What Is Slow Processing Speed? - Understood.org

Processing speed is how long it takes someone to get something done. Some people take longer to process information than others. Slow processing speed isn't ... SkiptocontentThispageisinEnglishEN|ESExploreourresourcesContentlibraryHowtospotsignsinkidsPodcastsWorkplaceresourcesWunderappforparentsAboutusOurmissionOurleadershipHowwestartedRedefiningaccessibilityEditorialstandardsMediacenterBlogPartnershipsDonateJoinourteamPrivacypolicyTermsofuseFundraisingdisclosureSitemapBecausedifferencesareourgreateststrengthDonateOpensnewwindowWhysupportUnderstood?AtaglanceProcessingspeedishowlongittakessomeonetogetsomethingdone.Somepeopletakelongertoprocessinformationthanothers.Slowprocessingspeedisn’trelatedtointelligence. Slowprocessingspeediswhenpeopleneedalotoftimetotakein,makesenseof,andrespondtoinformation.Theinformationcanbevisual,likelettersornumbers.Itcanalsobeauditory,likespokenlanguage. Havingslowprocessingspeedcancreatefrequentchallengesatschool,onthejob,andinsocialsituations. Forexample,youngkidsmaystruggletomasterthebasicsofreading,writing,andcounting.Peopleofallagesmayhavetroubledoingtasksquicklyandaccurately.Theyoftenhaveahardtimerememberingnewinformation.Interactingwithotherscanalsobetricky.Peoplewithslowprocessingspeedmaystandsilentlyforafewsecondsbeforerespondingtosomeone.Ortheymighttakealongtimetoexplainsomething. Slowprocessingspeedhasnothingtodowithhowsmartpeopleare —justhowquicklytheytakeinanduseinformation.Still,havingthischallengecancreatealotofanxietyandtakeatollonself-esteem. SlowProcessingSpeedFactSheetPDFDownload$opensinanewtabShare,opensinanewtabDivedeeperSignsofslowprocessingspeedSlowprocessingspeedcanaffecteveryareaoflife.It’salifelongchallenge,andthesignscanlookdifferentatdifferentages.Still,therearesomecommonthingsyoumaynotice.Peoplewithslowprocessingspeedmay:GetoverwhelmedbytoomuchinformationatonceNeedmoretimetomakedecisionsorgiveanswersOftenmisssocialcuesNeedtoreadinformationmorethanoncetounderstanditMissnuancesinconversationandhavetroublekeepingupHavetroublefollowingdirectionsandroutinesHavetroublefinishingtasksontimeorinareasonableamountoftimeTherearetwotypesofinformationpeoplecanstrugglewith —visualandauditory.Buttheydon’talwaysstrugglewithboth.Andsomestrugglewithmotorspeed.Sotheyhavetroublereactingquicklytophysicaltasks,likefillingoutaform.Exploremoresignsofslowprocessingspeedatdifferentages. WhatcausesslowprocessingspeedManyexpertsbelievethatslowprocessingspeedisrelatedtodifferencesinthebrain.It’snotamatterofintelligence,however.Manybrightpeopleprocessinformationslowly.Seeanillustratedguidetoslowprocessingspeedandthebrain.Slowprocessingspeedoftenco-occurswithADHD.Andmanykidswithslowprocessingspeedalsohaveanxiety.Butit’snotclearwhetherproblemswithprocessingspeedleadtoanxietyortheotherwayaround.Getmoreinformationaboutslowprocessingspeedandanxiety. HowtohelpwithslowprocessingspeedSlowprocessingspeeddoesn’tgoawaywithage.Buttherearestrategiesandsupportsthatcanhelpmakeitlesschallenging. Oneistopracticeaspecificskillasmuchaspossible.Themoreautomaticataskis,thequickeritistoprocess.Anothertipistostartroutinesearlytoavoidrushing.Schoolscanhelpbygivingkidsaccommodationstokeepslowprocessingspeedfromgettinginthewayoflearning.Adultsmaygetaccommodationsatwork,too.Forparentsandcaregivers:Gettipsfromanexpertforhelpingkidswithslowprocessingspeed.Foreducators:Findoutaboutclassroomaccommodationsthatcanhelp.Foradults:Learnaboutaccommodationsintheworkplace. TelluswhatinterestsyouSeeyourrecommendationsShareEmailAbouttheauthorAbouttheauthorKateKellyhasbeenwritingandeditingformorethan20years,withafocusonparenting.ReviewedbyReviewedbySheldonH.Horowitz,EdDisseniordirectoroflearningresourcesandresearchattheNationalCenterforLearningDisabilities.Discoverwhat’spossiblewhenyou’reunderstood.We’llemailyouourmosthelpfulstoriesandresources.EmailSignupWunderThefirstcommunityappforparentsandcaregiversofchildrenwholearnandthinkdifferently.LearnmoreCopyright©2014-2022UnderstoodForAllInc.