Episodic Learning and How You Can Use It

In a recent Q&A Session with Mr. Sims, he brought up “episodic learning” and how it can be useful for some of our students to experience.

According to The Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning, “episodic learning” is,

“the process of storing experiences in one’s episodic memory or retrieving that information and using it to improve behavior. Episodic memory (Tulving 1983) is a long-term memory used to store unique events, or episodes, from one’s past.”

 In the context that Mr. Sims shares, he uses the example of decorating your learning space to reflect holidays or celebrations. Whatever you celebrate, showcase the relevant colors and/or imagery on a timely basis so your student can see the change of time. 

He takes into consideration that some of our students do not feel comfortable veering outside of strict routines and so this suggestion is to only be used at your discretion. 

For example, my student is fairly strict with her routine. However, over the years I have purposefully started new routines that reflect holidays we celebrate. Christmas and Halloween were the first two I slowly worked on, each year including more until it didn’t seem to be alarming anymore that I was putting up decorations.

I also spent the entire month prior, incorporating the holidays into her schoolwork. From books and symbol-supported readers on the topic, to math activities and art projects; they were easy to insert these themes into. With her art projects we designated the fridge as the main spot to display them. Each month I clean it off at the beginning so that a whole new set of art can be displayed. For my decorations, I make sure to decorate the fireplace mantle with imagery, a letterboard, and sometimes specific art by my daughter made for the holiday decorations.

Unfortunately I don’t know *exactly* how my daughter feels about it. She is not adept at conveying her opinions via her AAC or speech just yet. But, I do know she doesn’t rip down or throw away decorations; she actively participates in themed activities and art projects and seems to enjoy them. If I met any resistance, we would stop because that would be the only way at this time she could communicate with me that she wasn’t interested.

But so far we are met with declarative awareness. When she sees the sudden change in decorations, added imagery, she announces what the holiday or celebration is. She will focus on some details and usually display her excitement through happy stims. 

This is what I assume displays the other point about episodic learning that Mr. Sims points out; that the sudden change can cause a rush of dopamine in the brain.

“Dopamine helps people prioritize memories of events that are relevant to goals or are motivated by reward. For example, dopamine can help people remember events that are associated with reward or novelty.” (Sharp et al., 2020)

You know your student best, so making a large change in visual routine vs small is up to you. Start with one of the holidays your student seems to enjoy the most. I had noticed my daughter was more drawn to Halloween than Christmas, so I focused on that the first year. If you don’t want to (or have little time) to decorate a lot within your learning area, start with a designated bulletin board. 

• A corkboard or magnetic whiteboard will work great for this purpose. 
• Print out a calendar so you can mark the days with a thick bright marker and even do a cross-out countdown to the specific celebration.
• Pick 3-5 core images that represent the celebration; Halloween - Jack-o-lanterns, candy in a bucket, ghost, witch, Frankenstein’s monster, for example.
• Display some sight words relating to the celebration.
• Include numbers, shapes, or full sentences; depending on what your student is currently learning.
• Refer to it every day when you do the countdown. 
• You can easily pick something per month to keep the routine going for the full year.

Let us know if this works for you! We would love to hear from you and learn of your student’s victories!

Jennifer Bullock, Contributing Author

Homeschooling-experienced mom to a tween, non-speaking daughter, Jennifer is also Marketing Outreach Coordinator for The Autism Oasis. With 20+ years experience in marketing, advertising, and social media communications, you will see her occasionally supporting the blog and social media channels with various content related to Autism Oasis.