Building Critical Mass and Deliberate Practice
Critical mass refers to the state of having learned enough about a skill so that you can take the information you have learned and apply it to situations which are similar but not exactly the same. For example, if you are familiar with the process of buying groceries at a supermarket, you will have a good idea of how to purchase clothes in a clothing store or books in a bookshop. You are able to apply the skills you learned in the supermarket to other environments with some differences. Achieving critical mass can reduce anxiety as it means that individuals will have a
certain level of understanding and knowledge about what will happen and how to act in a situation, even though elements of the situation may be new to them. Through hard work building up important skills, individuals can expand their comfort zone, reducing their stress and anxiety when they encounter unfamiliar situations.
Individuals can achieve critical mass through deliberate practice. This is a particularly focussed type of practice designed to optimise improvement which is used by individuals who are experts in their field, such as professional sportspeople or musicians.
For further information on Critical Mass: click here.To listen to Brenda Myles discuss Excelling with autism click on the video below
