SASD-20-LM Intervention Decision Map

 

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SASD-20-LM → 59 Secrets Intervention Decision Map

A. Reading & Understanding

SASD-20-LM	Student difficulty	Primary Secret	Supporting Secrets
1	Takes too long to read study material	15 — Don’t Read Every Letter	14, 16, 48, 55
2	Difficulty understanding what is read	4 — Become a Detective When You Study	5, 11, 12, 40, 54
3	Reads the same material repeatedly	7 — Do Not Read a Textbook Like a Novel	15, 16, 40, 58
4	Understands initially but cannot remember later	23 — Why Do You Forget?	24, 33, 57, 58, 59
5	Difficulty remembering what has been studied	23 — Why Do You Forget?	24, 33, 34, 57, 58, 59

Why these mappings?

Item 1 → Secret 15 is particularly strong. The problem is reading speed, and Secret 15 directly challenges the habit of processing every letter.

Item 2 → Secret 4 is also important. If a student doesn't understand what they read, the mentor should first encourage active investigation rather than simply asking the student to reread.

Item 3 → Secret 7 is a natural match: the student is treating the textbook as something to read repeatedly rather than something to process strategically.

Items 4 and 5 form the first major memory intervention cluster.

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B. Study Methods

SASD-20-LM	Student difficulty	Primary Secret	Supporting Secrets
6	Doesn't know how to study effectively	1 — Don't Practice Volleyball All Semester to Play Football in the Exam	2, 5, 6, 49
7	Difficulty organizing study material	59 — Reorganize Information	10, 26, 35, 38, 58
8	Difficulty identifying important information	4 — Become a Detective When You Study	14, 26, 53
9	Difficulty practicing effectively	49 — Why Practice Is Different from Repetition	29, 43, 47, 48
10	Repeatedly makes the same mistakes	44 — Reduce Mistakes in Exams	45, 46, 47, 49

This is one of the most important parts of the matrix because it establishes that "study difficulty" is not one problem.

For example:

"I don't know how to study."

is not itself an intervention.

The mentor must investigate how the student is studying and then select the relevant Secret.

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C. Attention & Study Management

SASD-20-LM	Student difficulty	Primary Secret	Supporting Secrets
11	Mind wanders while studying	50 — Why Students Get Distracted	41, 51, 55
12	Phone/social media/TV/games interrupt study	50 — Why Students Get Distracted	51, 53, 55
13	Postpones starting studies	30 — Don't Follow a Timetable When Studying Alone	2, 5, 53
14	Difficulty completing academic work on time	48 — Improve Study Speed	29, 31, 32, 37
15	Difficulty maintaining attention while studying	51 — Study Faster to Improve Concentration	41, 50, 55

There is an important distinction between Items 11/12 and Item 15.

Items 11–12

The immediate issue is distraction.

→ Secret 50.

Item 15

The issue is sustaining effective concentration.

→ Secret 51, with Secrets 41 and 55 as possible supporting interventions.

This prevents the Learning Mentor from using "concentration" as a generic label and giving the same advice to everybody.

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D. Examination & Performance

SASD-20-LM	Student difficulty	Primary Secret	Supporting Secrets
16	Mental block/confusion during examinations	27 — Establish the Link Between Question & Answer	5, 25, 57
17	Nervous before/during examinations	49 — Practice Is Different from Repetition	43, 44, 47
18	Studies for a long time but accomplishes little	2 — Why Students Are Not Efficient	29, 48, 49, 51
19	Doesn't improve despite repeated practice	49 — Practice Is Different from Repetition	43, 44, 46, 47, 48
20	Wants help identifying what prevents effective study	4 — Become a Detective When You Study	5, 40, 53, 58, 59

There is a subtle but important point with Item 17.

I would not map examination nervousness directly to a "mental-health" intervention.

The Learning Mentor can investigate whether the student's examination difficulty is associated with:

• inadequate practice
• unfamiliarity with questions
• repeated errors
• lack of retrieval practice
• inefficient preparation

If the anxiety is substantial, persistent, or appears beyond the Learning Mentor's scope, refer rather than treat.

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The Complete 20-Item Matrix

For your working document, I would reduce it to this:

#	SASD-20-LM difficulty	Primary Secret	Secondary Secrets
1	Slow reading	15	14, 16, 48, 55
2	Difficulty understanding	4	5, 11, 12, 40, 54
3	Repeated rereading	7	15, 16, 40, 58
4	Forgetting after initial understanding	23	24, 33, 57–59
5	Difficulty remembering	23	24, 33, 34, 57–59
6	Doesn't know how to study	1	2, 5, 6, 49
7	Poor organization of study material	59	10, 26, 35, 38, 58
8	Can't identify important information	4	14, 26, 53
9	Ineffective practice	49	29, 43, 47, 48
10	Repeated mistakes	44	45, 46, 47, 49
11	Mind wandering	50	41, 51, 55
12	External distractions	50	51, 53, 55
13	Procrastination	30	2, 5, 53
14	Can't complete work on time	48	29, 31, 32, 37
15	Can't maintain attention	51	41, 50, 55
16	Exam mental block/confusion	27	5, 25, 57
17	Examination nervousness	49	43, 44, 47
18	Long study / little achievement	2	29, 48, 49, 51
19	No improvement despite practice	49	43, 44, 46–48
20	Doesn't know what is preventing effective study	4	5, 40, 53, 58, 59

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Do not make this a simple "score → Secret" system.

For example, suppose a student scores 3 (Almost Always) on Item 5:

"I find it difficult to remember what I have studied."

The system should not automatically prescribe Secret 23.

Instead:

SASD-20-LM

Item 5 elevated

↓

Ask:

"What happens when you try to remember?"

↓

Possible findings:

A. Student never really understood → Secrets 4, 5, 12

B. Student understood but didn't retain → Secrets 23, 24

C. Student retained but can't retrieve → Secret 57

D. Information is poorly organized → Secrets 58, 59

E. Student repeatedly rereads instead of practicing → Secrets 7, 49

That is where the professional value of TOP lies.

👉 Go to List of 59 Secrets to Studying

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One particularly interesting finding

The 20 questions are actually giving us five different intervention clusters:

Reading & Understanding

Items 1–5
→ Secrets 4, 7, 15, 23

Study Method

Items 6–10
→ Secrets 1, 4, 49, 59

Attention & Management

Items 11–15
→ Secrets 30, 48, 50, 51

Examination

Items 16–19
→ Secrets 27, 43–49

Problem Identification

Item 20
→ Secrets 4, 40, 53, 58, 59

That gives a very clean foundation for the TOP Learning Mentor curriculum.

And importantly, SASD-20-LM is a screening instrument rather than a diagnostic instrument. Its job is to help the mentor answer:

"Where should I start?"

—not:

"What disorder does this student have?"

That distinction is particularly important for a pathway open to graduates from any discipline.

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TEACH ONE PERSON Learning Mentor (TOPLM)

TOP Learning Mentor (TOPLM) Frequently Asked Questions

SASD-20-LM Student Academic & Study Difficulty Screener – Learning Mentor Edition