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Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up: Help Your Child Overcome Slow Processing Speed and Succeed in a Fast-Paced World
Do you find yourself constantly asking your child to "pick up the pace"? Does he or she seem to take longer than others to get stuff done--whether completing homework, responding when spoken to, or getting dressed and ready in the morning? Drs. Ellen Braaten and Brian Willoughby have worked with thousands of kids and teens who struggle with an area of cognitive functioning called "processing speed," and who are often mislabeled as lazy or unmotivated. Filled with vivid stories and examples, this crucial resource demystifies processing speed and shows how to help kids (ages 5 to 18) catch up in this key area of development. Helpful practical tools can be downloaded and printed in a convenient 8 1/2" x 11" size. Learn how to obtain needed support at school, what to expect from a professional evaluation, and how you can make daily routines more efficient--while promoting your child's social and emotional well-being.
207 pages, Paperback
First published July 14, 2014
235 people are currently reading
613 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
March 3, 2016
Quick and easy read that provides a good introduction to processing speed deficits. I did not realize all of the different aspects of life that slow processing speed can impact, particularly social interaction! There are some good basic strategies for helping kids with slow processing speed both at school and at home.
Given the title, I was disappointed that it did not address higher IQ kids who have "average" processing speed, but a huge discrepancy compared to their other scores...though average, the slower processing speed still presents many of the problems mentioned in the book, but it's difficult to know how to advocate when others feel that average is perfectly fine. I wish I understood the science behind why this discrepancy is significant even though the bottom number looks okay on paper.
Given the title, I was disappointed that it did not address higher IQ kids who have "average" processing speed, but a huge discrepancy compared to their other scores...though average, the slower processing speed still presents many of the problems mentioned in the book, but it's difficult to know how to advocate when others feel that average is perfectly fine. I wish I understood the science behind why this discrepancy is significant even though the bottom number looks okay on paper.
March 26, 2020
I had never heard of slow processing speed as a diagnosis even though my daughter has had several tests done. This is my daughter to a T and helped me to realize how many aspects of her life this is affecting. I now have something to go from when we talk with her school counselor about accommodations that can be made. I’ve always been at a loss since she doesn’t have a learning disability, but is always one step behind her peers. It’s also helped me to understand better where she is coming from, and I can be more understanding and flexible to help her along.
September 3, 2015
This was reassuring in so far as it could've been written about my child, so many examples were relevant to her. It confirmed the diagnosis we have received. However, there wasn't too much information about how to proceed from here, tips to generally speed up etc. maybe I need a higher level book for that though.
April 16, 2018
After my son's counselor mentioned "slow processing speed" and I realized it was an actual thing, lightbulbs are going off in my mind. This book was like putting the pieces together for me, and it feels good to know we are on to something that can be further examined and hopefully accommodated.
September 7, 2023
Reading this made me feel guilty and sad. I wish I had read this when my kids were in preschool. Not that it was published back then. Sigh. Maybe I learned about slow processing speed back in 1992 when I got my teaching credential? If so, I don't recall learning about it. I started getting paranoid while reading this. Maybe I have slow processing speed? Maybe you have slow processing speed? Who knows! It's not a commonly given test - actually it's several tests. Anyway, processing speed is so important for living in our fast-paced world and it should discussed more.
Turns out a lot of neurodiverse kids have slow processing speeds and it greatly impacts their lives. This book is geared towards parents of young children and how to get them diagnosed and how afterwards to get them help. Nothing about what to do as an adult after learning you have slow processing speed. I guess I need to hunt around and see if there is a book for late diagnosed adults. Or for adults who have self-diagnosed because a neuropsych evaluation is expensive and not easy to find.
Here is a handy-dandy url link that takes you to a 9 page checklist you can print out to see what exactly to look for in a kid at different ages and also in yourself
www.guilford.com/ braaten3-forms
ALL THE QUOTES
Problems with social interactions because the "social scene" moves too quickly to process (includes not just verbal information but nonverbal information that has to be processed quickly).
Slowness in getting out of bed in the morning and getting ready for the day.
Difficulty getting ready for bed at night, as well as difficulty falling asleep-yes, these kids are even slow to fall asleep!
Slow at eating to an extent that mealtimes seem to take forever or their food is cold before they are finished
Slow to complete simple tasks such as brushing their teeth or taking a shower
Problems starting tasks such as homework
Slowness in remembering information about family matters, such as quickly remembering the name of a relative they haven't seen in a while, or remembering that the family is going on vacation next week.
The more times someone repeats a task, the more automatic-and thus quicker-the response becomes.
This is why even kids with slow processing speed are quicker than their parents on tasks such as video games
Do most kids speed up? With the exception of children who have significant brain trauma, nearly every child will become faster at most things.
The Wechsler scales of intelligence include processing speed as a major index, and researchers -and par-ents-are asking the question "What is the meaning of this factor, and how does it relate to intelligence and functioning?"
We believe that some kids-those with processing speed deficits-need to overlearn a task to perform it efficiently. For these networks to perform efficiently, a child with slow processing may need more practice than the average kid
Slow processing speed tends to run in families.
(about a man with slow processing who grew up to be a lawyer) - his intellectual skills were valued whereas his processing speed skills weren't as important, or even necessary. Slowly thinking about a problem and a solution was something he did well, and once he found his niche, he was quite successful.
The Types of Processing
Verbal
Visual
Motor
Academic/Occupational
General
One of the most common parent-child "mismatches" we see in our offices is a fast parent with a slow child. Parents arrive to the office visit with paperwork organized and speaking quickly, while fielding e-mails from work on their iPhones, as their children lag behind, forgetting their backpack in the waiting room, adding long pauses before answering our questions, and seeming unclear about the whole reason they are in our office. For parents with fast processing speed, having a child with slow processing speed can be very frustrating-and for children with slow processing speed, having a fast parent can be equally trying.
As is the case for many children with ADD, Michael showed extremely slow processing speed. His slow processing was biological - simply the way his brain was wired. His difficulties were not due to motivation, lack of effort, or low intelligence; it just simply took him longer to get things done.
Slow processing speed is not a recipe for an unsuccessful life. However, not understanding who you are -and being criticized by parents and teachers for things you can't entirely control-can lead to negative consequences.
(The author says parents have to learn to be flexible, that's the number 1 things that will help. But how exactly do you become that way)
The fact that you're reading this book means that you're seeking answers and wanting information-and that attitude is the foundation for flexibility. We can't be flexible if we don't know how to be flexible, or why we need to be flexible, or when to be flexible. It's our hope that even if we can't provide a how-to list of answers to the questions of how, why, and when, knowing more about these issues (by reading this book) will give you the ability to think about these things more flexibly.
Implementing recommendations means modifying your own habits and learned behavior, and making those changes requires flexibility. So if you've already gotten an evaluation but are finding it difficult to implement the recommendations, figure out why it's difficult for you.
Having multiple children with slow processing speed may slow a family down exponentially. Parents have to split their time and resources helping two or more children cope with slow speed, which can be exhausting. If all children have slow processing speed, siblings cannot help compensate for each other or "pick up the slack." Again, like the best parent-child fit, the best fit for a child with slow processing speed is to have a flexible sibling
Do know this: Nothing you've done or haven't done could cause your child to have slow processing speed.
She has a chronic issue that will require great flexibility for a large part of her development. Unfortunately, if your child could move faster, she would. No one likes being a step behind, and nearly all children would choose to be faster if they could.
People with slow processing speed have trouble taking in information and retrieving information that they already know, it is common for them to miss the big picture. They're spending so much time trying to process the details that the larger ideas can elude them.
the problem may reside in the fact that their child missed the most important piece of information because he was trying too hard to quickly remember all of the little details.
Remembering information about family matters, such as rapidly recalling the name of a relative or quickly recalling meeting someone may prove very difficult for children with slow processing speed.
Ask a child with slow processing speed how long it will take to finish her social studies homework, she will likely respond with a drastic underestimate (for example, estimating it will take 30 minutes when it will actually take her 2 hours to complete)
Parents need to keep the home environment as structured and predictable as possible. Life at home needs to have more of a routine. Think about it: Practice makes people quicker at completing tasks because the tasks become familiar, predictable, and routinized.
Change the way you talk at home. Modify the rate, tone, and complexity of the way you talk to your children. For a child with slow processing speed, a quick-talking parent can create great frustration, so the rate of speech can be very important. Parents are used to asking several questions at once, presenting many directions at a time, giving vague commands, and going off on tangents while they are talking to their children. We all do it. This kind of language doesn't usually pose problems but for slow processors it does.
Break the multistep directions into individual steps. (Say one thing. They do it. Say the next thing. They do it. Etc)
Watch the clock. Increase your child's awareness of time and assist in time management.
the concept of time can be a difficult one for children with slow processing speed to grasp. They will get "lost" in an activity and have no idea how much time has passed. Time estimation is very tough for children with slow processing speed.
we often find kids with slow processing speed have an overly optimistic view of their ability and will think that this time because they are going to "really try hard," they will be fast.
Because of the combination of anxiety and slow processing speed, he had a tendency to shut down quickly on even mildly challenging tasks. Needless to say, this combination made his performance even slower.
A kid who spent elementary school "lost" may adopt the persona of a "chilled stoner" because he'd prefer people to think he was "relaxed" instead of "slow" or "not very bright."
Kids with slow processing speed tend to respond best in a place that is neat, clean, and uncluttered, both physically and visually.
For the right child, Montessori can be wonderful. It is an individually driven curriculum, and for kids who run on a slower speed, the slower pace of the classroom can be perfect
the biggest example of multitasking is the need to take notes while listening to lectures. Thus, we recommend assistance with note taking by getting the notes in advance, getting an outline, or getting an audio recording and listening to the lecture later.
There is a big association between processing speed and social skills. Part of this association exists because many children with slow processing speed have other syndromes, such as ADHD and the autism spectrum disorders.in which social problems are common. However, our research has
shown that this is not the whole story. Regardless of any diagnosis, children with slow processing speed are at greater risk for social deficits. Only a small percentage (7%) of the children in our sample showed severe social problems, such as not wanting to play with others at all or having no close friendships.
Children with slow processing speed take longer to pick up on social cues in general, thus missing the point of the social exchange.
Interactions can seem stilted or awkward because it takes them a long time to figure out a response.
They are disorganized in relaying stories or reporting events, causing peers to lose interest in what they are saying.
Poor time management (for example, always running late) causes friends to become exasperated with them and generally gets in the way of positive relationships.
Reactions to jokes and sarcasm can be just a few seconds behind, which can make them seem a bit "off" to their peers.
Their frequent problems with quick word retrieval and verbal organization cause them to "talk around" a subject and make it difficult for the listener to know what they're trying to say.
When your child is relaying a story that you can't follow, don't just nod and pretend to listen (as most parents have done once or twice). Make sure to be an active listener who says things such as "I couldn't follow what you were saying."
He had a tendency to act overconfident at these times, boasting that he was the best on the team but that his "idiot teachers" were "out to get" him. This overconfidence was just a veneer that hid significant problems with self-esteem. John had internalized his failures. Underneath the bravado he thought of himself as one big problem and suffered from low self-esteem. He coped with these feelings in one of two ways-by acting overconfident or completely demoralized.
Children and adults with low self-esteem tend to have a low tolerance for frustration and to be easily
critical or disappointed in themselves. Like John, they tend to give up easily.Most troubling, kids with poor self-esteem tend to see temporary setbacks as permanent and can become chronically pessimistic.
Children with slow processing speed are at risk for lower self-esteem, depression, and anxiety -and, if these emotional difficulties arise, they slow down children even further.
(how years of struggling in school affect your mood) As an adult, you can think of it as being like having a job for which you have very little skill, worse, a job where you realize that your coworkers are much more efficient than you. You can imagine that this would start to wear on your self-esteem and mood over the years.
The idea behind behavioral activation is to increase the frequency of fun and enjoyable activities for your child. The more time your child is doing something enjoyable, the less time she will spend feeling depressed. You would want to be careful not to pick activities that involve fast processing speed, of course.
Turns out a lot of neurodiverse kids have slow processing speeds and it greatly impacts their lives. This book is geared towards parents of young children and how to get them diagnosed and how afterwards to get them help. Nothing about what to do as an adult after learning you have slow processing speed. I guess I need to hunt around and see if there is a book for late diagnosed adults. Or for adults who have self-diagnosed because a neuropsych evaluation is expensive and not easy to find.
Here is a handy-dandy url link that takes you to a 9 page checklist you can print out to see what exactly to look for in a kid at different ages and also in yourself
www.guilford.com/ braaten3-forms
ALL THE QUOTES
Problems with social interactions because the "social scene" moves too quickly to process (includes not just verbal information but nonverbal information that has to be processed quickly).
Slowness in getting out of bed in the morning and getting ready for the day.
Difficulty getting ready for bed at night, as well as difficulty falling asleep-yes, these kids are even slow to fall asleep!
Slow at eating to an extent that mealtimes seem to take forever or their food is cold before they are finished
Slow to complete simple tasks such as brushing their teeth or taking a shower
Problems starting tasks such as homework
Slowness in remembering information about family matters, such as quickly remembering the name of a relative they haven't seen in a while, or remembering that the family is going on vacation next week.
The more times someone repeats a task, the more automatic-and thus quicker-the response becomes.
This is why even kids with slow processing speed are quicker than their parents on tasks such as video games
Do most kids speed up? With the exception of children who have significant brain trauma, nearly every child will become faster at most things.
The Wechsler scales of intelligence include processing speed as a major index, and researchers -and par-ents-are asking the question "What is the meaning of this factor, and how does it relate to intelligence and functioning?"
We believe that some kids-those with processing speed deficits-need to overlearn a task to perform it efficiently. For these networks to perform efficiently, a child with slow processing may need more practice than the average kid
Slow processing speed tends to run in families.
(about a man with slow processing who grew up to be a lawyer) - his intellectual skills were valued whereas his processing speed skills weren't as important, or even necessary. Slowly thinking about a problem and a solution was something he did well, and once he found his niche, he was quite successful.
The Types of Processing
Verbal
Visual
Motor
Academic/Occupational
General
One of the most common parent-child "mismatches" we see in our offices is a fast parent with a slow child. Parents arrive to the office visit with paperwork organized and speaking quickly, while fielding e-mails from work on their iPhones, as their children lag behind, forgetting their backpack in the waiting room, adding long pauses before answering our questions, and seeming unclear about the whole reason they are in our office. For parents with fast processing speed, having a child with slow processing speed can be very frustrating-and for children with slow processing speed, having a fast parent can be equally trying.
As is the case for many children with ADD, Michael showed extremely slow processing speed. His slow processing was biological - simply the way his brain was wired. His difficulties were not due to motivation, lack of effort, or low intelligence; it just simply took him longer to get things done.
Slow processing speed is not a recipe for an unsuccessful life. However, not understanding who you are -and being criticized by parents and teachers for things you can't entirely control-can lead to negative consequences.
(The author says parents have to learn to be flexible, that's the number 1 things that will help. But how exactly do you become that way)
The fact that you're reading this book means that you're seeking answers and wanting information-and that attitude is the foundation for flexibility. We can't be flexible if we don't know how to be flexible, or why we need to be flexible, or when to be flexible. It's our hope that even if we can't provide a how-to list of answers to the questions of how, why, and when, knowing more about these issues (by reading this book) will give you the ability to think about these things more flexibly.
Implementing recommendations means modifying your own habits and learned behavior, and making those changes requires flexibility. So if you've already gotten an evaluation but are finding it difficult to implement the recommendations, figure out why it's difficult for you.
Having multiple children with slow processing speed may slow a family down exponentially. Parents have to split their time and resources helping two or more children cope with slow speed, which can be exhausting. If all children have slow processing speed, siblings cannot help compensate for each other or "pick up the slack." Again, like the best parent-child fit, the best fit for a child with slow processing speed is to have a flexible sibling
Do know this: Nothing you've done or haven't done could cause your child to have slow processing speed.
She has a chronic issue that will require great flexibility for a large part of her development. Unfortunately, if your child could move faster, she would. No one likes being a step behind, and nearly all children would choose to be faster if they could.
People with slow processing speed have trouble taking in information and retrieving information that they already know, it is common for them to miss the big picture. They're spending so much time trying to process the details that the larger ideas can elude them.
the problem may reside in the fact that their child missed the most important piece of information because he was trying too hard to quickly remember all of the little details.
Remembering information about family matters, such as rapidly recalling the name of a relative or quickly recalling meeting someone may prove very difficult for children with slow processing speed.
Ask a child with slow processing speed how long it will take to finish her social studies homework, she will likely respond with a drastic underestimate (for example, estimating it will take 30 minutes when it will actually take her 2 hours to complete)
Parents need to keep the home environment as structured and predictable as possible. Life at home needs to have more of a routine. Think about it: Practice makes people quicker at completing tasks because the tasks become familiar, predictable, and routinized.
Change the way you talk at home. Modify the rate, tone, and complexity of the way you talk to your children. For a child with slow processing speed, a quick-talking parent can create great frustration, so the rate of speech can be very important. Parents are used to asking several questions at once, presenting many directions at a time, giving vague commands, and going off on tangents while they are talking to their children. We all do it. This kind of language doesn't usually pose problems but for slow processors it does.
Break the multistep directions into individual steps. (Say one thing. They do it. Say the next thing. They do it. Etc)
Watch the clock. Increase your child's awareness of time and assist in time management.
the concept of time can be a difficult one for children with slow processing speed to grasp. They will get "lost" in an activity and have no idea how much time has passed. Time estimation is very tough for children with slow processing speed.
we often find kids with slow processing speed have an overly optimistic view of their ability and will think that this time because they are going to "really try hard," they will be fast.
Because of the combination of anxiety and slow processing speed, he had a tendency to shut down quickly on even mildly challenging tasks. Needless to say, this combination made his performance even slower.
A kid who spent elementary school "lost" may adopt the persona of a "chilled stoner" because he'd prefer people to think he was "relaxed" instead of "slow" or "not very bright."
Kids with slow processing speed tend to respond best in a place that is neat, clean, and uncluttered, both physically and visually.
For the right child, Montessori can be wonderful. It is an individually driven curriculum, and for kids who run on a slower speed, the slower pace of the classroom can be perfect
the biggest example of multitasking is the need to take notes while listening to lectures. Thus, we recommend assistance with note taking by getting the notes in advance, getting an outline, or getting an audio recording and listening to the lecture later.
There is a big association between processing speed and social skills. Part of this association exists because many children with slow processing speed have other syndromes, such as ADHD and the autism spectrum disorders.in which social problems are common. However, our research has
shown that this is not the whole story. Regardless of any diagnosis, children with slow processing speed are at greater risk for social deficits. Only a small percentage (7%) of the children in our sample showed severe social problems, such as not wanting to play with others at all or having no close friendships.
Children with slow processing speed take longer to pick up on social cues in general, thus missing the point of the social exchange.
Interactions can seem stilted or awkward because it takes them a long time to figure out a response.
They are disorganized in relaying stories or reporting events, causing peers to lose interest in what they are saying.
Poor time management (for example, always running late) causes friends to become exasperated with them and generally gets in the way of positive relationships.
Reactions to jokes and sarcasm can be just a few seconds behind, which can make them seem a bit "off" to their peers.
Their frequent problems with quick word retrieval and verbal organization cause them to "talk around" a subject and make it difficult for the listener to know what they're trying to say.
When your child is relaying a story that you can't follow, don't just nod and pretend to listen (as most parents have done once or twice). Make sure to be an active listener who says things such as "I couldn't follow what you were saying."
He had a tendency to act overconfident at these times, boasting that he was the best on the team but that his "idiot teachers" were "out to get" him. This overconfidence was just a veneer that hid significant problems with self-esteem. John had internalized his failures. Underneath the bravado he thought of himself as one big problem and suffered from low self-esteem. He coped with these feelings in one of two ways-by acting overconfident or completely demoralized.
Children and adults with low self-esteem tend to have a low tolerance for frustration and to be easily
critical or disappointed in themselves. Like John, they tend to give up easily.Most troubling, kids with poor self-esteem tend to see temporary setbacks as permanent and can become chronically pessimistic.
Children with slow processing speed are at risk for lower self-esteem, depression, and anxiety -and, if these emotional difficulties arise, they slow down children even further.
(how years of struggling in school affect your mood) As an adult, you can think of it as being like having a job for which you have very little skill, worse, a job where you realize that your coworkers are much more efficient than you. You can imagine that this would start to wear on your self-esteem and mood over the years.
The idea behind behavioral activation is to increase the frequency of fun and enjoyable activities for your child. The more time your child is doing something enjoyable, the less time she will spend feeling depressed. You would want to be careful not to pick activities that involve fast processing speed, of course.
May 3, 2019
Loved it, loved it, loved it. Reading this was like like discovering a missing, much needed instruction manual. I wish I could instantly download this information into everyone who interacts with our young child who is super smart, but likely struggles with slow processing (undiagnosed) that this book so perfectly describes. We've experienced it in all the places this book details: the dragging pace of getting ready in the morning, longer adjustment school and needing more time to complete work, distractions and daydreaming, group dynamics, social interactions where responses may be just a beat off or on another wavelength, etc.
This book breaks it all down from a very well researched background and offers insight into explaining the nuances of how such a smart kid could struggle with keeping up the pace, and the impacts that has on the family, friends, school, work, etc. It's well written, factual, insightful, thorough and respectful. It really helped enlighten me and provide a much greater perspective. As a parent it's often so easy to get frustrated, especially with slow processing. I often found myself expecting too much, getting stressed out, and pushing too hard. It's also frustrating to think that others may perceive slower processing as a lack of intelligence or care, which it is not. This book understands that, and addresses it.
One of the most enlightening parts of this book is actually what I thought would be the boring bit (I just wanted to get to the helpful strategies!), where it explains the actual make-up of the brain and the various contributors that result in slower processing. A quote from the book that really stuck with me is from another child that frequently said in frustration: "You think I can do this, but I CAN'T." It really dawned on me that it's not just laziness or a lack of motivation (which is often the wrong impression people get), but is in fact the opposite. There's often great motivation and intention, but the actual physical makeup and wiring of the brain literally prevents it from efficient execution.
I think the most beneficial take-away from this book is just the overall insight and perspective it provides to parents, teachers and other care givers so that you can better understand how slower processing can impact your child and how to best address it. It also offers solid strategies to put in place, and ways to advocate (especially at school and dealing with homework). We haven't had to deal with real school and homework issues yet, but even reading this book now before all that hits really helped prepare me for what may be in store for the future.
One of my only issues with this book is that it didn't address how to prevent over-helping a child with slow processing. For example, instead of simply saying "clean your room", they suggest being more detailed and say "pick up your clothes and put them in the hamper, then pick up all of your books and put them on the shelf." While this example seems harmless enough on it's own, I don't want to become a crutch that my child needs in order to effectively accomplish tasks independently. I wish it addressed how to balance that and offered ideas for how to implement tools to support more self-starting and self-sustaining task completion.
Thank you to the authors of this book!
This book breaks it all down from a very well researched background and offers insight into explaining the nuances of how such a smart kid could struggle with keeping up the pace, and the impacts that has on the family, friends, school, work, etc. It's well written, factual, insightful, thorough and respectful. It really helped enlighten me and provide a much greater perspective. As a parent it's often so easy to get frustrated, especially with slow processing. I often found myself expecting too much, getting stressed out, and pushing too hard. It's also frustrating to think that others may perceive slower processing as a lack of intelligence or care, which it is not. This book understands that, and addresses it.
One of the most enlightening parts of this book is actually what I thought would be the boring bit (I just wanted to get to the helpful strategies!), where it explains the actual make-up of the brain and the various contributors that result in slower processing. A quote from the book that really stuck with me is from another child that frequently said in frustration: "You think I can do this, but I CAN'T." It really dawned on me that it's not just laziness or a lack of motivation (which is often the wrong impression people get), but is in fact the opposite. There's often great motivation and intention, but the actual physical makeup and wiring of the brain literally prevents it from efficient execution.
I think the most beneficial take-away from this book is just the overall insight and perspective it provides to parents, teachers and other care givers so that you can better understand how slower processing can impact your child and how to best address it. It also offers solid strategies to put in place, and ways to advocate (especially at school and dealing with homework). We haven't had to deal with real school and homework issues yet, but even reading this book now before all that hits really helped prepare me for what may be in store for the future.
One of my only issues with this book is that it didn't address how to prevent over-helping a child with slow processing. For example, instead of simply saying "clean your room", they suggest being more detailed and say "pick up your clothes and put them in the hamper, then pick up all of your books and put them on the shelf." While this example seems harmless enough on it's own, I don't want to become a crutch that my child needs in order to effectively accomplish tasks independently. I wish it addressed how to balance that and offered ideas for how to implement tools to support more self-starting and self-sustaining task completion.
Thank you to the authors of this book!
December 12, 2019
This was an excellent book. My younger son with a verbally gifted IQ and performance scores, we never discovered what they were, in the opposite direction, somehow taught himself to read at 4, so we thought that could be no problem. It was only when a psychologist tested him on entry to university that we discovered that he was slow to take in what he read. Like his paternal grandfather, it seems to take a long time for spoken language to go in, although both have had major hearing problems, and for a reply to come out, and by then most people have moved on. This book on slow processing speed was really helpful even when in a family or with adults. I wish someone would write a guide to psychological tests for teachers and parents. You get limited assessment in the UK state system, usual poor organisation, so parents then resort to private psychologists, and then as a teacher you don't know what it means and probably can't put it into practice anyway.
November 3, 2018
If your child is diagnosed with slow processing speed, read this book. I found it extremely illuminating and informative. I realized things about my child and put together aspects of his struggles that I hadn't realized were related to his slow processing speed. The book gives a solid general introduction to processing speed and then covers slow processing speed as it relates to school, home, and social situations. I glossed over the last chapter "Pulling It All Together" because my child has already had an evaluation and recommendations included in his IEP. I understand my child so much better because of this book.
November 3, 2020
Like other reviews, I wish this book went a little deeper into detail. However, it covers many situations enough that an individual could start having important conversations within their family. It helps identify and find hope during that initial time of worry and questions. Later questions, based upon deeper understanding, might need further research. Still, it is a good book, and the information is presented in accessible ways- not a medical journal style that loses the average reader. There is a lot of information of that sort- but it is well framed. It can give hope and insight for those who are just discovering there is an issue in their lives.
A good book.
A good book.
June 13, 2018
Even though my child's processing speed falls within the average range, relative to his other abilities it is quite low (by two standard deviations on the WISC-V). With that in mind, this book was very instrumental in helping me see that some of his puzzling behaviors can be attributed to slow processing speed, and some of the solutions Dr. Braaten provides are helping relieve frustrations for him and for me.
June 6, 2017
Interesting book on the subject. Makes me a fan of home schooling.
April 21, 2024
Excellent resource for families who have children or parents struggling with low processing speed. The most useful part of this book is how it helps you break down the symptoms your child exhibits to narrow down which form of speed deficit they experience. Up until now I was well aware of my child's challenges, but I didn't know how to put them in boxes to resolve the right way.
Another strength of this book is that it helped me recognize that I am an incredibly fast processer in all categories, and I need to re-evaluate my expectations daily to adjust my frame of reference for average.
Lastly, I felt so seen reading this book. Story after story mirrored exact situation my child(ren) or our family have been through. It was nice to feel less alone. Unfortunately, all their ideas are things we are already doing at home/in school. But even there I had no idea of I was on the right track. Although I didn't learn new techniques I feel more confident in our approach.
(Lost one star because the level of repetition/review in each chapter was unnecessary, and I'm not sure there was much to gain from the last segment on neuropsych evaluations. I assume most people reading this book are on the other side of that journey and have already learned that material).
Another strength of this book is that it helped me recognize that I am an incredibly fast processer in all categories, and I need to re-evaluate my expectations daily to adjust my frame of reference for average.
Lastly, I felt so seen reading this book. Story after story mirrored exact situation my child(ren) or our family have been through. It was nice to feel less alone. Unfortunately, all their ideas are things we are already doing at home/in school. But even there I had no idea of I was on the right track. Although I didn't learn new techniques I feel more confident in our approach.
(Lost one star because the level of repetition/review in each chapter was unnecessary, and I'm not sure there was much to gain from the last segment on neuropsych evaluations. I assume most people reading this book are on the other side of that journey and have already learned that material).
September 24, 2018
This book is a great read on a topic that not many parents or educators are aware of: slow processing speed. Parents of children who are challenged with various cognitive deficits need three things: 1) information so that they are aware of the challenges and their impact on the life of their child, 2) accommodations that can help to level the playing field for their child to better ensure their success, and 3) reassurance that their child will ultimately be okay; this book is provides all three.
April 9, 2019
This was helpful! I have a child who was diagnosed with slow processing speed, and the information in this book was useful in understanding that diagnosis. I liked the recommendations for collaborating with teachers, and ways to help children through certain situations. I did not like how the authors sometimes referred to processing speed "weaknesses" instead of maybe a word that's more indicative of this being a matter of neurodiversity - maybe processing speed "differences" or "variations". Overall, the book was helpful and I would recommend it!
December 31, 2017
Helpful to have an awareness of what affects my child. Some helpful strategies to consider. Definitely helpful for someone who has never considered processing speed as being an issue. Leaves me wanting more information/direction to how to help an intellectually bright child with slow processing speed to thrive in our current educational system. This supports some of the reasons that I have chosen to home school.
December 13, 2018
Very helpful resource for an often-overlooked problem for our kids. Processing speed might be one of the last issues parents or educators would explore, but it affects a kid in so many areas that it's worth considering. Now that I'm aware of different processing speeds, I wish I could go back and redo my practicums and student teaching days. I based many classroom games--say nothing of my judgment of a student's learning ability--on high speed, quick witted skills.
December 29, 2019
Really enjoyed reading this book. I think all teachers and parents with elementary school age children should read this even if you’re child does not have an issue in order to understand others who do and how to deal with them. The content doesn’t address school life only but includes home life too. I could have used more tools on how to overcome but hoping to at least start with some suggestions in the book!
September 2, 2022
I feel like this is worth reading if you have slow processing because it is like bibliotherapy in describing lots of situations and how a person with slow processing navigates them which will feel so relatable. But the concept of slow processing is still a little vague and anecdotal to me even after reading this book. The testing results and numbers certainly weren’t helpful because we are all so unique. And I found it a little thin on practical suggestions.
April 12, 2024
This book is a great eye-opener. I read it because I have a child with slow processing speed, but I wish it was something everyone knew about, whether or not it affects them personally. I wonder how many people I've blown off in my life because they just aren't as quick as I am.
The biggest takeaways from this book are the 3 Rs frequently mentioned: acceptance, accommodating, and advocating. These points were brought up for every type of situation mentioned in the book, which I appreciated.
The biggest takeaways from this book are the 3 Rs frequently mentioned: acceptance, accommodating, and advocating. These points were brought up for every type of situation mentioned in the book, which I appreciated.
May 9, 2021
Quick read. Good primer for those new to slow processing speed and other possible factors (I.e. ADHD, anxiety, self esteem, etc). Explained the options for testing either through the school or a referral to neuropsychological testing from your primary care provider. Also gave great advice to get started and case studies to bring it all together.
May 25, 2024
Extremely helpful for parents. Really appreciated the examples and individual tests that explained. This book gives realistic expectations, delivers hard truths and practical suggestions. I applaud the positive framework the book was written in and how person focused the authors were for supporting kids.
March 11, 2025
Another book I read for school. The main takeaways for teachers are that kids with slow processing speed really benefit from a structured class and learning environment, even though they may think they prefer less structure. Teachers should also make sure they’re differentiating (duh), and giving lots of opportunities to practice and avoiding overloading with content. Pretty common sense stuff.
January 25, 2018
Good book for professionals and parents
I work in schools and found this book to be a helpful description of slow processors. I think that this is a book that would be helpful to parents and professionals who are looking to become more familiar with this concept.
I work in schools and found this book to be a helpful description of slow processors. I think that this is a book that would be helpful to parents and professionals who are looking to become more familiar with this concept.
June 15, 2021
Clear, concise writing backed by current research. Good specific tips for helping to accept, accommodate and advocate for a child with slow processing speed. Title is a bit misleading as there is scant info contained about children who are gifted in other cognitive domains with slow processing.
June 29, 2024
Really validating and yet left me wanting more in the realm of practical suggestions. Helpful to see slow processing speed so well understood and described, but aside from "don't yell" and "allow more time" there wasn't much practical help.
August 22, 2018
Awesome book I'd recommend to any in the special education field
August 22, 2018
Really eye opening... To see all of the issues together really made an impact on me
January 7, 2019
This book gave a lot of insight into impaired processing speed and tips and tricks for handling it.
February 10, 2019
We have the diagnosis but I didn’t really know what it meant. This book filled in some gaps for me, like sports, Friendships, family games. Etc
July 25, 2019
I read this for school. Lots of good ideas. Zero discussion of how other identities might interact with slow processing.
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