Slow Processing Speed: What You Need to Know

(2018, November) | Useful to Parent Centers for sharing with families and educators. Available in English and Spanish

What is Slow Processing Speed?

Processing speed is the pace at which you take in information, make sense of it, and begin to respond. This information can be visual, such as letters and numbers. It can also be auditory, such as spoken language.

Having slow processing speed has nothing to do with how smart kids are—just how fast they can take in and use information. It may take kids who struggle with processing speed a lot longer than other kids to perform tasks, both school-related and in daily life.

For Example
Does your child take two hours to do math homework that takes other kids 20 minutes? Does she often do poorly on tests even though she knows the material? Are multi-step directions hard for her to follow, especially when there isn’t much time to get the task done?

While there are many possible reasons for these struggles, slow processing speed may be a factor.

Suite of Resources on Slow Processing Speed

Visit understood.org to read more about, download, or share what is essentially a suite of resources on processing speed: an article that includes a 2:40-minute video, 1-page fact sheet, English, and Spanish.

Processing Speed: What You Need to Know | Article with video
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/information-processing-issues/processing-speed-what-you-need-to-know

Velocidad de procesamiento: Lo que necesita saber | Spanish version of article
https://www.understood.org/es-mx/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/information-processing-issues/processing-speed-what-you-need-to-know

Slow Processing Fact Sheet | 1 page
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/information-processing-issues/slow-processing-speed-fact-sheet

Hoja informativa de la velocidad de procesamiento lenta | Spanish version of fact sheet
https://www.understood.org/es-mx/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/information-processing-issues/slow-processing-speed-fact-sheet

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Additional Resources on Processing Speed

There are multiple companion articles on this subject in English and Spanish that you can explore when you visit understood.org. All can be accessed at:
https://www.understood.org/en/learning-attention-issues/child-learning-disabilities/information-processing-issues

Examples include:

• I Just Found Out My Child Has Slow Processing Speed. Now What?
• A Day in the Life of a Child With Slow Processing Speed
• Can My Child Get an IEP for Slow Processing Speed?
• At a Glance: Classroom Accommodations for Slow Processing Speed
• At a Glance: 4 Ways Brain Structure and Chemistry May Affect Processing Speed
• Information Processing Issues: What You Need to Know
• Slow Processing Speed and Anxiety: What You Need to Know
• Can Processing Speed Ever Improve?

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