The Overlooked Importance of Processing Speed
Like many of us, I never thought much about processing speed, nor did I really understand what it was and how it effects all of us. It wasn't until my sons second WPPSI Intelligence test at the age of 5.5, and then the WISC-V via an Independent Education Evaluation at 6, that I ever even heard the term. And although his processing speed, when compared to the average, was not considered to be concerning/low, when compared to his overall intelligence abilities, it was considerably lower in comparison. Slow Processing Speed often co- occurs with ADHD.
From Understood.com:
Processing Speed At a Glance
-Processing speed is how long it takes someone to get something done.
-Some people take longer to process information than others.
-Slow processing speed isn’t related to intelligence.
"Slow processing speed is when people need a lot of time to take in, make sense of, and respond to information. The information can be visual, like letters or numbers. It can also be auditory, like spoken language.
Having slow processing speed can create frequent challenges at school, on the job, and in social situations.
For example, young kids may struggle to master the basics of reading, writing, and counting. People of all ages may have trouble doing tasks quickly and accurately. They often have a hard time remembering new information.
Interacting with others can also be tricky. People with slow processing speed may stand silently for a few seconds before responding to someone. Or they might take a long time to explain something.
Slow processing speed has nothing to do with how smart people are — just how quickly they take in and use information. Still, having this challenge can create a lot of anxiety and take a toll on self-esteem. "
Signs of Slow Processing Speed:
-Get overwhelmed by too much information at once
-Need more time to make decisions or give answers
-Often miss social cues
-Need to read information more than once to understand it
-Miss nuances in conversation and have trouble keeping up
-Have trouble following directions and routines
-Have trouble finishing tasks on time or in a reasonable amount of time
Especially when a student is above average intelligence, having a slow/ deep processing speed can be incredibly frustrating.
I think Julie Skolnick of the amazing website- With Understanding Comes Calm, and the author of my favorite book- Gifted and Distractible, describes it best:
"Frequently described as slow processing speed, this is a condition I like to reframe as DEEP processing speed. The gifted child's tendency to notice extensive detail around her- more than her peers, even the adults alongside her- can result in what looks like PSD( Processing Speed Deficit). Like a computer when she crunches more data, it takes more time. Going deeper and broader is often the hallmark of a 2e kid.”
Their complex thinking requires more time to process, therefore accommodations need to be put in place for this needed additional time to process information in order to accurately "show what they know" on classwork, tests, and school wide benchmark tests- especially those that are timed.
A simple way to understand your students Processing Speed and how it impacts their ability in the classroom is to look at their test scores on the intelligence tests that are administered to each of our children assessed for Special education services. These tests are administered by the school psychologist when they are first assessed and every 3 years after. A full report should be given to caregivers. Look at your child's Index scores for Processing Speed vs the cognitive scores-Verbal Comp IQ, Fluid Reasoning IQ, and Visual Spacial IQ and compare. Remember a standard score is 100, that is "average" ability, not the highest. Scores that are 15 points above and below the mean, "average" score of 100, is considered 1 deviation. If a child has scores that show more than 1.5 standard deviations (23 points) difference- this should be carefully looked at. This is called a spread/scatter.
I will use my son as an example.
His Processing Speed IQ is a 92- considered "average" -as it is just 8 points below the norm. But his Verbal Comp IQ score is 133- more than 2 standard deviations above the normative score of 100. His spread is 133-92 =41 points. Also, this is not his only outlier. His Fluid Reasoning IQ score is 128, a 36 point difference from his Processing Speed IQ. This is highly unusual! An average student will not have a spread this large and should be more than enough reason for a school to investigate learning differences. My sons scores are considered to be severe discrepancies and absolutely have an affect on academic performance in the classroom. This large discrepancy shows that he is exceptionally bright but his processing speed is struggling to keep up with his advanced cognitive abilities. His Processing Speed impacts his ability to show his knowledge in tasks that involve speed and accuracy. It makes sense that he gets frustrated when he isn't given the time he needs to show his true abilities.
It is imperative that proper accommodations and supports are put in place as a false poor self concept is perpetuated if not properly supported and will most likely lead to lower scores that are not representative of their true abilities, which in turn can lead to depression, confusion, and feeling inadequate compared to their peers.
It is also recommended that quick draw/ speed tests like "Math Minute" should also be avoided.
None of this very important information was ever explained to me by the school district or school psychologist. It took years of educating myself to find all of this information, then presenting it to the CSE and advocating for the proper accommodations to even have my requests considered even though this need should have been obvious to anyone with training.
Stay vigilant.
Knowledge is Power!
Here is a link to a great Processing Speed Fact Sheet document by Understood.com