclinical seizures that may or may not be diagnosed. If seizures have been diagnosed, staff should ask the physician if difficulty with academic tasks is a likely or possible consequence of the seizures and/or the seizure medication(s). If seizures have not been diagnosed, but are suspected, a seizure evaluation should be recommended. If seizures are diagnosed, the prescribed medication regimen should be followed along with environmental management of a possible lack of compliance with the medication regimen. (See Tutorials on Seizures)

BACK TO TOP

II. COGNITIVE/SELF-REGULATORY POSSIBILITIES

1. Initiation Impairment: Some students may have difficulty with difficult academic tasks as a result of initiation impairment. The student may not start the requested writing activity. Alternatively, staff or parents may start the student on the activity, but when it comes to initiating the use of writing strategies or the next phase of the activity, the student’s initiation impairment may block further work. (See Tutorial on Initiation Impairment)

2. Weak Orientation to Task: Some students may appear to have difficulty with written composition as a result of disorientation or uncertainty regarding what is required of them. (See Tutorials on Language Comprehension; Organization)

3. Generally Weak Cognitive and Academic Functions: Some students may have weak written composition as a result of excessive demands placed on their memory, organizational ability, academic skill, or other cognitive ability. They may experience frequent failure in school. (See Tutorials on Cognition; Memory; Organization)

4. General Slowness in Information Processing: Some students may have difficulty writing as a result of general slowness in information processing. (See Tutorial on Slow Information Processing)

5. Organizational Impairment: Some students may have difficulty with written composition as a result of organizational impairment. (See Tutorial on Organization; Advance Organizers)

6. Weak Idea Generation/Elaboration: Some students may have difficulty with written composition as a result of difficulty generating ideas or elaborating on ideas. (See Tutorials on Organization; Advance Organizers)

7. Attention Deficit: Some students may have difficulty with reading comprehension as a result of an attention deficit. (See Tutorial on Attention)

8. Inhibition Impairment: Some students may have reading comprehension problems as a result of inhibition impairment (i.e., impulse-control problems). (See Tutorials on Self-Regulation; Impulsiveness/Disinhibition)

BACK TO TOP

III. ACADEMIC POSSIBILITIES

1. Inadequate Decoding Fluency: Some students have difficulty comprehending what they read because their word decoding is slow and labored. (See Tutorial on Reading Comprehension)

BACK TO TOP

 

IV. BEHAVIORAL POSSIBILITIES

1. Oppositionality: Some students appear to have difficulty with academic tasks as a result of oppositional behavior (See Tutorials on Behavior and Behavior Problems after TBI; Behavior Management: Prevention Strategies)
               
2. Attention or Sympathy Seeking: Some students may do poorly on academic tasks as a means of obtaining adult and/or peer attention or sympathy. (See Tutorials on Attention; Behavior Management: Prevention Strategies; Behavior Management: Contingency Management)

3. Manipulativeness: Some students may do poorly on academic tasks as a form of manipulation. (See Tutorials on Teaching Positive Communication Alternatives to Negative Behavior; Behavior Management: Prevention Strategies)

4. Task Avoidance: Some students may do poorly on academic tasks as a way to avoid specific tasks. (See Tutorials on Noncompliance; Errorless Learning; Problem Solving; Behavior Management: Prevention Strategies; Behavior Management: Contingency Management)

BACK TO TOP

V. SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL POSSIBILITIES

1. Depression: Some students may do poorly on academic tasks 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 do poorly on academic tasks as a result of anxiety. (See Tutorial on Anxiety)

3. Frustration: Some students may do poorly on academic tasks as a result of feeling frustrated. (See Tutorials on Self Regulation/Executive Function Routines after TBI; Teaching Positive Communication Alternatives to Negative Behavior)

BACK TO TOP