The Swiss Cheese Effect is a term I coined to describe the experience of working with a child with a learning disability who can’t consistently remember what they have learned. If you’re a teacher or a parent working with a child who has a learning disability, you’ve seen this before.
You’re working with your child, and you’ve taught a particular skill or concept. After practice and repetition, it appears as though they’ve got it. However, a day later, when you bring up the lesson, you find yourself being faced with a blank stare.
It’s only been one day or maybe even half an hour, and it’s as if you never taught them the concept in the first place. A few minutes later, the information suddenly reappears, making the child’s knowledge retention feel unpredictable. In this scenario, it’s difficult to know whether the information has been stored in the child’s memory or if it has slipped through the holes.
A major contributor to the Swiss Cheese Effect is a weak working memory, which is common in individuals with learning disabilities. As you teach a concept, your child may seem to master it—identifying the difference between a b and a d correctly several times in a row—only to seem confused again the next day. What looks like understanding is often guesswork; the information isn’t truly sticking.
Another cause of the Swiss Cheese Effect is that children with learning disabilities are more vulnerable to stress. Whether that stress comes from a transition, an emotional upset, or simply being tired, it affects how well their brain processes and remembers information. Because their brain fatigues more easily than their peers’ during learning, added stressors make processing and storing new information even harder.
In my time working with children with special needs, including my own child, I’ve observed this pattern and, with a different approach, have learned that patience is the key.
Often in education, the information is not reviewed and reinforced enough for children with learning weaknesses. The curriculum moves on before the child is really ready. This makes lasting learning difficult, especially for students with learning disabilities.
At our Learning Center, we first teach a concept to mastery.
It may take longer than it does for neurotypical peers, but teaching to mastery matters. Then we over-teach—reviewing and reinforcing concepts through games and activities even after a student seems to “get it.” We also frequently revisit previously taught content, especially when new information overlaps with or contradicts earlier learning.
This reduces the “Swiss Cheese Effect,” where knowledge slips through. Over time, this comprehensive process fills the gaps—some shrink, others close entirely—so the student not only masters and demonstrates a concept but can build on it. As I often say, “We cannot move faster than the child’s brain can learn.”