Understanding Psychoeducational Testing Terms: Processing Speed
What is Processing Speed?
Processing Speed is another common cognitive area assessed during your child’s comprehensive psychoeducational or neurodevelopmental evaluation. There are several cognitive areas assessed during a comprehensive evaluation, including your child’s fluid reasoning, verbal comprehension, visual spatial, and short-term working memory skills. Processing speed is different than other areas assessed as it does not involve how “smart,” your child is. Rather, processing speed is a measure of how efficient your child’s brain can process and integrate information in their environment. Consider processing speed your child’s “efficiency” capacity with simple tasks. Like other areas measured, processing speed is particularly relevant to nearly all aspects of your child’s academic, socio-emotional, and day-t0-day interactions, however, not for the reasons you’d expect. Processing speed is a direct measure of how well your child can utilize their other cognitive skills by sustaining attention to maintain speed/accuracy for a period of time. It’s greatest impact in school is on academic fluency. Think of this as your child’s ability to quickly and accurately complete “fast math,” or take timed tests. Processing speed can greatly impact how your child demonstrates their cognitive strengths/skills across settings, particularly when under timed pressure to perform.
Here are a few ways to understand your child’s processing speed performance scores, as well as the implications it may have on their functioning in home, school, and in the community.
What is the Processing Speed Index on the WPPSI-IV, WISC-V, or WAIS-IV?
The Processing Speed Index on the Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence- Fourth Edition (WPPSI-V) , Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children- Fifth Edition (WISC-V), or Wechsler Adult Intelligent Scale-Fourth Edition (WAIS-IV) provides a snapshot of your child’s ability to maintain speed and accuracy on simple timed tasks. More specifically, it is your child’s ability to sustain attention well enough to complete a simple task by balancing speed and accuracy. Consider it your child’s “thinking efficiency.” If your child’s verbal comprehension skills are like in depth fact files on a computer, your child’s processing speed is the WiFi.
What are Processing Speed Skills?
In general, processing speed skills aid in your child’s “quick and accurate thinking” and are considered to be important automatic processes for thinking efficiency and academic fluency. You can think of it as your child’s “speed skills” with how well their brain can process information, regardless of how smart they are. While Fluid Reasoning taps into your child’s ability to process information efficiently by analyzing patterns, processing speed is much more about how well your child can sustain attention, concentration, and effort to complete tasks. There are other factors that can influence your child’s performance on processing speed tasks, including executive functioning skills (e.g., sustained attention, sequencing), visual acuity, auditory processing, impulsivity, anxiety (perfectionism), fine motor skills, as well as other aspects of cognitive functions, including visual processing or working memory.
How does a psychologist assess Processing Speed Skills?
Psychologists or trained examiners can use a range of tools to assess your child’s Processing Speed skills. Best practice typically includes use of several standardized tools. Some of the most common standardized cognitive tools used in the field include the Wechsler Intelligence Tests, such as the WPPSI-IV (ages 3-7), WISC-V (ages 6-16), and the WAIS-IV (ages 16-90), as well as the Woodcock Johnson Tests of Cognitive Abilities (WJ-IV Cog). There are many factors involved in creating a testing plan, as well as the tools used, which are related to your examiners specialty, training, and the referral question. Processing speed skills can also be examined in more depth through informal measures, school performance, clinical observation during timed tasks, as well as through use of other neuropsychological instruments. Processing speed tasks typically require your child to complete a series of speeded tasks that involve simple scanning of visual stimuli. Processing speed tasks on many standardized measures typically assess your child’s scanning of visual stimuli, thus it is important to consider your child’s visual acuity as this can affect performance. Most measures of processing speed do begin with untimed demonstration and practice items to ensure that your child understands what is expected prior to the timed task. Comprehensive evaluations will typically compare your child’s performance on cognitive processing speed tasks with academic measures of fluency to assess patterns, such as math, writing, or reading fluency.
What do Processing Speed scores in the “Average Range” mean?
If your child performs in the Average range, this demonstrates evidence that they have developmentally typical speed and fluency skills. They can sustain focus for adequate lengths of time to complete simple tasks accurately and efficiently just like that of many other kid’s their age. These skills can contribute to their academic fluency, particularly when under timed pressure to perform (tests). When processing speed is consistent with their other strengths and cognitive skills, these children generally have the capacity to learn efficiently in school and can demonstrate their skills rapidly and accurately when needed.
What do Processing Speed scores above the “Average Range” mean?
High processing speed performance scores typically encompass a child who can hyperfocus and complete tasks rapidly and quickly. They are likely recognized as completing simple tasks or tests much faster than other children their age, particularly with mastered or rote tasks. Your child may automatically process information quickly and unconsciously. If your child has strong processing speed, they are more efficient when thinking and learning and may complete tests or homework quickly. Occasionally, high processing speed can also lead to occasional pacing/rushing concerns so strategies can be helpful to slow down if needed.
What do Processing Speed scores below the “Average Range” mean?
Consistently, low processing speed skills indicate difficulties with your child’s efficiency skills. This may encompass a child who is easily frustrated and/or one that is observed to unintentionally frustrate teachers or caregivers due to difficulties with sustaining focus and follow through. This can be a child who has had several reminders (and good intention) to complete a task, yet you come back 10 minutes later to them not even starting. While it does not mean your child cannot think or complete tasks, your child likely needs reminders, prompts, or focus strategies to complete even the simplest of tasks despite their intelligence or capability. Since processing speed skills are highly important in school settings, they may need additional skill building, support, or accommodations for extended time in order to demonstrate their knowledge up to their abilities on timed tasks. There can be many factors that influence processing speed performance other than pure weaknesses in this area, including testing error, underlying neurodevelopmental weaknesses, health concerns, fine motor weaknesses, difficulty with performing under timed pressure, anxiety, and other cultural implications/factors. Therefore, it is important to talk more in-depth with the examiner. Of note, processing speed weaknesses can be common for children with high intellect, giftedness, or twice exceptionality due to difficulties funneling or organizing their exceptional strengths on timed tasks.
Have questions or looking to learn more information? Contact Dr. Bobal today!