Processing and Children

For those with processing deficits, information moves through the neurological system at a much slower rate. At times it will take much longer for them to attach meaning to auditory information. As a result of this, there is latency in response time compared to the pace of the average classroom.

Some signs to look out for in your child:

1. Your child “checks-out” rather than trying to keep up with the classroom.
2. He/She responds to questions or statements with “huh”?
3. He/She has difficulty following instructions, especially in a classroom setting and/or noisy settings. Teachers often use one long sentence when giving instructions that far exceeds a child’s short-term memory loop. Often needs repetition of directions/instructions.
4. Your child is quite verbal but doesn’t actually say much.
5. He/she often misunderstands what is said. He or she may have phonemic (sound) confusion with words that are similar in their phonemic construction but have very different meanings (i.e. shoe/chew,coat/goat).
6. He/she may have problems with humor, irony, and puns because the abstract meanings of words stretch beyond the processing level of complexity.
7. Your child may often become so wrapped up in other aspects of an experience, they forget the basic facts. As a result, they respond with “I forgot” or “I don’t know”.
8. He/She may have difficulty organizing thoughts or stories.
9. He/she fatigues easily during to listening activities.
10. Your child has impulsive responses, and jumping to conclusions is not uncommon. Children receive a distorted signal and impulsively respond to it before they have all the information.
11. He/She may experience significantly reduced enthusiasm for social interaction – sincere attempts maybe met with failure. Poor processing can result in pragmatic problems with peers.

Does this sound like your child?  Make an appointment for a consultation and let us help you.