|
| A Resource for Teachers, Clinicians, Parents, and Students by the Brain Injury Association of New York State. |
|
|
Click on "MORE" after any of these possible explanations to view suggestions for exploring that possible explanation.
Medical Possibility #1: Medication side effect: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routine as a side effect of medication. Medical Possibility #2: Fatigue, hunger, general nutrition: Some students may appear to be angry as a result of fatigue or hunger. (See
Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #1: Specific flexibility impairment: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routine as an isolated deficit, a direct result of frontal lobe injury. (See Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #2: Organizational impairment: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of a specific organizational impairment. (See Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #3: General self-regulation impairment: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of general difficulty with self-regulation (e.g., rigidity, impulse-control problems, disorganization). (See Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #4: Attention deficit: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of problems with components of attention. (See Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #5: Weak orientation to task: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of uncertainty regarding what is required of them. (See Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #6: Generally weak cognitive functioning: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of excessive demands placed on their memory, organizational ability, academic skill, or other cognitive ability. (See Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #7: General slowness in information processing: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of general slowness in information processing. (See Cognitive/Self-Regulatory Possibility #8: Memory/retrieval impairment: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of difficulty with memory/retrieval (See Behavioral Possibility #1: Oppositionality: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of oppositional behavior (See Behavioral Possibility #2: Manipulativeness: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a form of manipulation (other than oppositional behavior). (See Behavioral Possibility #3: Attention seeking: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a way to seek adult and/or peer attention. (See Behavioral Possibility #4: : Task avoidance: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a way to avoid specific tasks. (See
Social-Emotional Possibility #1: Depression: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines because they are upset, depressed, and/or lack positive relationships with peers and/or adults. (See Social-Emotional Possibility #2: Anxiety: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of anxiety. (See Social-Emotional Possibility #3: Frustration: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of feeling frustrated. (See Social-Emotional Possibility #4: Obsessive-compulsive disorder: Some students may appear to be inflexible and have difficulty with topic shifts, attention shifts, activity transitions, and changes in routines as a result of obsessive-compulsive disorder. (See
LEARNet Copyright 2006, by .Designed and Powered by Camelot Media Group.
|
Problem: The student appears to perseverate or get stuck doing the same activity over and over or saying the same thing or feeling the same emotion; may have difficulty transitioning from place to place or activity to activity; requests from teachers or parents to change topics or activities may be greeted with negative behavior; changes in or disruptions of routines cause problems; the student appears to be rigid and inflexible. (See 
Tutorial on 
Please review the list of possible explanations to the problem. Click on a possibility to learn about relevant observations and experiments to further determine the source of the problem 
MORE...