6 Reasons Your Child’s Brain Might Need a Tune-Up This Summer
When your child complains of a sore or sensitive tooth, you know it’s probably time for a trip to the dentist. When they indicate they can’t see the board at school or they squint while reading, you’ll likely schedule an eye exam. But how do you know when it’s time for them to get their brain “tuned up”? We’ve got six reasons it may be time to have your children’s cognitive skills assessed this summer to best prepare them for the return to school this fall.
#1: They have lots of unfinished projects.
While it’s common for younger kids to switch from toy to another, older children and teens with a multitude of half-completed projects could be more than a sign that they’re simply figuring out what they enjoy most. If they’ve assembled half a Lego plane only to abandon it for a new sewing project which is quickly replaced by a barely started self-portrait, it might be a red flag that something other than boredom is causing them to jump from task to task.
What it could mean: It might be time to have your child assessed for attention deficits. There are three types of attention: sustained, selective, and divided. Sustained attention enables us to stay focused on a task for a sustained period of time. Selective attention allows us to stay focused on on-task despite distractions. Divided attention allows us to remember information while doing two things at once.
Although any (or all) of these types of attention can be affected, weak sustained attention skills are often what causes us to give up on projects before they’re complete.
#2: They avoid reading or don’t remember what they just read.
If your child loved when you read to them at bedtime only to stop showing an interest in reading when they’re doing it themselves, it could be a red flag that they’re struggling with reading fluency. If they close a book only to have trouble recalling what they’ve just read, it may be an issue with comprehension.
What it could mean: Auditory processing is the cognitive skill that enables us to analyze, blend, and segment sounds. When this skill is weak, children may struggle with learning to read, reading fluency, or reading comprehension. Visual processing, on the other hand, is the brain skill that enables us to think in visual images. When it’s weak, children may have difficulty understanding or remembering what they’ve just read. They may also struggle to read maps, do math word problems or follow written directions.
#3: They can’t follow multi step directions.
Have you ever directed your child to “put your shoes on, grab your coat, and meet me in the car” only to have them trot into the room barefoot a few minutes later asking, “What was I supposed to do again?” If so, your child may have difficulty remembering your multi-step directions.
What it could mean: Sometimes referred to as “short-term memory,” working memory is the cognitive skill that enables us to hang on to information while we’re in the process of using it. Think “carry the one” while doing two-digit addition or having to go back and reread directions in the middle of a project. A child who is constantly needing a reminder regarding what they were just asked to do may need to strengthen their working memory skills.
#4: They have trouble with numbers.
Just as dyslexia is about reading struggles, dyscalculia is about number struggles. The good news is, no one is just born “bad at math” and in fact, they may simply just need to strengthen the skills needed to do math. These include logic & reasoning, working memory, and visual processing skills, among others.
What it could mean: Don’t blame yourself for your child’s poor understanding of math concepts. Although genetics can play a small role, it’s more likely that they just need some help building a strong foundation of math skills. These include skills like making sense of written equations and math concepts in spoken language, seeing the world in terms of numbers and quantities (e.g., size, weight, amount), breaking down math problems into easy-to-understanding pieces, and thinking in mathematical terms more quickly and accurately to solve problems faster.
#5: They take a long time to complete certain tasks.
If you’ve never had to deal with a homework meltdown or a late-night book report because your kiddo is struggling to write one page, you’re not alone. Taking a long time to complete tasks for school or frequently being the last one of their peers to finish something is less likely about stubbornness, perfectionism, or willful procrastination than it is about underperforming processing speed.
What it could mean: Your child may simply need help increasing their processing speed. This brain skill enables us to perform tasks—of any type—quickly and accurately. When this cognitive skill isn’t up to par, your student may feel defeated trying to keep up with the pace of their classmates.
#6: They get easily frustrated when they don’t understand something.
It’s hard to see your child or teen work hard to understand something only to end up feeling stuck or overwhelmed because they don’t “get it.” If they’re constantly looking to you to help them solve problems or asking for guidance about what to do next when working on an age-appropriate task, it could be due to weak logic and reasoning skills holding them back from reaching their full potential.
What it could mean: Logic & reasoning skills enable us to rationalize, infer, form ideas, and solve problems. Although we use these skills in a number of ways, it’s common for a weakness to manifest in the form of math struggles, especially those that go beyond basic arithmetic.
If you recognize any of these struggles in your student, it may be time for a cognitive skills assessment. The test only takes about an hour and the results can provide a real “Aha!” moment for families. Armed with information about which brain skills are strong and which could use a “tune-up,” you can decide on the best intervention to help target and strengthen the skills that need it most.
