Sequential Order
People who have difficulty with putting
things in order or with
Sequential Order, or
Ordering.
What is Sequential Order
Sequence or sequential order refers to things and ideas in series; the particular order within the series is important. Letters that must be in a set order (as they are in the alphabet, in words, in an outline, etc.); numbers in order (in counting, in math examples, etc.); and concepts or activities in order (the steps necessary to buy a car or make bread) all require efficiency with sequence.
Students with problems in this area are often described with these terms:
-
getting steps mixed up;
- having trouble with several step tasks;
- trouble following directions;
- giving little thought about the results of actions;
- not dealing with consequences.
These descriptive terms are sometimes used about an individual who really has a memory problem. They are frequently used also about people who have trouble with language meaning. They are also characteristics of sequential order problems. Remember, the learning disabled student may have one, a combination, or all of these difficulties at once.
Sequential order problems may not cause significant difficulty for a student in the primary grades. Teachers do keep you on track. If you have sequential order problems and avoid trouble through third grade, by fourth grade you will have serious difficulty. Directions for tasks are more lengthy and complicated by this time, and the order in which the steps must be done is more frequently important.
Long division presents profound challenges to the student with sequence problems. The sequence in which the steps (estimate, multiply, write down, subtract, bring down, and start again) are done is critical to accuracy.
It is about this time that sequence becomes more important in everyday life. Cooking requires sequence. The steps one learns to sail a small boat must be in the right order. Following a sequence is critical in group games like baseball. It is also necessary in card games. By now, therefore, sequential order problems are having an impact in school and in social interactions. The effect is often very subtle and not easily identified or understood. People who experience this problem may feel as if they forgot; they may not really be aware that the sequence of events was the issue rather than the memory.
As the student moves through the grades the sequential order demands in the classroom intensify. By junior high they are substantial. Sequential order problems that coexist with visual receptive difficulty often create a pattern of disorganization. This disorganization becomes a critical issue in junior high school. The student is responsible to meet the varying demands of many teachers. There isn't one teacher who can monitor the student in all the courses. Organizing materials and supplies is very challenging. Organizing one's time is challenging, too. A student with Learning Disabilities who has compensated and coped through the primary and middle grades can be overwhelmed with the demands of junior high. It is often the time when a previously unidentified Learning Disability emerges because the demands of junior high are so heavy. Some people feel that disorganization (and therefore sequential order) is always a factor when Learning Disabilities are not diagnosed until junior high.
Please check Visual Reception and the section on Disorganization if the student with sequential order problems seems disorganized.
This is an integrative disorder.
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