| Deficit |
Problems
arising |
Management
strategies |
| |
The
person may: |
You
and others can: |
| Speed of information
processing |
- take
longer to complete tasks
- take longer to get ideas together and answer someone
- be unable to keep track of lengthy conversations and instructions |
- make
allowances and give the person extra time
- speak clearly and evenly
- present only one thing at a time
- try not to interrupt or answer for the person
- check that the person is keeping up with the conversation |
| Fatigue |
- tire quickly
during mental effort
- have reduced tolerance and ability to cope
- become irritable easily
- have their other problems exacerbated |
- encourage
the person to take rest breaks
- schedule more demanding or essential tasks when the person is
at their best (often morning)
- arrange activities to be shorter where there is an achievable
goal |
| Mental tracking |
- have difficulty
following instructions
- lose track of what they are thinking/doing
- get information mixed up or become confused |
- keep activities
and instructions short and uncomplicated
- ask specific or direct questions
- provide reminders to the next step in a task |
| Attention |
- appear
not to listen
- miss details
- forget what people have said
- have difficulties
concentrating
- be unable to cope with more than one thing at a time
- be easily distracted
- change the subject often
- not complete what they say
- get bored easily |
- use short,
simple sentences
- shorten activities so they can be completed
- ensure the person writes down important information
- assist the person to check what they are doing
- encourage the person to engage in only one activity at a time
- reduce external distractions (noise, other people)
- if the person has been distracted, interrupt and bring their focus
back to task
- alternate activities to maintain interest |
| Memory |
- have difficulty
learning new things
- be forgetful (what people say, names, appointments)
- lose things
- have difficulty recalling what they have learnt |
- repeat
information as necessary
- encourage rehearsal of new information
- encourage use of external memory aids; diaries, calendars, time
tables
- maintain
'special places' for belongings
- give reminders and prompts to assist recall |
| Problem solving |
- have difficulty
working out solutions to problems
- be unable to generate new ideas
- have a disordered approach to problem solving |
- help identify
an achievable outcome for the task, ensure there is a purpose
- avoid giving open-ended tasks
- help the person to approach tasks in a more systematic manner
- assist the person to break a task down into smaller components
- reduce the demands made upon the person (one thing at a time,
start simple) |
| Flexibility |
- be unable
to accommodate for, or adapt to change
- become 'stuck in a rut' unable to develop new strategies
- persist with erroneous methods despite feedback
- repeatedly refer to the same topic or return to that topic when
doing something else (perseverate) |
- assist the
person to identify initial signs of frustration and recognise
that
is a time to stop what they are doing
- provide alternative ways of completing a task so a choice is available
- direct the person to another activity if they are continually
making errors
- if they are talking off topic, direct the person back to task
by asking specific questions |
| Planning and
organising |
- difficulty
preparing for a task
- be unable to work out the steps or sequence involved in a task
- not consider the consequences of their actions
- have problems with organising their own thoughts and explaining
things to others |
- encourage
the person to consider what they are about to do before commencing
an activity
- provide a written structure or guideline outlining the steps in
order
- give prompts or steps
- help develop a timetable (weekly, daily) to establish a routine
of activities
- keep the environment organised so items are always kept in the
same place
- encourage the person to take time to think about what they want
to say |
| Reasoning |
- have a rigid
and concrete thinking style
- take statements literally
- fail to "put themselves in another's shoes"
- be resistant to change
- have a simplistic understanding of emotions
- show poor judgment and poor decision making skills |
- use simple
and direct language and avoid talking in abstract terms
- explain changes in routine in advance, giving reasons
- try not to get into arguments with the person
- avoid using emotional undertones
- provide
real life examples (preferably the person's) when offering explanations |
| Self-monitoring |
- show poor
adherence to rules
- not realise they have made errors because they have not checked
their work
- 'hog' conversations
- be verbose and keep talking when others are no longer interested |
- reinforce
specific requirements of an activity
- encourage the person to check over their work
- immediately indicate, or provide feedback, when errors occur or
when the person talks too much
- use signals, which have been agreed to in advance, to let them
know they are talking too much
- encourage turn taking in conversations |
| Insight |
- be unaware
of cognitive and physical limitations
- set unrealistic goals, plans and expectations
- be resistant to the effort of carers/staff |
- provide explanation
why proposed action (not the person's own plan) is useful, and reason
through the steps (small steps, start gradually etc)
- help to identify realistic goals - these may be smaller components
of a lager plan, but more achievable |
