Hi everyone - first, some background. Regulars may recall that I've been posting about my middle son, now 11 and in the 6th grade, for years because he seems to have a lot of potential in academics, music, etc. and yet is a very difficult person and does poorly in school - as in D and F grades this year. I finally (finally!!!!!) had a full neuropsych eval done and the results are illuminating. His WRAT testing, which compares his performance to students in other grades, has him performing 5-6 grade levels above his current one except in spelling, which is 2 grade levels above. For those familiar with the WISC-IV, his scores in the first three groups were clustered reasonably close together - Verbal Comp, Perceptual Reasoning and Working Memory scores ranged from the 75th to 95th percentile. Processing speed, however, is in the 13th percentile, 41 points below his highest score. This explains why it takes him so, so long to just sit down and write out answers, start his work, why he doesn't take notes, can talk a blue streak about a subject but writes one or two sentence instead of a full essay, etc.
Additional testing ruled out Asperger's and non-verbal learning disabilities but strongly suggests ADHD combined type with some tendencies towards oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (based mostly on bullying his brother, not behavior outside the home).
We are working on going over the results with school to set up an accommodation plan that will give him the ability to type assignments, extra time on tests, possibly OT for handwriting, etc. and have an appointment next week to discuss ADHD medication, which I hope will help. However, my oldest son also has ADHD and from what I recall about his own experience and what I know of the medication, it doesn't actually increase processing speed. It can help a lot with performance and I hope it's a part of our solution, but I'd really like for him to actually be able to improve that processing speed.
There is lots of info available on how to accommodate and work around slow processing speed, but I'm not finding much on how to actually increase it, if it's possible. I'm very open to "alternative" practices - exercises, supplements, therapies, etc. It just kills me to see this one deficit holding him back so much when he clearly has so much potential to excel and I would like to find ways for him to permanently increase that speed. If you have any knowledge in this area and/or know of any practices or programs that can help improve processing speed, I'd love to hear your thoughts.
Thanks so much!
JB, do some research on auditory processing disorder. It acts a lot like ADHD. There is specialized testing for this - the testing you had doesn't address it.
You're asking if there's a way to actually change his brain chemistry?
I'm sorry mama but there are certain things you simply have no control over.
Your poor soon, being tested to death, and now you're trying to actually reprogram him?!
This kid is certainly going to hate school and learning in general if you keep up like this :-(
I have a girl with ADHD and anxiety, she's on a low dose of Adderall and has an IEP. She gets mediocre grades, doesn't test well and will go to community college, and I AM FINE WITH THAT, BECAUSE THAT'S WHO SHE IS AND WHAT SHE'S CAPABLE OF.
Please, please, please cut your son a break. Based on what I've seen here in my own high pressure, high achievement at all costs community you are setting him up for nothing but stress and unhappiness going forward. I know you mean well but this is just borderline cruel IMO.
oh geez. i know my answer won't be of much use to you, single hard working mom that you are, but this just breaks my heart. i LOVE that you have moved heaven and earth to figure out what's going on, and you've done it.
do you have any idea how rare this is?
you rock my world, girlie.
i mean, what do i know? maybe it's totally possible to increase processing speed. brains are largely an undiscovered country.
but as a tiresome proponent of child-led education, i can't help making big puppy eyes and hoping that having gone this far, you figure out some brilliant way to stay on this trajectory. and by that i mean instead of looking for ways to poink his brain into more traditional modes of operation, that you find ways of using the terrifyingly powerful strengths of his particular brain to compensate for the bits that don't conform to baseline notions of success.
and not having a kid like this, i don't know just what that would look like. i can speculate that i'd find ways (some sort of transcription software, maybe?) that would allow him to blow and go without having to slow down for the dam in his noggin that doesn't let him translate the speed and brilliance into writing.
won't medication just slow down the whole shebang?
i'm not sure how this could work other than in homeschooling, which i know isn't an option.
you've gone so far outside the box already, not just with this kid but with so many things since i've 'known' you. i'm rooting for you to find the right out-of-the-box educator who can facilitate enhancing the crazy genius of this boy without getting stuck in what most look like.
i'll be watching with bated breath!
khairete
S.
Hi JB-- we have a similar situation with our little guy. Pretty damn smart, esp in reasoning/logic (smarter than I am if IQ serves as the qualifier) and very slow processing. It's a hard mismatch, especially for kids who are so bright and yet, they are hampered by how they can express their knowledge. Fluency is not Kiddo's thing and I am a bit chagrined at how often intelligence is linked to fluency; they are actually separate things entirely.
That said, last year we went to a "Paying Attention to Attention" workshop held by a very experienced child psych that we consult. One of the things he suggested-- and your son could try-- were some of the exercises on the Lumosity website*. That is very non-invasive and worth a shot. We also found that using the dictation function on Google Docs or the Apple Notes app can be helpful for kids who have a harder time composing with pencil and paper. For some kids, the task of writing is so all-consuming with remembering spacing, capitalization and punctuation that it detracts from the actual creative crafting of the work. Dictating it can help and then they can edit their work after getting their main ideas down.
Anyway, I hope these tools might help. Good luck!
*The exercises there do not increase processing speed, but help focus and attention.
ETA: I should add, we decided that his processing speed is not something we can manipulate, but accommodate. Our house goes at a slower pace. Our day moves at a slower pace. We allow a LOT of time for transitions. He's aware that the classroom instruction is moving too fast for him and so we will start homeschooling in a few weeks. It was a well-deliberated, proactive family choice to pull him out. Between his attention deficit issues, processing challenges and his wonderful ability to excel when he's engaged, we feel like this is the best choice for our family. That said, we are very fortunate to be able to afford this on my husband's salary-- I know it is not doable for everyone.
Many of my middle school students, especially the boys, seem to have this problem. I can think of at least 8 of my boys who are obviously very bright and talented, interesting, funny, insightful, but when it comes to their actually putting pencil to paper and doing something in class, they are out to lunch. Many of these type of students excel at performance type activities -- all of my PITA boys were amazing in my recent debate unit.
To a great extent I think that our educational system is poorly structured for many students, especially boys. In middle school most of them would probably be better off running around in the wilderness, chopping down trees and hunting things, than sitting at a desk for hours doing things they feel are completely irrelevant to their lives or their interests. Sometimes I feel bad for forcing these kids to do things that are obviously so developmentally inappropriate, and then having to give them a low grade for it.
Since I've worked in both middle and high school and been able to follow some of my former students, I have noticed a big cognitive leap that happens around 10th grade. Many of the boys who couldn't focus for two seconds in middle school actually started turning things in in 10th grade.
That's a general observation, obviously I don't know your son personally. But even as a teacher, I don't think that school is everything. Is your son involved in activities that utilize his strengths?
Hear, hear, Suz!
What about getting some apps where he can play games that are designed for that? I googled it and there appears to be many to choose from. Thank God we live in an age where we can have so many things at our disposal. I'd also check with his therapists about this. The psychologist that did the testing on my son was a fountain of "out of the box" suggestions.
Maybe it isn't a deficit? Maybe i'ts the very thing that makes the rest of it possible.
Wow. It is great that you have taken the steps already. As parents, especially moms in my experience, we would love to have the answer NOW, not later. We want to help our kids succeed and overcome obstacles to help them do so as soon as possible. But, that is not realistic. Sometimes, there are gates blocking the wall to be knocked down and we have to take one step at a time. I have to agree to wait until you have spoken about the meds and spoken with school to come up with a plan. It can get overwhelming for your son if you take all the steps too quickly. You do not want him thinking he is not good enough.
That said ,my nephew is ADHD, diagnoses when he was 4. Meds did help. he also had help with school. And he is very smart--I think a 1st yr college student now. One thing his mom encouraged was puzzles. Not computer, actual physical puzzles. He loved the 3D puzzles and could do them quickly. They helped with viewing how things would be. He could beat every one of us that tried one of those wooden shape puzzles. This might work for your son as well.
Slow down! Wait to hear from the experts! You haven't gone over the results with the school or (more importantly) met with the doctor to talk about ADHD meds. I know it's hard (really, really, really hard!!!), but you have to take this one step at a time.
When you meet with your son's doctor about the ADHD meds, remember that ADHD is not an isolated diagnosis. What I mean is, the slow processing and other concerns are all related. The doctor will be discussing all of this with you and will be drawing conclusions based on all of this befor deciding which meds will best suit your son. Our ADHD son is only 7, so I don't know if processing speed is something he's been tested for, but it wouldn't surprise me one bit if it's completely related to ADHD. ADHD has to do with the neurons in the brain not being in sync with everything that's going on in the world around you. When you describe your son's processing, it sounds so much like my son. There really could be a connection.
Also, wait to hear what the school says. Our son is in 1st grade and has had an IEP for a little over a year. (and been on ADHD meds for a little over a year) His school tried so hard to help him, but he simply cannot function in a traditional classroom. He is now in a different classroom (they call it a "structured classroom") with more aids and with a "work at your own pace" situation. He is doing so much better!!!
My point is, I think you need to wait and listen and really hear what the doctor and the school have to say. Definitely mention your concern, but this isn't the first time any of them have encountered someone with low processing. Ask them what they have seen and what can be done to help. Just see what they have to say. You never know ...
With ADHD the brain is firing all over the place and is out of whack. Yes, that's a medical term...lol.
Have you ever driven an old beater car and it drove awful until you hit 35/40? Then it drove like a dream?
The ADHD medication causes the brain to speed up and it syncs up. So it works like a better machine.
There are sooo many medications out there and sometimes this one or that one is awful or wonderful for different kids. Don't be discouraged if it takes a while to find the right one for your child.
Ritalin was a miracle drug for our boy. He took half a pill in the morning in kindergarten. In first grade he progressed to half a pill in the morning and half a pill at lunch. Then he moved to taking a whole pill in the morning and half a pill at lunch. That still works great with him.
He pays attention, makes great grades, stays calm and focused, etc...we don't want to change him to something else. Ritalin is cheap, it's been around for decades and has longitudinal studies done on it to show how it works out years and years and years later. Lots of research to back it up.
What "I" like the most is that it's not time released. It's not a 24 hour med that builds up in him to keep a certain level.
It is out of his system in about 3.5 hours. We can give him a pill before church, out in the foyer, and he'll go in to the chapel and sit very well for a young kid, after a few minutes. He will draw or read or something if he's bored. Then he'll go to primary and into class. They do group stuff after their lessons in their age group classrooms.
We are often in there because we want to make sure he's doing well and isn't acting out or throwing chairs or flipping tables or stuff. He's never acted like that at church but it's old hat for us.
About noon we can see a difference. He starts standing up more, even bouncing on his feet a bit, wiggling, stuff that is slight but we can tell almost to the minute when it's all gone. By the time this last sharing time activity is over we know the med is out entirely. We don't give him any more meds that Sunday morning on the whole weekend. We don't need him to conform to a classroom setting. He can be completely off any medication and do just fine.
If he's having issues and meltdowns and it's early in the day we might give him half a pill or a whole one but we'd rather talk him down and help him learn some coping skills. But not at the cost of him being completely out of control. That isn't our goal.
