Are you aware of the connection between language/auditory processing challenges and test taking skills?
Children who have been diagnosed with auditory and language processing problems frequently have difficulty preparing for tests.
Imagine taking a major test like a final exam or a college entrance exam. Prior to the exam, students must assess their mastery of the material and determine how much time it will take them to prepare. Then they must allow adequate time on a monthly, weekly and daily basis to study the material. They must balance the time they allocate for studying with other classes, extracurricular activities and other necessities of daily living such as sleeping, grooming and eating. This requires executive functioning skills which are lacking in many students with challenges in language/auditory processing.
Executive functioning is also required to complete most tests.
Given an exam, one of the first things a student must do is survey the test to determine the number and types of questions. Then the student must determine how much weight is assigned to each section and the approximate time it will take to complete it. If a student leaves inadequate time to complete the essay, or spends all of his time on a particularly difficult problem and runs out of time to complete the relatively easy problems, the student’s end result will suffer.
To prevent test taking struggles, students should be seen by academic specialists who know how to teach study skills for long term success.
Vocabulary should be taught with synonyms, antonyms, associations and memory tricks. Essay writing should be taught with explicit methodologies in a logical, organized sequence. Healthy executive functioning should be modeled throughout the child’s development, treated by an academic specialist, and mastered before it’s time to take the SAT/ACT.
Parents can prevent these test taking difficulties by getting their children enrolled in appropriate intervention….the earlier the better.
To prevent test taking struggles, students should be seen by academic specialists who know how to teach study skills for long term success. Vocabulary should be taught with synonyms, antonyms, associations and memory tricks. Students who are already struggling with these skills or whose SAT is right around the corner have no time to lose. Enroll these students in effective, appropriate intervention today.