Cognitive Disabilities

Problems with Daily Life
o executive functions:
o carrying out a sequence of operations
o managing a stack of goals and sub-goals
o memory:
o memorizing a sequence of actions
o learning a new task
o attention and perception:
o interpreting a complex display
o language:
o understanding error messages/cues
o spelling a search term
o speed of reasoning:
o responding to a timed menu
o When interacting with technology
oAttracted by bright colors, loud noises, animation
oSome tended to click anywhere / anything
oAvatars were positively responded to
oDragging was a problem for some
oConstantly need assurance and feedback
oActivities with no right or wrong are preferred – but
rewards are good
oThey remember the thing they like
o Not many applications are out there
oMany are too cognitively complex
oCost – esoteric feature, specialized market
oBut they have similar needs to others
Learning disability: dyslexia
o Symptoms (cont’d):
o Sequencing: difficulty remembering series of
numbers, events, nursery rhymes
o Motor: fine motor skill (tying shoe laces), 20% are
late walkers, problems skipping, catching
o Laterality: 25% show preference for using their left
hand, 70% are late in deciding which hand to use.
o See all of these:
Developmental Disabilities
o Developmental stages:
o Sensori-motor (birth—2 years)
o Pre-operational (ages 2-7)
o Concrete Operational (ages 7-11)
o Formal Operational (ages 11 and up)
o Early pre-op stage
o Slower information processing skills
o Need approval and reassurance
o Little patience
o Learn through play
o Limited fine motor skills
o Limited attention span
o Limited vocabulary
Learning disability: dyslexia
o Literally: problem with language
o Most common learning disability (85%)
o In 1876 doctors though it was vision problem
o 85% come from family with dyslexia
o 60% are late talkers and have word-naming
problems.
o 30% can describe a person or object, but are
unable to put a name to them
oSymptoms:
o Spelling: reversal of letters and figures (b/d, 15/51)
o Writing: difficulties in expression, sentence
structure, punctuation
o Auditory: problem remembering how a word
sounds
Dyslexia in Chinese
o confusion with similar-looking characters;
o difficulty in understanding that the same characters
can have different meaning and pronunciation
o difficulty in understanding that the meaning of a
character may depend on its context
o inability to comprehend that different characters may
have the same pronunciation but
different tones or the same
pronunciation and tone but different
meanings
o problems with the proper sequences
of strokes in writing characters