Rehabilitation
At Home Rehabilitation Exercises
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29- Categorization Exercises
LEVEL 1 - Gather a variety of household objects. You must have 3 to 4 different objects that can be categorized into a group based on how these objects are related to one another. Common ways to group objects is by size, weight, shape, what they are made out of, what they are used for, etc. Spread the items (9 or 10 from a couple of different groups or categories of objects) on the table off to the side of you and the student. Lay 2 or 3 objects directly in front of the student and ask him or her to find other objects from the larger group that match each object chosen. Ask the student to tell you why they go together.
Example: The groups could include things such as magazines, books and news clippings, forks, spoons and knives, pens, pencils and colors/markers, string, tape and paper clips, watches, clocks and timers, flashlights, light bulbs and candles, etc… Groups could also include things that you read, things you eat with, things you write with, things you use to hold things together, things that keep time, things that generate light, metal things, plastic things, small things, large things, silver things, black things, paper things, etc.
LEVEL 2 - Given a general heading (such as tools, animals, plants, countries, occupation, foods, sports, ect.), ask the student to name (verbally or in writing) as many items in that category as possible. If the trainee is stumped, hints are appropriate. For instance, in generating the names of animals, the student could be advised to think of a zoo or a farm. For foods, a grocery store could be brought to mind.
LEVEL 3 - Ask for members of a more specific category, such as sports that involve running, animals at a zoo, or foods found in the dairy section of the grocery story. This involves a decision process in which the student must rule out inappropriate items.
LEVEL 4 - At this level, categorization should be more challenging than simple objects. You can provide just written words and they could include things such as attributes or qualities, (for example: things such as cotton, milk, and a wedding dress could all go in the same category as they are all typically white). Provide 3 words in a group and have the student provide a 4th or 5th possibility.
LEVEL 5 - Provide a list of words in which one word DOES NOT belong. Have the student: 1. Exclude this word from the group, 2. Explain why is doesn’t belong, and 3. Provide a new alternative.
LEVEL 6 - Tell the student that you bought something at a grocery store (such as pork chops or potato chips) and he or she must figure out what it is by asking questions. Encourage the student to ask general questions at first (for example, “Is it a vegetable?” or “Is it a meat?”) rather than specific questions (such as, “Is it a cucumber?”). After general questions are answered, more specific questions can be asked. Initially allow as many questions as necessary and provide hints and guidance. After the student has guessed correctly on a few items, start limiting the number of questions allowed, starting with 30, then 20, and finally 15.
Taken from Tasks for Home-Based Cognitive Stimulation Program, the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dept. of P M & R, Birmingham, AL. © 1998-2003 University of Alabama at Birmingham