Slow processing speed is most frequently the result of genetics. In all likelihood, either you, your child's other parent, or a close biological relative has had difficulty with processing information efficiently.
There are different types of causes of slow learning. Among these, low intellectual abilities such as sub-normal IQs, some personal factors, psychological factors, environmental factors etc are very common causes of slow learning.
Some children take more time to complete tasks due to trouble with activation. A student may not begin a task due to problems organizing time or materials, or due to reluctance, uncertainty, lack of confidence, or anxiety. Other children may take more time to complete tasks because of problems maintaining focus.
Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is not a learning disability; however, it does make learning difficult. For example, it is hard to learn when you struggle to focus on what your teacher is saying or when you can't seem to be able to sit down and pay attention to a book. You can have both.
It could also be attributed to an illness or injury, such as low thyroid or traumatic brain injury. It's also possible for slow processing speed to be the result of a learning disorder or emotional challenges. Above are just a few of the factors that can contribute to slow processing speed.
It is important to clarify that processing speed is not the same as intelligence. If someone has slower processing speed, that does not mean that person is less intelligent than someone with faster processing speed.
There's also a common misunderstanding that individuals with slow processing speed may not be smart. However, we know that this isn't the case. Many people with slow processing speed possess high intelligence and may have a high IQ. It just takes them longer to process information and articulate a response.
Slow processing speed is not a formal learning disability, but it can play a part in learning and attention issues like dyslexia, attention deficit disorder (ADHD or ADD), dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and auditory processing disorder.
Slow learners typically do not have a disability, even though they need extra support. They are stuck between a rock and a hard place: their cognitive abilities are too high to be considered for an intellectual disability, but their cognitive abilities are usually too low to be considered for a learning disability.
Slow processing speed is common in people with ADHD. Your processing speed is the time it takes you to process information and respond to it. Psychomotor is the connection between your muscle and mental functions.
For a small number of kids, their processing speed may “catch up” with their peers. This isn't very likely, but it happens in some cases. As traits go, processing speed is a bit like height.
The slow learner is generally considered as a student who achieves a full-scale score between 70 to 85 (or 89) on formal IQ testing. This range of IQ is thus considered as a borderline intellectual disability (cognitive impairment) or low average intellectual capability.
But I have found that, some smart people are slow learners because the speed at which you learn isn't the biggest factor in determining your intelligence, gaining a deep understanding of a subject is. Why are some smart people slower learners? Some people are natural sprinters, others, natural long-distance runners.
An LD makes it difficult to acquire specific skills such as reading skills or math skills. By contrast, ADHD impacts more global skills and executive functions like the ability to focus, the ability to control emotions, and the ability to control impulsive behaviour.
(i) The slow learners learn at a slower rate and they face difficulty in retaining what they have learned. (ii) The slow learners prefer concrete learning to abstract learning. (iii) Transfer of learning becomes impossible for slow learners. (iv) They lack judgement and common sense and they are highly destructible.
Quick learning depends on good comprehension and breaking down information into small, easily digestible chunks. While not everyone is born with the capacity to grasp information and comprehend it quickly, anyone can develop and improve their learning and memorization skills.
Slow doesn't mean dumb
It is important for these students to understand that just because they learn at a slower pace than others, does not mean that they are not smart. In fact, many famous people have struggled with being slow learners, including Albert Einstein and Steven Spielberg.
Slow processing speed can happen on its own. But it often co-occurs with ADHD, dyslexia, and anxiety. Telling people with slow processing speed to “hurry up” can add to their anxiety and make them take longer to complete a task.
Learning and developing more slowly than other children same age. Rolling over, sitting up, crawling, or walking much later than developmentally appropriate. Difficulty communicating or socializing with others. Lower than average scores on IQ tests.
There are different types of slow processing.
In autism, we often come across people whose processing of incoming information is slow. This blog post won't cover an exhaustive list of examples. But below we discuss a few examples of slow processing that we have come across.
Processing speed is not the same as intelligence; it is possible to be gifted yet process information slowly compared to peers.
Slow speed of information processing is frequently associated with dyslexia, dyspraxia and ADHD/ADD. According to Godwin (2012), this can result in information overload, which leads to information being 'lost'.