Back to School: What Lots of Families Forget
Your back to school lists are filled with new supplies, backpacks, sports equipment, and other various things… but did you know that many parents forget THE MOST important thing that makes or breaks your kids’ success in the school year?
You can send your child to a top-quality school, equip them with the latest and greatest of school supplies, and sign them up for extracurriculars to grow their experiences, but if you neglect this, they are going to struggle.
Kids need strong cognitive skills in order to learn effectively.
So as your child heads back to school soon, add an investigation into their cognitive skills to the top of your to-do list!
What Are Cognitive Skills?
A brain that is primed and ready to learn will be more receptive to information the first time it is taught. Cognitive skills govern the way your brain interacts with the world around you. These are skills like:
- Attention (does your child even focus well enough to hear new info?)
- Auditory and Visual Processing (can your child take in stimuli and manipulate it auditorily and visually?)
- Logic & Reasoning (do they problem solve well, or do they often freeze and have to ask what to do next?)
- Processing Speed (how fast can their brain take in and use new info?)
- Short- and Long-Term Memory (are they able to hold onto, store, and recall information accurately?)
All areas of life require strong cognitive skills—not just school.
If your child is struggling in any of these areas, there is more at stake than just sub-optimal academic performance. All of their future relationships, independence, workplace dynamics, ability to drive, and functioning in society depend on the strength of these cognitive skills.
What Does a Cognitive Skills Assessment Show You?
As your child heads into the school year, knowing how their brain is functioning is invaluable. A cognitive skills assessment gives you an inside look into each of these skills and identifies any weak points that may be standing in the way of your child’s success.
If your child struggles in reading or math, is always the last to finish assignments, gets frustrated easily, or is expressing disruptive or distracted behaviors in class, understanding the WHY behind these things is SO important.
Many kids can go through the school system under the radar, not needing “intervention” at the school level… but are they really achieving their greatest potential?
If you want to understand what is really going on in your child’s brain, our cognitive skills assessment is an incredible tool. With the results, we can work with you to create a targeted plan to strengthen the weak areas and make learning, thinking, remembering, reading, and focusing easier for your child!
Who Needs a Cognitive Skills Assessment?
In an ideal world, everyone would benefit from understanding their cognitive skill profile. Imagine…
- Knowing WHY your 9 year old can’t sit through class without blurting out answers or causing other disruptions
- Finding out WHY your 8 year old just doesn’t “get” reading
- Unlocking fluency, comprehension, and a love for reading – because their brain can actually physically process the new data that is coming in
- Understanding why your smart kid still struggles in organization, planning, or some other specific area
The back to school season is full of changes for everyone. More kids than ever are falling behind or are struggling in school.
If you want to set your child up for success in this school year (and beyond), take some time to dive into how their brain interacts with the world. Understanding these skills and strengthening weak areas can open the door to easier learning for life!
Contact us today to learn more.
