WWW.SMARTSPEECHTHERAPY.

COM 2017

Teaching Hierarchy of Problem Solving Skills to Children with Learning Disabilities (Revised)

Analogical reasoning is the process of knowledge transfer from one situation/context to the next (Chen, 2002). It is
important for inductive reasoning development (correctly generalizing based on available evidence) as well as for
problem solving real-world situations on daily basis (Wedman, Wedman, & Folger, 1999). Successful analogical
problem solving ability allows children to generalize and solve previously un-encountered problems, increase the
potential success of solving different types of future problems and even potentially decrease the time needed to solve
them (Gholson, Eymard, Morgan, & Kamhi, 1987).

The capacity for analogical reasoning is available from infancy and increases with age and with the accumulation of
knowledge about relevant relations in the world. Interesting fact, recognizing similarities does not constitute an extra
cognitive load if the analogous relations are already part of the child’s conceptual knowledge (Goswami, 2001). For
example Chen (1996) found no age differences (among 5–8 year olds) ability to tap various types of similarities during
analogical problem solving tasks.

Children with learning disabilities demonstrate inefficient information processing skills and consequently have
difficulty with new and complex tasks due to weaknesses in synthesizing and integrating information as well as
difficulties in areas that require problem solving, complex concept formation, and executive function (EF) skills such as
sticking to the task, planning, inhibiting responses, working memory, and cognitive flexibility (Forrest, 2004). Due to
EF impairments they exhibit significant difficulties with organization, planning, and tasks requiring sequencing
(Tanguay, 2001). Many of them find it hard to internalize feedback, learn from past experiences, deal with ambiguous
and non-routine situations, understand cause-effect relationships as well as engage in gestalt processing (separate main
idea from details when analyzing text). Thus, it is important to break up the task complexity and sequentially teach
them the steps to analogical problem solving.

Problem solving subcomponents can be taught in the following order:

a. Ordering (information)
b. Comparing
c. Contrasting
d. Evaluating (effectiveness)
e. Selecting (best outcome)

Additional Problem Solving Subcomponents Include:

1. Finding relevancy (Yang & Wedman, 1993)

2. Mapping or finding appropriate correspondences between the two situations (Yang & Wedman, 1993)
3. Text comparison (Anderson, Greeno, Kline, & Neves, 1981)
4. Understanding cause/effect relationships (Halford, 1993; Siegler, 1989)
5. Making inferences (Brown, 1989)
6. Inductive reasoning or making broad generalizations from specific situations (Brown, 1989)
7. Making abstractions (Chen & Daehler, 1989)

Copyright © 2017 Smart Speech Therapy LLC Page 1

WWW.SMARTSPEECHTHERAPY.COM 2017

Language Processing Hierarchy Pertaining to Critical Thinking (Basic to Complex)

(Richard, 2001)

 Prerequisites

 Labeling

 Functions

 Associations

 Categorization

 Synonyms

 Antonyms

 Concepts (time, location, size, etc.)

 Similarities

 Differences

 Multiple Meaning Words

 Idioms

 Analogies

Free Problem Solving Apps and Worksheets

Same Different

Analogies 1.0 App

Analogies 2.0 App

Word Analogies 1.0 App

Analogy Worksheets (for Grades 1-12)

Copyright © 2017 Smart Speech Therapy LLC Page 2

WWW.SMARTSPEECHTHERAPY.COM 2017

Helpful Resources Pertaining to Problem Solving and Social Reasoning

 Improving Critical Thinking Skills via Picture Books in Children with Language Disorders

 Gauging Moods and Interpreting Emotional States

 Teaching “Insight” to Students with Social Pragmatic and Executive Function Deficits

 Social Pragmatic Language Activity Pack

 Social Pragmatic Language: Multiple Interpretations Therapy Activity

 Social Pragmatic Photo Bundle for Early Elementary Aged Children

 Social Pragmatic Photo/Question Set Sample

 Social Pragmatic Language Resources

Copyright © 2017 Smart Speech Therapy LLC Page 3

WWW.SMARTSPEECHTHERAPY.COM 2017

Helpful Smart Speech Therapy Resources

 Best Practices in Bilingual Literacy Assessments and Interventions

 Comprehensive Literacy Checklist For School-Aged Children

 Dynamic Assessment of Bilingual and Multicultural Learners in Speech Language Pathology

 Differential Assessment and Treatment of Processing Disorders in Speech Language

Pathology

 Practical Strategies for Monolingual SLPs Assessing and Treating Bilingual Children

 The Checklists Bundle

 General Assessment and Treatment Start Up Bundle

 Multicultural Assessment Bundle

 Narrative Assessment and Treatment Bundle

 Social Pragmatic Assessment and Treatment Bundle

 Psychiatric Disorders Bundle

 Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Assessment and Treatment Bundle

 Assessment Checklist for Preschool Aged Children

 Assessment Checklist for School Aged Children

 Speech Language Assessment Checklist for Adolescents

 Differential Diagnosis of ADHD in Speech Language Pathology

 Creating Functional Therapy Plan

 Selecting Clinical Materials for Pediatric Therapy

 Social Pragmatic Deficits Checklist for Preschool Children

 Social Pragmatic Deficits Checklist for School Aged Children

 Language Processing Deficits Checklist for School Aged Children

Copyright © 2017 Smart Speech Therapy LLC Page 4

 WWW.SMARTSPEECHTHERAPY.COM 2017

References:

1. Anderson, J. R., Greeno, J., Kline, P., & Neves, D. (1981). Acquisition of problem solving skills. In J. R.
Anderson (Ed.), Cognitive skills and their acquisition (pp. 191–230). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

2. Brown, A (1989). "Analogical Learning and Transfer: What Develops?" In Similarity and Analogical
Reasoning, ed. Stella Vosniadou and Andrew Ortony. New York: Cambridge University Press.

3. Chen, Z., & Daehler, M. W. (1989). Positive and negative transfer in analogical problem solving by 6-
year-old children. Cognitive Development, 4, 327–344.

4. Chen, Z. (1996). Children’s analogical problem solving: The effects of superficial, structural, and
procedural similarity. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 62, 410–431.

5. Chen, Z. (2002). Analogical problem solving: A hierarchical analysis of procedural similarity. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 20, 81–98.

6. Forrest, B.J. (2004). The utility of math difficulties, internalized psychopathology, and visual-
spatial deficits to identify children with the nonverbal learning disability syndrome: Evidence for a
visual-spatial disability. Child Neuropsychology, 10(2), 129-146.

7. Gholson, B., Eymard, L., Morgan, D. & Kamhi, A. (1987). Problem solving, recall, and isomorphic
transfer among third- and sixth-grade children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 43, 227-243.

8. Goswami, U. (2001). Analogical reasoning in children. In D. Gentner,K. J. Holyoak, & B. N. Kokinov

(Eds.), The analogical mind: Perspectives from cognitive science (pp. 437–470). Cambridge, MA: MIT
Press.

9. Halford, G. S. (1993). Children’s understanding: The development of mental models. Hillsdale, NJ:
Lawrence Erlbaum.

10. Siegler, R. S. (1989). Mechanisms of cognitive development. Annual Review of Psychology, 40, 353–379

11. Tanguay, P. B. (2001). Nonverbal learning disabilities at home: A parent’s guide. London: Jessica
Kingsley

12. Wedman, J. F., Wedman, J. M., & Folger, T. (1999). Thought processes in analogical problem solving: A
preliminary inquiry. Journal of Research and Development in Education, 32(3), 160–167

13. Yang, C., & Wedman, J. F. (1993). A study of the conditions influencing analogical problem solving.
Journal of Research and Development in Education, 26 (4), 213-221.

Copyright © 2017 Smart Speech Therapy LLC Page 5