Pages

Lagging Skills- Dr.Ross Greene

It has been years since I first created this page, and my journey that began with reading Ross Greene’s work, has become a passion for Universally Designed Learning.  The big idea being that educators have it within their power to design learning experiences that are accessible by all kinds of diverse learners and allow us to build on their strengths and interests and empower them in their own learning journey rather than obsess over their shortcomings.  So though I still find this list helpful in some ways, as far as understanding the kinds of difficulties we often can’t see, I caution against using this list as a tool for labeling children, because every brain has the capacity for growth and change.  Instead, ask your child’s teacher if they have heard of Universal Design, and if not, send them here CAST.org or novakeducation.com

The following list is taken from Lost at School  a book by Dr.Ross Greene, also author of The Explosive Child, (with his permission) 
The first time I saw this list, I thought "Oh I wish I had this list in the beginning"  because I personally do much better with a concrete list to look at and say "Oh yes that is a concern." or "Oh that is a strength." than trying to pull concerns out of thin air.  Some of these are skills or abilities we often ( or traditionally) don’t think much about, and I didn’t originally have the language for.


List of Lagging Skills
  • Difficulty handling transitions, shifting from one mind-set or task to another.
  • Difficulty doing things in a logical sequence or prescribed order.
  • Difficulty persisting on challenging or tedious tasks
  • Poor sense of time
  • Difficulty reflecting on multiple thoughts or ideas simultaneously
  • Difficulty maintaining focus
  • Difficulty considering the likely outcomes or consequences of actions (impulsive)
  • Difficulty considering a range of solutions to a problem
  • Difficulty expressing concerns, needs, or thoughts in words
  • Difficulty understanding what is being said
  • Difficulty managing emotional response to frustration so as to think rationally
  • Chronic irritability and or anxiety significantly impede capacity for problem-solving or heighten frustration.
  • Difficulty seeing the "grays"/concrete, literal, black-and-white thinking.
  • Difficulty deviating from rules, routine
  • Difficulty handling unpredictability, ambiguity, uncertainty, novelty
  • Difficulty shifting from original idea, plan or solution
  • Difficulty taking into account situational factors that would suggest the need to adjust a plan of action
  • Inflexible, inaccurate interpretations/cognitive distortions or biases (e.g., "Everyone's out to get me,' "Nobody likes me," "You always blame me," "It's not fair," "I'm stupid")
  • Difficulty attending to and-or accurately interpreting social cues/ poor perception or social nuances
  • Difficulty starting conversations, entering groups, connection with people/lacks other basic social skills
  • Difficulty seeking attention in appropriate ways
  • Difficulty appreciating how one's behavior is affecting other people
  • Difficulty empathizing with others, appreciating another person's perspective or point of view.
  • Difficulty appreciating how one is coming across or being perceived by others

No comments: