At this point the counselor usually explains what the student is doing wrong. Sometimes a range of problems will be discussed as existing. Immediate evidence is given of this analysis by playing back the student's own words or by showing the student the test results. This actual evidence is very important. The student can see that he or she just made the type of mistake being identified.
Denial is impossible.
At this point it is usually possible to point out to the student just where in his history the student came up against a lack of proper instruction. Again, empathy is very important to accompany honest pattern recognition and analysis. This explanation has always soothed the student. At last there is an explanation. For example, if a student has trouble distinguishing an individual word from a group of words, the student might mark each sentence or paragraph with a different color.