Memory Tools for Smart Learning – OT Framework and Guide

Whether you’re an occupational therapy student, a practicing clinician, or a caregiver supporting someone with cognitive challenges, this series is for you. These tools are designed to help you learn, recall, and teach core concepts in cognitive function by using engaging analogies, acronyms, and visual cues that stick.

Table of Contents

How to Use This Series

Each post in this multi-part series breaks down a cognitive concept into:

A clear explanation in plain language
A vivid analogy to help you visualize the process
A memory aid (acronym or symbol)
Tips for applying the concept clinically or in daily life

You can read it as a student-friendly revision tool, use it as a patient education reference, or apply it when training staff or family caregivers.

Series Overview

Part 1: Components of Attention – The Busy Coffee Shop & FASS-D

Learn to distinguish Focused, Alternating, Sustained, Selective, and Divided attention using a relatable coffee shop analogy and symbolic hints. Ideal for explaining how different types of attention affect multitasking and daily functioning.

Part 2: Types of Long-Term Memory – The Memory Library

Explore the branches of declarative and non-declarative memory through the metaphor of a library with sections like the personal diary (episodic memory) and the how-to shelf (procedural memory).

Part 3: Levels of Self-Awareness – Learning to Use Glasses

Understand the hierarchy of self-awareness (intellectual, emergent, anticipatory) using the experience of adjusting to new glasses as a metaphor. Great for rehab planning after brain injury.

Part 4: Factors Affecting Cognitive Performance – NEST-A Framework

Remember the five key influence areas with the acronym NEST-A: Neurobiological, Environment, Sociocultural, Task, and Affective. Each factor is explained with real-world examples to help contextualize assessment results.

Part 5: Domains of Executive Function – The Project Manager & IITOGA

Break down complex executive skills using the image of a project manager juggling tasks like Initiation, Inhibition, Task persistence, Organization, Generative thinking, and Awareness.

Note: These educational tools are adapted from cognitive science and occupational therapy texts for accessible learning. All analogies and visual cues were developed to enhance memory and application.

Proceed to Part 1: “Attention – The Busy Coffee Shop & FASS-D”.