Academic and Behavioral Interventions

Are you looking for techniques to help students with a sporadic memory? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the student to follow a regular routine (schedule) of daily activities to create consistency in their behavior pattern.

2. Get the student to repeat to themselves information just heard to help them remember the essential facts.

3. Do not require the student to learn more information than they are capable of remembering at any time.

4. Provide the student a choice of answers (e.g., more than one possible answer, multiple-choice items on a worksheet, etc.) to enable their capacity and ability to recognize the correct answer.

5. Give reminders throughout the academic environment to help the student be more successful in remembering information (e.g., rules, lists, schedules, etc.).

6. Assist the student’s use of memory aids to recall words (e.g., a name might be linked to another word; for example, “Mr. Green is a very colorful person.”).

7. Give the student sufficient chances for repetition of information through various experiences to enable their memory.

8. Daily, examine those skills, ideas, tasks, etc., that have been previously introduced to help the student remember information previously presented.

9. Get the student to take notes when instructions are being given following the “What, How, Learning materials, and On occasions where” format.

10. Utilize daily drill learning activities to help the student memorize math facts, vocabulary words, etc.

11. Find the student’s most efficient learning mode. Utilize it continuously to enable the student’s comprehension (e.g., if the student fails to understand information or instructions orally, present them in written form; if the student has difficulty comprehending written information or instructions, present them orally; etc.).

12. Give the student chances to apply new skills or information to other situations (e.g., when they learn to count by fives, have them practice adding nickels; vocabulary words learned should be pointed out in reading selections; etc.).

13. Show instructions following the outline of (1) What, (2) How, (3) Learning materials, and (4) On occasions where.

14. Ask the student a question when they are most likely to be able to respond successfully.

15. Consider using an education app to help the student enhance their memory. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

Are you looking for strategies to help students with a sporadic memory? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the student to record essential information that they should remember.

2. Show information orally if the student has difficulty remembering written information.

3. Get the student to highlight or summarize information that should be remembered.

4. Utilize concrete examples and experiences in sharing information with the student.

5. Teach the student to recognize main points, essential facts, etc.

6. Make sure the student has sufficient chances for repetition of information through various experiences to enable memory.

7. Show information to the student in the most concise manner possible.

8. Minimize distracting stimuli when the student is trying to recall essential information.

9. Teach the student to rely on resources in their surroundings to recall information (e.g., notes, textbooks, images, etc.).

10. Give auditory signals to help the student remember information (e.g., keywords, a brief oral description to clue the student, etc.).

11. Get the student to make notes, lists, etc., of essential information to carry with them at all times.

12. When the student is required to recall information, remind them of the situation in which the content was initially presented (e.g., “Remember yesterday when we talked about . . . ” “Remember when we were outside, and I told you about the . . . ” etc.).

13. Make the content important to the student. Remembering is more likely to happen when the content is important, and the student can relate the content to real experiences.

14. Correlate the information being presented to the student’s prior experiences.

15. Consider using an education app to help the student enhance their memory. Click here to view a list of apps that we recommend.

Are you looking for ways to help students who are easily confused? If so, keep reading.

1. Provide the student one task to perform at a time. Present the next task only when the student has successfully finished the prior task.

2. Separate at several points during the presentation of information to check the student’s comprehension.

3. Make sure the student is paying attention to the source of information (e.g., eye contact is being made, hands are free of learning materials, the student is looking at the task, etc.).

4. Give the student environmental signals and prompts designed to enable their success in the classroom (e.g., posted rules, schedule of daily activities, steps for performing a task, etc.).

5. Utilize images, diagrams, the smartboard, and gestures when delivering information.

6. Minimize the amount of information on a page (e.g., have less print to read, have fewer problems, isolate information that is presented to the student) if it causes visual distractions for the student.

7. Give the student shorter tasks. As the student shows success, slowly increase the length of tasks.

8. Find the student’s most efficient learning mode. Utilize it continuously to increase the student’s comprehension (e.g., if the student fails to understand information or instructions orally, present them in written form; if the student has difficulty comprehending written information or instructions, present them orally).

9. Make sure that oral instructions are delivered in a nonmenacing and compassionate manner (e.g., positive voice, facial expressions, and language such as, “Will you please . . . ” or “You need . . . ” rather than “You better. . .” or “If you don’t. . .”).

10. Make sure the student has mastery of ideas at one level before introducing a new skill level.

11. Utilize vocabulary that is within the student’s level of comprehension when delivering instructions, explanations, and information.

12. Provide information to the student on a one-to-one basis or use a peer tutor.

Are you looking for techniques to help students who are easily confused? If so, keep reading.

1. Select a peer to escort the student to places in the school building until the student develops familiarity with their surroundings.

2. Make sure the student has been given a sufficient orientation to all areas of the school environment they will be using.

3. Get the student to practice problem-solving skills if they should become lost or confused in the school environment (e.g., ask instructions, return to where you started, look for familiar surroundings, read signs, etc.).

4. Make sure the school environment is beneficial to discovering places the student uses (e.g., posting signs, posting instructions, color-coding pods, and similar areas, etc.).

5. Prior to leaving the classroom, have the student review instructions to locate specific points throughout the school building (e.g., have the student repeat instructions back to you, have the student look at a map, etc.).

6. On occasions where giving the student instructions to specific points throughout the school building, use landmarks such as the drinking fountain, restroom, lunchroom, etc. (e.g., “Go to the room that is just past the lunchroom.” “The bathroom is on the left side of the drinking fountain.” etc.).

7. Utilize vocabulary that is within the student’s level of understanding when delivering instructions, explanations, and information.

8. Make sure the student is attending when instructions are being given (e.g., eye contact is being made, hands are free of learning materials, etc.).

9. Minimize or remove those surrounding stimuli that are distracting to the student and interfering with their capacity and ability to listen successfully.

10. Get the student to be a peer tutor to teach a concept they have learned to another student. This can serve as reinforcement for the student.

11. Ask the student a question when they are most likely to be able to respond successfully.

12. Give the student shorter tasks, but more of them throughout the day (e.g., four tasks of five problems each rather than one task of 20 problems).

13. Daily, examine those skills, ideas, tasks, etc., that have been previously introduced.

Are you looking for strategies to help students who are easily confused? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the student’s vision reviewed if it has not been recently reviewed.

2. Make sure that all directions, explanations, and instructions are delivered concisely.

3. Teach the student instruction-following skills (e.g., stop doing other things; listen to what is being said; do not begin until all information is delivered; question any directions, explanations, and instructions you do not understand).

4. Teach the student to rely on environmental signals when moving about the school and related areas (e.g., look for signs, room numbers, familiar surroundings, etc.).

5. Make sure the student knows how to ask questions, ask for instructions, etc.

6. Teach the student a survival/directional word vocabulary (e.g., ladies, gentlemen, push, pull, left, right, etc.).

7. Get the student to orally repeat/rephrase instructions and information given so that the instructor can give clarification and redirection of the given information.

8. Get the student to practice discovering several places in the school building before or after school or during classes when few other students are in the halls.

9. Get the student to practice discovering places in the school building by following oral instructions, written instructions, instructions from teachers or other students, etc.

10. Get the student to follow a schedule of daily activities as they move from space to space in the school.

11. Pair the student with a peer who has a similar class schedule to have a peer who can direct the student if they get lost or confused.

12. Get the student to learn to use a floor plan to find specific rooms, hallways, and areas while following their daily class or work schedule.

13. Make sure the student has designated teachers or peers who act as a source of information within the school.

Are you looking for strategies to help students make generalizations from one situation to another? If so, keep reading.

1. Make sure the student knows that all objects, people, ideas, actions, etc., can be grouped based on how they are alike. Give the student concrete examples (e.g., dogs, cats, cows, and horses are all mammals).

2. Provide the student pairs of objects and have the student name the ways in which they are alike and the ways in which they are different. Proceed from simple things that can be seen and touched to more abstract ideas that cannot be seen or touched.

3. Name a category and ask the student to find as many things as possible that belong in the group. Begin with large groups (e.g., living things) and move to more specific groups (e.g., living things that are green).

4. Ask the student to help in making lists of some categories that fit inside bigger categories (e.g., bushes, flowers, and trees are all categories that can be included in the plant category).

5. Find related ideas and explain to the student how we can generalize from one to another (e.g., numbers to money, fuel to energy, words to sentences, etc.).

6. Get the student to play analogy games involving multiple-choice possibilities (e.g., food is to a person as gasoline is to __ [a skateboard, an automobile, a house]).

7. Provide instructions by using examples of relationships (e.g., rely on what has already been learned, use examples from the student’s environment, etc.).

8. Use situations in the classroom that generalize to more global situations (e.g., being on time for class is the same as being on time for work; schoolwork not done during work time has to be made up before school, after school, or during leisure time, just as duties at places of employment have to be finished at night or on weekends if not finished on the job; etc.).

9. Make the student explain outcomes, effects, etc. (e.g., when the student earns a reward or privilege, make sure they can explain that the reward is because of hard work and accomplishment; etc.).

10. Get the student to respond to statements that begin with “What if” (e.g., “What if it rained for forty days and forty nights?” “What if there were no rules and laws?” etc.).

11. Become specific to relate what the student has learned in one setting or situation to other situations (e.g., vocabulary words learned should be pointed out in reading selections, math word problems, story writing, etc.).

12. Get the student to write letters, finish applications, etc., to demonstrate the generalization of handwriting, spelling, grammar, sentence structure, etc., to real-life situations.

13. Give the student situations in which they can generalize skills learned in mathematics to simulations of the use of money (e.g., making change, financing a car, computing interest earned from savings, etc.).

14. Make sure that the student is given an explanation of why they are learning particular information or skills (e.g., we learn to spell, read, and write to communicate; we learn to solve math problems to make purchases, use a checking account, measure, and cook; etc.).

15. Get the student to create a sequence of responses representing their capacity and ability to generalize from common situations in their surroundings (e.g., “We should drive no more than the displayed speed limit on the highway because . . .. ” Appropriate responses concern safety, conservation of fuel, care of vehicle, fines for speeding, etc.).

16. Utilize images, diagrams, the smartboard, and gestures when delivering information.

17. On occasions where delivering explanations and information, be specific to use vocabulary that is within the student’s level of comprehension.

18. When the student is required to generalize knowledge from one situation to another, give visual and/or auditory signals to help them remember the information previously presented (e.g., give keywords, expose part of an image, etc.).

19. Utilize several modalities (e.g., auditory, visual, tactile, etc.) when presenting instructional content that requires the student to generalize knowledge. Utilize the modality that is stronger to present instructional content.

20. When the student learns a skill, make sure that they apply it to a real-life situation (e.g., when the student learns to count by fives, have them practice adding nickels).

21. Utilize concrete examples and experiences when teaching ideas and sharing information with the student.

22. Utilize daily drill learning activities to help the student memorize math facts, sight words, etc.

23. Utilize an assortment of instructional approaches to help the student generalize knowledge gained to real-life situations (e.g., after studying the judicial system, have a simulated courtroom trial, etc.).

Are you looking for strategies to help students improve their classifications skills? If so, keep reading.

1. Make sure the student knows that all objects, people, ideas, actions, etc., can be grouped based on how they are alike. Give the student concrete examples.

2. Provide the student pairs of objects and have the student name all the ways in which they are alike and then the ways in which they are different. Proceed from simple things that can be seen and touched to more abstract ideas that cannot be seen or touched.

3. Explain that each new word that is learned is an example of some category. On occasions where defining a word, it should first be put into a category (e.g., a hammer is a tool, anger is an emotion, etc.).

4. Show a sequence of objects and have the student create a category into which they fit.

5. Show a sequence of objects and have the student tell which ones do not belong in the same category as the others.

6. Provide the student a list of words or images and have them find the categories to which they belong. (Love and hate are both emotions. Love fits into a specific category of excellent feelings, and hate fits into a specific category of bad or unhappy feelings.)

7. Explain that words can be categorized according to various attributes, such as size, function, texture, etc.

8. Ask the student to help make lists of some categories that fit inside bigger categories (e.g., bushes, flowers, and trees are all categories that can be included in the plant category).

9. Provide a category or group and ask the student to find as many things as possible that belong in the category. Begin with big categories (e.g., living things) and move to smaller categories (e.g., living things that are green).

10. Organize a game such as “I’m thinking of an object” in which an object is described, and the student must guess the object based on questions they have asked.

11. Recommend that parents ask for the student’s help when grocery shopping by having them make a list of things needed in a particular food group (e.g., dairy products, meats, etc.).

12. Get the student to cut out images for a notebook of favorite foods, television shows, or other categories. The student can then group the images into accurate categories.

13. Utilize images, diagrams, the smartboard, and gestures when delivering information orally.

14. Provide the student specific categories and have them name as many things as possible within the categories (e.g., objects, persons, places, etc.).

15. Provide the student a word and ask the student to list as many words as possible that have similar meanings (i.e., synonyms).

16. Make the curriculum important to the student (e.g., explain the purpose of a task, relate the curriculum to the student’s environment, etc.).

17. Separate at several points during the presentation of information to check the student’s comprehension.

Are you looking for hacks to develop you child’s visual perception skills? If so, keep reading.

1. Utilize an assortment of colored tiles to make a pattern. Get the student to duplicate the pattern while looking at the model, then finish the design from memory without using the model.

2. Put several things on a tray, such as a pencil, a flower, a penny, and a piece of gum. Let the student study the things, then put the things away and have the student find what was on the tray.

3. Get the student to practice tracing outlines of images. Worksheets with dotted lines of images, letters, numbers, etc., can be used to create eye-hand coordination.

4. Play a matching game in which hidden images, numbers, or shapes are turned over one at a time and the student must remember where the matching image is located.

5. Using images from magazines, remove an essential part of the image and ask the student to find the missing part.

6. Give instructions to the student before they are asked to begin a workbook page. Complete the first problem with the student so they know what is expected.

7. Minimize the amount of information on a page for the student (e.g., less print, fewer problems, etc.).

8. Give math problems on graph paper so the numbers are in a column in the ones, tens, and hundreds places.

9. Get writing paper color-coded so the student knows where to start and stop on the page.

10. Spotlight essential words, phrases, etc., in the student’s tasks that require reading.

11. Let the student use a typewriter to enable skills and reinforce word recognition.

12. Give the student shorter tasks, but give more of them. As the student shows success, increase the length, and decrease the number of the tasks.

13. Minimize distracting stimuli on or near the student’s desk (e.g., learning materials on the desk, things inside the desk, etc.).

14. Give the student a quiet space to work (e.g., table, “office,” etc.). This should be used as a way to lessen distractions, not as a punishment.

15. Find the student’s most efficient learning mode and use it continuously to increase the likelihood of comprehension (e.g., if the student has difficulty comprehending written information or instructions, present them orally).

Are you looking for ways to simplify difficult concepts for struggling students? If so, keep reading.

1. Utilize several modalities (e.g., auditory, visual, tactile, etc.) when presenting instructions, explanations, and instructional content . Ascertain which modality is stronger and utilize that modality.

2. Utilize concrete examples of experiences in teaching ideas and sharing information with the students.

3. Daily, examine those skills, ideas, tasks, etc., that have been previously introduced.

4. Utilize images, diagrams, the smartboard, and gestures when delivering information orally.

5. Praise the student for listening to what is said: (a) give the student a concrete reward (e.g., classroom privileges, line leading, five minutes free time, passing out learning materials, etc.) or (b) give the student an informal reward (e.g., praise, handshake, smile, etc.).

6. Get the student to repeat or rephrase what is said to them to ascertain what they heard.

7. Praise the student for listening carefully based on the duration of time the student can be successful. As the student shows success, slowly increase the duration of time required for reinforcement.

8. Converse with the student to explain (a) what they are doing wrong (e.g., failing to listen carefully) and (b) what the student should be doing (e.g., listening carefully).

9. Assess the difficulty level of information orally delivered to the student (i.e., information should be communicated on the student’s capacity and ability level).

10. Get the student to question any directions, explanations, instructions, etc.; they do not understand.

11. Provide the student with instructions, explanations, or presentations of ideas. As the student shows success, slowly increase the length of the instructions, explanations, or presentations of ideas.

12. Provide a consistent format for the delivery of oral instructions.

13. Make sure the student is paying attention to the source of information (e.g., making eye contact, hands are free of writing learning materials, looking at the task, etc.).

14. Give the student written directions and instructions to supplement oral directions and instructions.

15. Place emphasis on or repeat word endings, keywords, etc.

16. Talk concisely when delivering directions, explanations, and instructions.

17. Put the student near the source of information.

18. Minimize distracting stimuli (e.g., noise and motion in the classroom) to enable the student’s capacity and ability to listen successfully.

19. Separate at crucial points when delivering directions, explanations, and instructions to ascertain the student’s comprehension.

20. Provide directions, explanations, and instructions at an appropriate rate.

21. Use digital storytelling to help struggling students grasp new concepts.

22. Use gamification to help struggling students grasp new concepts.

Are you looking for easy tips to improve students memory and recall? If so, keep reading.

1. Get the student’s vision reviewed if it has not been recently reviewed.

2. Provide the student the chance to find objects that are the same or varied in size, shape, color, etc.

3. Get the student to sort objects according to size, shape, color, etc.

4. Get the student to use play equipment such as a ladder, jungle gym, teeter-totter, or balance beam to become more aware of body position in space.

5. Get the student to finish partially drawn figures, words, numbers, etc.

6. Get the student to use images from magazines, catalogs, etc., to recognize features and body portions.

7. Get the student to build an object according to a pattern (e.g., construction toys, blocks, etc.).

8. Get the student to take part in sequencing learning activities (e.g., put numbers in order, space images in the correct order, etc.).

9. Get the student to pick out specific objects from images, around the classroom, in their surroundings, while on the playground, etc.

10. Get the student to perform an assortment of learning activities such as tracing, cutting, coloring, pasting, etc.

11. Get the student to finish jigsaw puzzles, beginning with simple self-made puzzles and progressing to more complex puzzles.

12. Create an assortment of learning activities for the student using a pegboard.

13. Give the student an assortment of classifying learning activities (e.g., from simple classifying of types of clothes, cars, etc., to more complex classifying of which things would be located at specific stores, etc.).

14. Get the student to find specific shapes in the room (e.g., the door is a rectangle; the clock is a circle, etc.).

15. Give the student simple designs to be replicated with blocks, sticks, paper, etc.

16. Get the student to find objects by looking at the outline of objects on a cardboard silhouette, etc.

17. Minimize visual stimuli on a worksheet or in a book by covering up all of the page except the learning experience on that the student is working.

18. Get the student to repeat the names of objects, shapes, numbers, or words presented to them for a limited period.

19. Give the student an assortment of exercises in which they must find the missing portions, common objects, etc.

20. Give the student an assortment of visual recall tasks (e.g., the student writes numbers, shapes, and words they were shown for a specific time, etc.).