sloooowww processing speed

Did she administer a specific test or is she commenting on her observations

Curious as my 10 yr old was diagnosed ADD on a TOVA test-the main area she used to determine the dx was slow processing speed-slow processing is a hallmark of ADD, which threw me for a loop. At least thats one theory-there are several. But the idea is that kids are hyper because at some level they know their brain is sluggish and are trying to jolt it into action. Other kids, like mine, respond by withdrawing into themselves instead.

My son just had retesting down for special ed and his processing speed tested at the 90%. Now, he IS on Adderall-and it does help-but Im questionning the original processing speed thing. Is it the Adderall knocking him into the 90% or was the original info from the TOVA misrepresentative? He has slow physical reaction times(so do I) but is that really slow processing????

Im hoping some of your answers from the board will help me clarify my issue

How interesting. My oldest son who is dx ADD inattentive sounds very much like this. He is very slow moving, slow to respond, ect. He scored horribly on the TOVA mainly with his reaction time and accuracy. On the WISC though his processing speed index score was 104. He can follow computer and video games very quickly and beats them so fast it is not worth buying the games. We tried Ritilan and Adderall for our son but it just put him to sleep (this even on the lowest dose possible). We have noticed significant improvement for him though once he reached 14. His ability to attend has improved dramatically, he is able to get some notes down in class, ect. He is still very queit and pretty much slower going then his peers but it is not as blanet as it was before. It almost seems that he is now cognitively ready to set about to learning. I wonder if the previous difficulties were a result of such a fast paced society and they used withdrawl as a coping mechanism?

Hi,

I found your post and the following post really interesting. The therapist was just going by observation. She would ask him a question and wait and wait for a reply. His movements are sluggish as is his tone of voice. His various therapists and I have been debating what is up with him. The speech person was leaning toward NLD; whereas the OT initially thought Aspergers or NLD, but lately is thinking ADD.

With that in mind, my son had speech today after school. Usually I pack him a healthy snack, but today I didn’t have time, so I gave him 2 KitKat bars instead. When I came in for my after-appointment chat with his therapist, she said his response time was much quicker, plus she had administered some timed test in which he had to name as many foods as he could in a minute, occupations, and animals. She also had him look at a chart that had pictures of stars, squares and others shapes in different colors. He had to say the color and shape of the objects within in certain time frame.

He did well in the average range, and even above average in the latter test. Was it the candy bars acting as stimulants? Do you think this means he does have ADD? I’m just so thrilled to know he can do it; now I need to find out how to make this type of performance less of a rarity.

Thanks for the input.

Ann, MY son is ADHD(inattentive and impulsive). The Dr. told us that being inconsistent is one of the signs of ADHD. Boy is it ever. One day he can complete his work some days it is never done.My son seems to be very slow processing info too. He is in 5th grade and can barely tell you the multiplication facts but is able to do Algebra. Go figure. I have a tutor for his Algebra and she thinks he is doing well in it. She said she has lots of kids that are slow in computation but really do well in upper level matn. It is very frustrating that he is so slow on some things that are so simple. I have done every type of exercise that I have heard about and he is still slow on his math facts. Anybody got any suggestions. Jan

Jan -

Sounds like our son who is now in 8th grade. He couldn’t confidently do any simple addition (9+2), subtraction (10-2), or multiplication in his head until the end of 6th grade. Even so, he’s a whiz at other math concepts and loves algebra. This disparity is mentioned in the left-brain/right brain book. I must be directionally challenged; I cannot get this book name straight. Pretty interesting book; you might want to look into some of the techniques they suggest.

Seems as though our son will finally master some long-delayed skill during ages when there are big gains in brain development. So your son is probably not far off from mastering basic computation. Just hang in there and give him the moral support he needs until it clicks in.

Thanks aj. I actually have that book and probably need to reread it. Great to know it won’t last forever. I need to be a bit more patient I guess! Jan

Janet, both my boys seem to deal better with tasks that are considered more complex then the easier tasks. Both boys have poor computation skills but have high mathamatical reasoning scores. Both are good at getting the big picture and getting overall meaning, then minor details and facts. Both are slow processors despite having average processing speeds according to their WISC scores. As my oldest son now 14 has matured though I seen his skills starting to level out. He now finds basic computation easier and can discern some destails from information read or heard. Maturity for him has made a big difference for the better. I am hoping the same is true for his younger brother also. It is interesting to see so many kiddos who fit this profile. Good luck to you and your son.

Hi Jan,
My son too has good mathematical reasoning and ability (graps math concepts quickly), yet will stumble on whether the number is 15 or 51!

I don’t know too much about math programs out there, but a friend of mine is thinking of doing Lindamood Bell’s “Cloud Nine.” (She’s just going to buy the books and work with her child because she can’t afford the program).