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Functional Cognitive Disabilities

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From: Paul R. Bohman
Date: Oct 30, 2006 4:20PM



I'm trying to compile a list of functional cognitive disabilities. I'm
not referring to clinical or medical categories, but to the conditions
and/or limitations that affect a person's ability to use internet
content. Here is a preliminary list. Please add to it, comment on it,
correct it, or otherwise help me compile a more complete and more
accurate list:

* MEMORY
(e.g. short term memory loss & other memory deficits)

* ATTENTION
(e.g. difficulty concentrating, focusing, or paying attention)

* PROBLEM SOLVING
(e.g. difficulty recovering from errors, difficulty figuring out new or
unexpected situations)

* ABSTRACTION
(e.g. difficulty with non-literal language and/or concepts)

* SENSORY PERCEPTION
(e.g. deficiencies in the brain's ability to perceive and/or encode
information received through vision or hearing)

* LANGUAGE PROCESSING
(e.g. reading disorders, dyslexia, etc.)

* ENCODING
(e.g. difficulty with certain forms of information or media, such as
text only, and/or the need for multiple methods of encoding, such as
audio and illustrations)

* TRANSFER
(e.g. Difficulties in connecting or associating knowledge or ideas; for
example, not being able to apply a principle learned in one situation to
a new, similar situation)


So, what do you think? What would you add, delete, or change?


--

Paul R. Bohman
Administrative Faculty, College of Education & Human Development
Lead Architect of Web Services, Office of Technology Support
Technology Coordinator, Kellar Institute for Human disAbilities
George Mason University