That rhetorical question captures the essence of the clean or cleaner discussions that can become dominate within ACL 5.2, i.e. clean freaks. The reason is simple; they can pay attention to and improve surface appearances. The problem can be that too clean all of the time annoys other people. The other problem can be the safety hazards in cleaning agents, which may be toxic fumes, poisons, or flammables.

The original surface appearance is made into an image to start a repeated process of comparing and evaluating cause and effect connections. Their actions are adjusted to cause different effects; multiple cause and effect connections may be observed during a progression. Each connection may be compared and evaluated with images retained for a few minutes in working memory. The final evaluation is a judgement made about the whole progression, which may be stored in long-term memory.

The general public has a sense that what we are doing about substance abuse is not working. Long-term shelter workshops have been so few in number and so selective that it is hard convince the public that life-long programs would be cost effective. In fact, they may or may not be cheaper than being homeless.

The health care community can understand measures of sustained attention to activities that provide the person with a sense of satisfaction as a mechanism for maintaining their health status and keeping them out of trouble. Their superficial observation of them making pretty things may require some explanations to some members of the medical community. When the alternative is the giant costs of substance abuse, decorating surface appearances makes more sense to them.

Family and friends should be aware that people functioning within ACL 5.2 are unable to perceive secondary consequences of their own behaviour on the feelings of others. Family and friends will need to understand and not take things to heart when crude and candid comments are made. Having activities and experiences that they can still share with the person is important for maintaining their relationships. Family and friend's assistance with keeping the person happy and occupied is much appreciated.

A person functioning within ACL 5.2 can use memory aids to keep frequent appointments and synchronizes activities with others. They use intonation and expression in speech.

Written directions are scanned. As most of the information is from the sample, they are easily misled by external appearances.

The person may say things that are funny, ingratiating, indoctrinating, or insulting to people without paying any attention to the secondary effects or social consequences.

Their self-narrative is inflexible, insensitive to others, and centred on themselves.

Topics that the person may choose to discuss may not be well thought of. They may seem impulsive. The person may act before someone is able to finish explaining what they need to do. Written and verbal instructions for new and unfamiliar activities may draw a blank look on their face. A demonstration may be a better form of communication for someone functioning in ACL 5.2.

Learning

The length of the process is influenced by the number of different effects that can be made in materials.

Selected images are stored in long-term memory, and can be applied to similar materials.

Storing images in long-term memory is necessary to:

• Put tools away and get them out later.
• Remember when tools have a restricted use e.g. fabric and paper scissors.

Translating the images stored in long-term memory into verbal language is rare. Most discussions and instructions rely on demonstrations and non-verbal gestures.

The person's attention is captured by surface appearances and held by causing different effects. Surface appearances are observable sensory cues with graded differences, such as shades of grey. Clean or dirty is a yes or no striking feature. A gradable surface appearance for those striking features could be: very dirty, somewhat dirty / clean, or very clean.

An appealing activity can hold attention to within the normal range of 60 to 90 minutes for one session.

An activity that carries-over from morning to afternoon or one day to the next is remembered. Effective cause and effect connections learned recently are usually stored in long-term memory.

Activities that have inherent frustration or boredom problems are seldom continued because the concepts for the need to continue do not compute. The good of the group, business, or family unit is seldom regarded as a relevant reason for continuing to do an activity.