Cognitive Skills

Brain and Executive Skills Training for Cognitive Processing Skills

What Are Cognitive Processing Skills?

Cognitive processing skills are a set of mental skills that allow us to plan, organize, and manage ourselves. Essentially, it’s the process of how we learn. These skills work together for learning to be enjoyable and easy. Inefficiency in even one area can cause learning to become very difficult. No amount of effort or strategies will make up for the difference. Learning activities (reading, writing, math, comprehension, homework), and task completion will be compromised. The brain relies on cognitive processing skills to function in all areas of life.

Attention

The three types of attention are sustained, divided, and selective. They enable one to start tasks, stay on them, and complete them.

Long-Term Memory

Long-term memory stores what was learned in the past and recall it when needed. Think of a filing cabinet. When long-term memory is weak, one can forget names and information studied for a test and needs repetition to retain what was learned.

Active Working Memory

Active working memory allows you to use remember information as needed while using it. Those with weak working memory may need to repeatedly read directions while completing a task or lose track of steps completed.

Logic and Reasoning

Logic and reasoning help analyze and solve problems.

Auditory Processing

Auditory processing is the brain’s ability to recognize and interpret sounds even with no hearing problems. This leads to confusing similar words and difficulties with decoding, reading, comprehension, and spelling. Those who have auditory processing problems can have trouble following directions, remember what was heard, or block out competing background noises.

Visual Processing

Visual processing is the brain’s ability to make sense of what was seen and think in mental images. Weaknesses cause problems with reading maps, charts, graphs, understanding what was read, and doing math word problems.

Processing Speed

Processing speed is the ability to complete work quickly and accurately. Weak processing speed results in the brain taking longer to receive, understand, and respond. This causes one to struggle with keeping up with lessons and completing tasks at school and homework.

Why Are Cognitive Processing Skills Mandatory to Learn?

Cognitive processing abilities separate the good learners from the so-so learners, according to a study from Oxford Learning. It’s an unconscious process that happens quickly and automatically. Just like the heart beats and our digestive system processes food, it happens without any effort on our part. Strong cognitive processing skills make learning easier, faster, and more efficient. When cognitive processing skills are weak, learning is difficult, slow, and challenging.

Cognitive processing skills are not fixed. They can be developed and improved! Invest Invest in your child’s future just as if he would need braces, baseball, basketball, or a hockey coach to make him as successful as possible or to help him win a scholarship one day.