Automatic learning/memory problem? What is this exactly? Any SALTs about?

[LadyMargolotta]

My ds's (age 4 and a bit) SALT has suggested that ds has an automatic memory problem - the thing is - we live in Belgium and all his speech therpapy is in flemish and even though my flemish is very good, I do not understand the concept of this problem.

She calls it an 'automatiseren' problem - literally an automatic learning problem - but what is this in english? Memory that should be automatic but is not automatic?

I am trying to see how it relates to ds, and the only thing I can think of, is that he finds it hard to count. He can just about count to 5, despite practising daily, and I am aware that this is behind for his age.

Do you think she means Apraxia?

www.apraxia-kids.org/site/apps/nlnet/content.aspx?c=chKMI0PIIsE&b=839037&ct=837215

He has speech dyspraxia and a phonological disorder, but from what she said, this automatic thing is seperate and related to memory.

Does she mean working memory?

I think so. She said that things that she expects him to learn automatically, he does not learn automatically.

I have heard of it before, in relation to a child who does not have any SALT problems, and it is considered a learning difficulty, but I just cannot work out the equivalent in english.

From a quick google, I'd say inappropriately is right, in that automatiseren appears to relate to 'computerising/automating' things, which seems to imply working memory.

This might help and there's a nice succinct explanation here.

The European SLT and educational psychology tests are often translations or closely related to the same ones used in UK/ USA.

So if she can show you the results of his assessments, you should be able to confirm whether the subtests she's found issues with are the ones which a UK SLT would use for 'working memory'.

Thank you. He hasn't been formally assessed yet for this problem, he is awaiting further tests at clinics. I will read the links.

Yes it does sound like working memory, and it mentions that it can be related to dyspraxia. So would that be why ds is finding it so difficult to remember numbers, even though he seems clever enough?

I wonder if it relates to dd1 as well, but relating to words instread of numbers. Her pure number skills are very good, but she find it hard to understand questions and remember words. She constantly forgets nouns eg. the names of vegetables, and struggles to tell me what has happened at school today. Her visual memory is very good, she is excellent at drawing.