Last week, we explored what Narrative reasoning looks like in social work practice and the impact it can have in and on our practice with children and their families. This penultimate post examines Dynamic reasoning skills and how these show up in social work practice.
What is dynamic reasoning?
Dr Brock Edie, author of the The Dyslexic Advantage explains that dynamic reasoning is 'the ability to predict and understand how processes that you can observe now will play out and change across time, either going forward into the future or backwards into the past'.
Dynamic reasoning skills adds an additional layer of predictive ability to the Narrative strength discussed last week. Having strong dynamic skills means having an enhanced ability to look at information (and using episodic memory) to accurately predict outcomes in the future or the past rather than using cause-and-effect linear reasoning (Dunbar, 2019).
Prediction is enabled through reading patterns in the real world that allow us to reconstruct past events, predict likely future events or simulate and preview possible outcomes actions/decision making.
Dynamic reasoning skills are especially helpful when information is missing or unavailable, as dyslexics with dynamic-strengths not only get the “gist” but can understand outcomes without having access to all of the information.
Dyslexic individuals are often talented at spotting patterns and using them to predict liklihood of it happening again. A perfect skill for chronology work!
Dyslexics with dynamic-strengths can be described as having strong intuition- one of our superpowers. We may be seen as being “passive” or “daydreaming” while we stare out the window as nondyslexics may misunderstand the nature of the way we work. We arrive at accurate answers in not so obvious ways, so learn how to explain to others the steps we have taken to arrive at our conclusions. Being able to communicte how we have come to our conclusions is especially important in social work practice where decision making and making predictions has an enormous impact on a families .
Dynamic Reasoning in social work practice:
Spotting patterns is beneficial to social work practice practice in many different ways, from relationships building, understanding situations/histories, planning support, mapping risks, network mapping to assessing risk.
With this being said, it is especially important for dyslexic individuals with strong dynamic reasoning skills to critically reflect on how we have arrived at our prediction (or hypothesis) to ensure it is evidence informed. This will include reflecting on any personal biases, judgements, assumptions or preconceived ideas that may have influenced your prediction and reflecting on how your relationships with members of the family will impact your predictions.
Chronology work
As alluded to above, dynamic reasoning supports us to identify patters, thus when I am reviewing or updating a chronology for a child/family I try and draw upon this advantage.
When completing assessments with families, I will read each chronology twice. The first time to get a general understand and foundation of knowledge of the family’s journey. During the second reading, I will physically highlight different patterns I observe to make sense of and analyse during conversations (and assessment), supervision and support planning. Most importantly, families should be given the opportunity to fill in any important information or events they feel might be missing, or they could create one themselves.
For example, when reviewing a chronology, one might look for patterns of missing episodes (and the hidden trigger for this), patterns of intervention (completed or not), patterns of involvement with children’s social care or patterns of referrals. With one family I was working with, we were able to identify that when the young person had an argument with extended family, the family would refer the young person into children services maliciously. This enabled us (children services and the family) to work together to support the family to communicate with one another in a way they found worked for them.
Risk mapping
Dynamic reasoning is invaluable in risk mapping too. One might look for patterns of locations or patterns of friends/relationships for the young person. This mapping will help with understanding relationship dynamics and hierarchy's, risk management and engaging the child or young person in activities outside of pattern areas to reduce risk.
A combination of hearing stories from children and families, reading chronologies, speaking with other professionals and having time to reflect help dyslexic individuals with strong Dynamic skills spot patterns and make predictions about risk.
For example, if there is a pattern of a young person visiting a location where it is physically dangerous on a Tuesday, one may predict that they are at increased likelihood of harm on that day and therefore work with them to find an activity or distraction that will reduce the risk and works for the young person. It may even be predicting that distracting will not work for the young person.
Decision making
Making connections and identifying patterns has also proved pivotal in providing evidence for decision making.
As a dyslexic social worker, I use all of my experiences and knowledge to inform decision making. Therefore, I find if i try to absorbe as many experiences, listen to podcasts and read papers/books I am able to later identify connections to infomr my practice- this may be explicit or implicit.
By reading as holistically as possible (journals, blogs, webinars, podcasts etc), social workers with strong dynamic skills will be better able to make connections to reasearch to help understand why something might be happening for a child or family or what the best avenue of support could be. Equally, we might make a connection to a pocast when reviewing a support plan which suggested different ways to approach working with young people.
Thus, when making decisions or predicting the future within support plan, assessments or conversations with families, the triangulation of patten, research and lived experience supports and evidences decision making.
Have you thought of ways you spot patterns in your own practice, or have you thought of different ways you can begin to spot patterns to support your practice? If so, share with your dyslexic and non-dyslexic community to support them in their practice.
Tell a friend: do you know any pattern thinkers in your life? Forward this their way and let them know you see their superpower!
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