Don’t Miss This Critical Step to Prepare Your Child for the New School Year
The back-to-school season is filled with preparation. Supplies. Sports equipment. Schedule adjustments. The list goes on… But did you know that many parents forget THE MOST important thing that makes or breaks your kids’ ability to learn effectively in the new school year?
Top-quality schools, the latest-and-greatest of school supplies, and extracurricular experiences only go so far. Without a strong foundation of cognitive skills, kids will continue to struggle to learn efficiently.
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?
What does easy learning look like? In theory, it should be as simple as hearing or reading something as it’s taught and immediately being able to connect it to prior knowledge, understand the concept, and store it in long-term memory.
However, this doesn’t “just happen.” All knowledge goes through a network of cognitive 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?
A cognitive skills assessment is an invaluable tool to understanding how your child’s brain works. It gives you an inside look into each of these core cognitive skills and identifies the problem areas that may be standing in the way of your child’s ability to learn efficiently.
Even if your child is not failing, but you just feel like something is “off,” this assessment is SO valuable. Many kids can go through school under the radar. They don’t need full interventions, but are they really achieving their greatest potential?
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.
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. 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.
More Ways to Prep for the Back-to-School Transition:
