For some days now my younger son has been walking around with the Argos catalogue, pointing out models of mobile phone to me. Indeed, he has gone further, ripping out roughly one particular version that he would like. He is nearly 15 and has a learning disability. So far his skills with the telephone have amounted to snatching it out of my hand, saying a couple of phrases, usually Alan Sugar’s “you’re fired”, and then handing the phone back. But have you ever thought exactly what goes into making a good telephone conversation and how you teach someone? Frankly, I don’t remember how his older brother learnt to use the phone. Probably some mixture of copying and hinting.
I have told Alex (not his real name) that if he wishes to have a mobile phone he must learn how to use one. It is after all useful for a teenage boy to be able to know how to communicate, at least in the event of an emergency. But the process is not that easy. First of all we are concentrating on the wireless phone that sits in the kitchen. There are two methods of using this. This makes the matter inordinately complicated. First of all you can bring up a number which has been programmed in, but secondly you can of course just get a line and punch in the number. Now Alex is not likely to be able to remember six numbers, but it seems to me important that he learn to use the keys for getting a number. However the process of getting a line, getting started, is already difficult for him. He has to be able to punch the telephone icon and put the phone to his ear. He automatically punches the icon and then starts putting in numbers. To simplify the question I have reduced teaching him to a couple of short commands: get a line, have you got a line? (listen to hear the dialling tone – too complicated), now press these numbers. Don’t press any other buttons, or should I say DON’T PRESS ANY OTHER BUTTONS, but just listen and wait for the person to answer. I don’t know what happens during these seemingly easy instructions, but 7 times out of 10, he goes doh, and gets impatient, stabbing at the keys again.
So we start again. Get a line. Listen, Key in numbers, Don’t press another button, just wait, and when someone answers say Hullo this is Alex. I watch. The facial expression changes and he shouts “You’re fired” down the phone and hands the cornet over to me. At this point I explain that I am trying to teach Alex to use the phone. Fortunately my friends know me and are all well disposed towards Alex.
This little charade continues for about 20 minutes each evening, and we have some success by about the third attempt, but the day after, he is still not clear what to do.
The second method of using the phone, however, is slightly easier. But he has to remember the differences. Don’t touch the phone icon. Press the little white button and then scroll down, a round disk, which if you push it wrong comes up with all sorts of silly messages. So, turn off the phone – the phone icon with the cross on it – and then press the little white button again, and scroll down more carefully. I have about 20 numbers programmed in. Alex now knows that his father is at number 4 in the list and therefore each time he feels like phoning but cannot be hassled with trying to learn, he phones his father.
We have been working at this process for about three weeks now and Alex is still finding it quite difficult. He manages the numbers fairly well, although the buttons are quite small for his double jointed fingers to manoeuvre. And he can recognise his father’s name on the list, and also a couple of other people, but he has difficulty reading, identifying all the names.
We will, however, get there in the end. He was eight before we took the stabilisers off his bike, and he learned to tie his shoelaces when he was about twelve. I think he didn’t manage the button on his trousers till about the age of ten, although zips were easier. He swims, and is confident on a bicycle. But his syndrome includes the doubte-jointedness which makes some delicate manual tasks a little difficult and, frankly, he doesn’t know his own strength, practically crushing the dog as he tries to stroke her. However as the list of tasks above indicates, he is able to learn and the important thing is not to give up.
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Fragile X Syndrome is the most common known cause of inherited learning disabilities. It can cause a wide range of difficulties with learning, social, language, attentional, emotional, and behavioral problems. If you are affected by any of the issues related in this article and would like further information please click here