Parents often share concerns with me that their student is struggling with “processing.” There are many different types of processing issues. It is helpful to better understand information processing and where it can break down for some students. Information processing is a complex, multi-step process. First, the brain collects information through our different senses (known as “input”). We then need to do something with that information such a recognize it (perception), understand it (comprehension), and then store it (memory). Lastly, we need to respond to the information such as saying something, writing something, or doing something (this response is referred to as “output”). Information processing covers the entire process and difficulties can happen at any of these stages, or at multiple stages.
Consider these questions:
Does your child read well but not understand what she reads? (possible reading comprehension difficulty)
Does your child have trouble copying information from the board? (possible visual processing difficulty)
Does your child take extra time to do assignments or complete assessments? (possible slow processing speed)
Does your child have difficulty keeping up with note taking? (possible slow processing speed)
Is your child overstimulated with sensory information? (possible sensory processing difficulty)
Does your child mishear similar-sounding words like “thirty” and “thirteen”? (possible auditory processing difficulty)
Besides having difficulties in these areas, students certainly can have strengths as well! For example, does your student learn better if the information is presented visually than if it is presented auditorily?
If you have concerns about your student’s processing of information or want to learn more about their strengths for learning, call Dr. Bell for a consultation (843) 810-9202.