How Processing Speed Keeps Students From Getting Things Done: Dr. Ellen Braaten

Ellen Braaten, PhD, co-author of 'Bright Kids Who Can't Keep Up'

Contemporary teachers understand that many students who struggle in certain areas aren’t misbehaving intentionally, but having difficulty with attention or executive functioning. Ellen Braaten, PhD, associate director of The Clay Center for Young Healthy Minds at Massachusetts General Hospital, wants teachers to know that some students take longer to complete tasks because they have a slower processing speed, an area of cognitive function.

A student’s processing speed impacts how quickly he or she gets things done

“We’ll look at these kids and say ‘Gosh, they seem so inattentive,'” said Dr. Braaten. “It’s really not an attention issue; it’s a speed issue.” To understand how processing speed can impact students’ ability to interact with the curriculum, teachers must have access to the newest available research.

“A slower speed of processing can occur in otherwise a bright person — they just take longer to actually complete tasks. The trend is that it’s a new way of identifying and thinking about students,” she continued.

Educating teachers about processing speed in ‘Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up’

Processing speed is Dr. Braaten’s area of specialty. She is the co-author of “Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up,” a book designed to help teachers and parents understand students who struggle in this area.

“The feedback I’ve gotten back from teachers is that ‘you describe these kids so well,'” said Dr. Braaten. “What I hope happens is that teachers don’t view these kids as lazy… the processing speed cognitive profile lends itself to thinking about students as not being able to get stuff done.”

One of Dr. Braaten’s goals for the book is to get parents and teachers to understand processing speed from a biological level. She also offers recommendations on teaching styles that are good for students with a slower processing speed.

Processing speed is now part of a child’s cognitive profile

Dr. Braaten said the idea of processing speed as a component of a child’s cognitive profile is very new. “It’s bringing the issue out into the forefront,” she said.

However, she warns educators that “Bright Kids Who Can’t Keep Up” isn’t a how-to manual. “Medication does not work; we don’t have any treatments that are available to help someone speed up. In the field right now we are identifying the problem so that we can figure out how to accurately fix it,” she said.

Instead, Dr. Braaten advises teachers on how help students with slow processing speed manage their time and organize their environments to be more efficient learners. She also gives strategies for using technology to engage these students.

In addition to her book, Dr. Braaten does speaking engagements about slower processing speeds. A lot of what she discusses with educators and families is what the problem looks like in the classroom, family relationships and social environments.

‘Teachers are great at figuring out what they need to do:’ Educators should identify what a student’s issues look like in the classroom

Dr. Braaten’s research focuses on identifying how slower processing speeds cause problems in a child’s academic and home lives. She is also trying to pinpoint the location of areas of weakness (for instance, is it more in the visual processing or motor processing?) and determine which of those areas can impede a child’s progress more than others.

“Ultimately what people would like are treatments to figure out how we make someone work more efficiently,” she said. “The [ADHD] medications we have don’t work very well for these students.”

Dr. Braaten believes that her book gives teachers questions to ask themselves as opposed to giving them a to-do list for students who struggle to complete tasks. “Teachers are great at figuring out what they need to do,” she said. “Get a sense of who those students are and how they can best organize their environment to be more efficient.”

Teaching strategies for attention issues are also helpful for slow processing speeds

Many of the strategies Dr. Braaten recommends for kids with ADHD can be also helpful for students with processing speed issues. “Teaching time management skills [and] breaking things down so they tackle one thing at a time can be very helpful,” she concluded.

She also offered the following tips for teachers on how to help students improve their processing speed:

• Get a sense of where your student is struggling, such as arriving late to class or not being able to get tests done on time.
• Get an evaluation from an acting school psychologist. This will help you figure out much more better how to help him or her.
• De-emphasize busy work. Be more in tune with a student’s natural pace.
• Get excited about the use of technology. Help students use technology in ways that make accomplishing tasks faster.

Erin Flynn Jay is a writer, editor and publicist, working mainly with authors and small businesses since 2001. Erin’s interests also reach into the educational space, where her affinity for innovation spurs articles about early childhood education and learning strategies. She is based in Philadelphia.