Can anyone explain to me processing speed problems and memory problems

[Paz]

as would be diagnosed on testing through and educational psychologist. I am awaiting a write up in a week to 10 days for what I was thinking was mainly dyslexia. He did briefly mention processing speed and memory deficits. I will know much more in about a week but I was wondering if anyone here could explain what is usually meant by that as far as testing goes.

[Mandamom]

recommend A Mind At A Time by mel Levine for more detailed info about processing and memory issues. He gives great insight into how they work.

 

A brief and probably simplistic explanation of processing speed is how long it takes for the information to get "understood" by the brain so that a response can be made. Processing can be affected in receiving the information or getting the information out.

 

Some examples: A child knows all of their multiplication facts and they get them right every time but it may take them forever to complete the problem. You tell a child to go do something and they stare at you for a while until they figure out what you said and then go do what you need done.

 

Memory issues can refer to several concepts:

 

long-term memory

 

short term -- you teach a concept and they seem to know it well and the next day or later that day they have forgotten most of what you taught. That might be an indication of short-term memory weakness (or even something else).

 

active/working memory -- you give someone a telephone number and they can't remember the numbers to write them down.

 

I hope that helps.

[Laurie4b]

That probably came from the WISC-IV, which has 4 subsections: Verbal, Spatial reasoning (I may have that name wrong), processing speed, and active working memory.

 

ADHD, with or without hyperactivity, will affect both processing speed and active working memory. Those two subtests are "markers' for ADD or ADHD.

 

Processing speed tests on the WISC-IV both use visual and fine motor skills, so if there is any deficit there, it will show up as a processing speed issue. "Processing speed" in general refers to how fast the loop is in your brain from taking in info to processing it to reusing it. You might see processing speed in real life by someone who you would describe as very "quick." They often talk fast, certainly answer fast. They take tests fast--zip, zip. " I know it or I don't. I don't have to sit around waiting for it to perculate to the front of my brain. " You can have a high level of intelligence and a slow processing speed.

 

Active working memory--this is how much info you can hold in your brain while taking in new info. For instance, as you are reading this sentence, you probably still know the rest of what you've read. Someone with severe deficits in active working memory may find that reading sentence #2 "erases" sentence #1. You need a good amount of active working memory to do long division, for instance: remembering what step you are on, what 5x8 is, etc. It's related to short term memory somewhat in terms of capacity, but additionally the ability to actually use some info in short term memory while not erasing other info in short term memory.