In a world where everything moves quickly, from social interactions to workplace demands, having a slow processing speed can feel like a significant hurdle. Slow processing speed refers to the time it takes for someone to perceive, understand, and respond to information. Slow processing speed can affect children, young people and adults of all ages. While this is not a measure of intelligence, it can affect various aspects of life, including academics, work, and daily functioning. In this article, we outline what processing speed is, and how to cope with the associated difficulties.
What is Processing Speed?
Processing speed is the amount of time it takes your brain to perceive information, process this information and come up with a response. An analogy is to imagine that your brain is a computer, receiving information from all your senses in a constant stream of data. Processing speed is how fast your brain can take in the information, sort through it and organise it, to understand it and then decide how to respond. Difficulties with processing speed span across several conditions such as neurological conditions, global and specific learning difficulties, ADHD and ASD. It also can be impacted by mental health or emotional difficulties, such as depression or anxiety, sleep difficulties and motivation.
What are the Signs of Slow Processing Speed?
A person may take much more time completing tasks than other people, which can impact many aspects of their life. They may have difficulty processing verbal information quickly, resulting in difficulties with listening and absorbing information, following instructions, ‘keeping up’ with conversations in social interactions and needing additional time to respond. They may have difficulties writing information down, copying the instructions on the whiteboard in time, reading slower, and appearing to make careless errors as they may be rushing.
Importantly in school, this may lead to an underestimation of their ability as they may not be able to finish exam papers in time. They may be misunderstood by others as absentminded, unmotivated, lazy or described as ‘in their own world’. They may be much slower at completing daily tasks. From the moment they wake up in the morning it may take them longer to pick out their clothes, decide what to eat for breakfast, pack their bags… all of this can lead to being late, or skipping or forgetting steps. Parents may find themselves in a pattern of frustration and shouts of ‘hurry up’ every morning. This can lead to feeling overwhelmed by tasks, social difficulties or falling behind academically. It can lead to low self-esteem, heightened anxiety and emotional difficulties.
For adults in the workplace it can impact upon their verbal processing, where they may find themselves struggling to listen, follow multi-step instructions or feel left behind in social conversations or professional meetings. They may find themselves taking longer to read, take notes or express their thoughts verbally. They may struggle to participate in group discussions, contribute to team meetings, and they may take longer to complete a project or task, which can lead to them working later or longer to meet a deadline. This can lead to higher rates of work-place stress, overwhelm and burnout. Slow processing speed can impact on friendships and relationships, as a person may often feel ‘left behind’ in conversation, they may frequently start tasks that remain unfinished.
Supporting Children and Young People with Slow Processing Speed
The first step is to understand a young persons cognitive profile, to understand their individual areas of strength and difficulty. This can can reduce frustration and the emotional impact. This involves a comprehensive cognitive assessment by a HCPC registered Clinical Psychologist or Educational Psychologist. A family can access this through their school SENCO, contact their GP or privately. At The Lotus Psychology Practice, we are highly experienced in conducting cognitive assessments and providing individualised recommendations to support a student in school.
Once a young persons needs are identified and evidenced through a comprehensive cognitive assessment, the school special educational needs co-ordinator is then able to apply for exam accommodations, in line with JCQ guidelines. These accommodations are there to support disadvantaged students, and may include extra time during formal examinations, the use of a laptop, supervised rest breaks or a scribe/reader dependent upon a young persons individual needs.
Practical tips at home include ensuring predictability, to keep the same routine and items in the same places. Young people may benefit from the use of visual aids, charts or pictures on the wall outlining the individual steps for the day (for example, brush teeth, eat breakfast, get changed…). A young person will benefit from being encouraged to develop their own time management strategies, such as using the time to help them work through steps. They will benefit from more time to complete activities at home and at school. Verbal instructions should be short and broken down into chunks, avoiding long multi-step instructions such as ‘go upstairs, bring me your laundry, put it in the washing machine and wash your hands before dinner’.
At school, it will be helpful for teachers to understand a young person’s individual needs, and make adjustments as needed; allowing more time, reducing time based tasks such as ‘complete as many questions as you can in 1 minute’, providing resources or reading in advance, allowing breaks and the use of technology if helpful. Young people should be praised and encouraged when they advocate for their own needs, such as asking for instructions to be repeated.
Support for Adults with Slow Processing Speed
Professionals with slow processing speed may find it hard to meet deadlines or manage fast-paced environments. It is important to speak with your workplace to discuss possible accommodations, such as extra time for tasks, using technology such as text-to-speech software or time management apps can aid productivity. You may find visual aids helpful: Charts, diagrams, and written instructions can help process information more effectively. Teachers, employers, and family members should encourage and accommodate the individual’s needs. Developing executive functioning skills such as planning, organisation, prioritisation and breaking tasks into smaller, manageable steps are important skills to develop. Slow processing speed can impact upon your relationships and mental health, with high levels of anxiety or low self-esteem. It is important to seek professional mental health and emotional support if needed.
With the right strategies and support, individuals can thrive in their personal and professional lives. By fostering understanding and providing accommodations, we can create a world that values diverse cognitive styles and abilities. If slow processing speed significantly interferes with daily life, it’s important to consult a professional. Contact us at The Lotus Psychology Practice if you would like to discuss further assessment or support.
Resources:
Helping your child overcome slow processing speed and succeed in a fast paced world: Bright kids who can’t keep up. by Brazen & Willoughby
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