I regularly remind my students and my readers that retrieval is impacted by frequency of use and recency of use. So why would it surprise me that my client had difficulty retrieving the names of common shapes? While completing an oral directions activity, I noticed that she was misnaming square, rectangle, and triangle. Receptively, she was firm in her understanding. A year ago, these words were easy for her to retrieve.
I put together a “cheat sheet” for these 3 shapes. A picture of a “tricycle,” with a triangle drawn among its 3 wheels was the visual cue for “triangle.” a rectangular “wreck” served as a cue for “rectangle,” and a woman with “square hair” was the cue for “square.” I reminded this little girl about the syllables in each word and asked her to clap out syllable by syllable. After making the syllables explicit, I connected cues with the real word. I then had her “think the cue, but say the word” 5 times aloud. Finally, she had to make up a meaningful, grammatical sentence using the word. *
Success! I had forgotten one of my basic tenets: Don’t forget that frequency of use and recency of use strongly affect retrieval speed and accuracy. Those vocab words that were easy a year ago may not be easy to retrieve today.
*For a more detailed explanation of the process, please refer to “An Endorsement from the Word Finding Guru” at this link: https://www.wordfindingforkids.com/an-endorsement-from-the-word-finding-guru/ Reference: Dr. Diane German
Reprinted from January, 2019…because February, 2021, is COLD and SNOWY in the Midwest!
It’s time for one of my favorite word finding cues! School is cancelled in most Chicago-area schools for the next two days because of the polar vortex. I wrote in an old post about trying to find a word finding cue for “polar vortex.” I came up with “polar for Tex[as]”. I drew a polar bear reaching down over the globe toward Texas.
I remembered to make each syllable very explicit, and encouraged the kids to repeat the words syllable by syllable.
Not being content to reinforce the cue sitting down, I asked each child in turn to stand on my table and act the part of the polar bear. My friend Jason was standing on my table, reaching down to touch the back of David, who was kneeling on the floor playing the part of Texas. Polar vortex, polar vortex, polar vortex. Say the word, but THINK the cue….
And who appeared at my door? The superintendent of schools! How to explain my multi-sensory lesson on retrieving the term “polar vortex”? Oh, my… children standing on tables…. So of course I had the “polar bear” explain to Dr. Superintendent how he learned to retrieve the term more efficiently. It was a hit! (phew….).
Do your word finders have a difficult times remembering the names of their classmates or their teachers? It happens to all of us (especially as we age). But I have had kids on my caseload who are repeatedly embarrassed because they struggle to retrieve important names.
This morning I listened to a podcast on BottomLineInc featuring Dr. Cynthia Green, PhD. The host described her as “one of American’s foremost memory fitness and brain health experts.” This blog is focused on children with word finding issues. However, I think Dr. Green made some important points that we can apply to our word finders. I have added some editorial comments of my own.
Dr. Green stated that forgetting names is the #1 memory complaint of adults. She reminded her audience about the overall tips that can boost attention and memory: look at your lifestyle. What is challenging to memory? Lack of sleep, anxiety (certainly a possibility with children), alcohol and excessive caffeine (hopefully not an issue with children!), and sugar intake. Regular exercise is also important! We aren’t often in control of the lifestyle of the kids on our caseloads, but we can inform parents of the importance of a good night’s sleep and the role anxiety can play.
But since we usually don’t get the a new name to begin with, what strategies can we use to remember and retrieve names? Dr. Green calls this the “A.M. principle”: wake up your memory and prime it to get ready to remember. Pay attention and give the name meaning. She suggested a number of strategies, all of which can be adapted to help the kids on your caseload. There is nothing new here for SLPs! These are principles we use in our therapy every day. Consider this a reminder that we can take ideas from different disciplines to inform our own practice.
The repetition strategy: Use the name several times as you are introduced. As the conversation proceeds, you can weave the name into your comments and questions. Slow down introductions – “be a politician” and try to connect with each person individually.
The association strategy: Connect the new name with someone you already know. It can be your cousin, the name of the bully that you can’t get out of your mind, or a famous person. You can make the association verbally or visually. Dr. Green gave the example of a person named Robin – make a snapshot in your mind with the red-breasted bird, or even Robin Hood! You can even visualize the name spelled out, but this might be hard for children with language difficulties.
Higher level complex associations: Make up a little story using the name. For Cynthia Green: “Cynthia turned green with envy.” This can also be visual: Remember when we didn’t know how to pronounce our new vice president’s first name? We associated a comma with Kamala. So I visualized a comma in her luxuriant hair. I often tell the kids on my caseload to make a video in their imaginations. Dr. Green gave the example of visualizing frankfurters marching over a hill to remember “Frank Hill.”
Perhaps the most important message was to find the strategy that works for you. And don’t be hard on yourself: We all forget names! It’s OK to say, “I’m sorry, I don’t remember your name.” Chances are, they’ve forgotten your name as well!
November 5 is Election Day. How many of your word finders can easily access such words as election, constitution, amendment, legislature, ratification, Republican, Democrat, and Independent? Dare I add “impeachment?” A lot of schools hold mock elections, so words like ballot box, voting booth, and absentee ballot will be helpful. It’s hard not to let one’s own views affect the discussion this year. I don’t envy the job of social studies and civics teachers who have to teach the concepts basic to our democracy.
Remember that frequency of use and recency of use are the primary determiners of how easily words can be retrieved. Which words are appropriate for the age of the kids you serve? Make it easy…practice these words today!
