The purpose of ReToRe is to develop an instrument that trains the prospective memory and metacognition in teenagers aged 10-15 years with learning difficulties, learning disabilities and/or ASD.  This tool has already been developed by the project leader VSB Technical University of Ostrava (2022-2023) and will be tested by each partner, in each country (2023-2024). The instrument is a toolbox that can be used by children, their families and education professionals.

This project aims to extend the possibilities of school interventions in cognitive training, specifically adapted for children with ASD and/or learning disabilities. The project activities include monitoring and intervention, preventive and early intervention approaches for educational learners with difficulties, promotion of more targeted approaches to education participants, and promotion of mental health among education. At the school level, this project supports a holistic approach to learning and collaboration between all actors within the schools, as well as with families and other external stakeholders. Finally, at the strategic level, it focuses on improving cooperation and functional networking among families with children with learning disabilities, teachers, school counsellors and experts in the field of inclusive education.

Toolbox testing

Teenagers, under the watchful eye of an educational supervisor, will undergo 10 weeks of training as required by the developed toolbox during school year ’23-’24. The toolbox consists of:

1. Paper-based worksheets/play cards. It involves concentration and attention exercises, abstract thinking exercises, planning and organisation of thinking, remembering information ed.
2. The tablet application ProxyQB contains two electronic cubes that are manipulated by children in response to the exercises asked of them by the tablet and a specific supporting software.
3. A questionnaire on the experience of using the toolkit for both the teenager and the supervisor

Train the trainer

The teenagers will be supported by their known educational supervisor during this testing. Each supervisor will receive a 2-day training in preparation. They will be formed and informed about predictive ability, metacognition, as well as trained in the practical support they will provide during the training.

Result

The toolbox may become a new approach to better support children with learning disabilities and develop their key metacognitive skills.

A monograph brings together publications on Prospective Memory and Metacognitive Training with the insights from this research on prospective memory training.