Pace can be simply defined as the rate of movement. How does that effect children with learning differences? The short answer: a LOT! A little phrase ,I have heard, has become my motto on this subject.
Half as much done in twice the amount of time!
When I try to hurry this child, it never turns out well. I must add wait time. Hurrying just raises the child's anxiety. Wait time allows him to process instructions and ask for some support to complete them when he feels overwhelmed. I have had a teacher tell me, "he can do it in the time period just fine. He did it yesterday." I agree. Here is the reason the pace must be slowed down today. He may of had a very low stress day yesterday and completing assignment was easy for him within the time period allowed. Today may be a completely different story.
In coming weeks, a blog post on capacity will address more issues related to pace. Simply, the more novel the task, stressful the situation, and the requirement of problem solving abilities, the slower the pace must be.
When you can't figure out why an activity is causing a big problem, lower the pace. Lower your expectations to get something done in less time. I have found lowering the pace for this child often solves a behavior problem.
Posted with Blogsy