How does slow processing speed impact reading skills?

Skillful reading requires many cognitive processes. A weakness in cognitive skills such as processing speed, working memory, executive functioning, or general language skills will impact a child’s reading skills, whether a learning disability is present or not.

I recently shared posts on Instagram about working memory and processing speed and how these skills support the development of reading skills. Teachers were wondering how to support students with weaknesses in these areas. It’s not so easy to wrap up the information in a social media post, so I’ve written two blogs to answer the questions in more depth.

This week’s blog will delve into the topic of processing speed. In a couple of weeks, we will focus on working memory. In each blog, I will explain these cognitive processes and how they impact the development of academic skills. Both blogs will offer a menu of classroom accommodations that support students with weaknesses in these areas.

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First, let’s define what processing speed is.

What is processing speed?

“Processing speed is the ability to identify, discriminate, integrate, make a decision about information, and to respond to visual and verbal information” (Weiss et al., 2016). It “predicts automaticity, fluency, and variability of cognitive performance across a wide variety of tasks” (Cepeda et al., 2013).

Processing speed is what helps us keep up with a fast-paced conversation– that’s the processing of auditory information. It also helps us quickly search a page for the specific word we are looking for– this is rapid processing of visual information. Processing speed also helps us hold information in our working memory, and that facilitates the movement of the information into our long-term memory: “In order for information to enter long-term memory in a form that allows later retrieval, it first must be present in working memory in a suitable form” (Cowan, 2013).

What does a weakness in processing speed look like?

A weakness in processing speed is not specifically related to reading tasks. It can affect performance in several areas. A person with slow processing speed may get lost in conversations that move too quickly. They may be slow to begin or complete tasks. Taking notes and following multistep directions will be challenging because the person often feels one step behind.

The person may be very capable of completing the task proficiently, whether it’s a math worksheet or following a recipe, but they need additional time to do it.

There is also a bidirectional relationship between anxiety and processing speed. If a person is aware of their lagging processing speed, they may experience anxiety about it. Conversely, if a person is experiencing anxiety, their processing speed may slow down as a result. Personally, I know that I cannot easily count change or calculate a tip when someone is waiting for my response. My processing speed and working memory just feel jammed up in those situations!

How does processing speed impact reading skills?

A reader with slow processing speed may:

• Read and spell single words slowly
• Read connected text with accuracy but at a reduced rate
• Struggle with comprehension due to their slow and dysfluent reading
• Be slow to learn new concepts related to reading and spelling

When thinking about the last two items in the list above, remember that processing information efficiently allows us to hold the information in our memory. If a student is processing the events of a story very slowly, they may struggle to make sense of the events and to hold the information in their working memory. If a student is processing the concept of silent e very slowly, they will read and spell words with silent e inaccurately or slowly, and this will impact their ability to orthographically map new words with silent e.

How do I know if a student has a weakness in processing speed?

Now that you’ve learned more about the topic, you may be able to tell from informal observations if a child processes information slowly. If an evaluation has been completed on your student, you can refer to a student’s processing speed score(s) on their cognitive assessments. Some tests that include measures of processing speed include the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Fifth Edition (WISC-V), the Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition (NEPSY-II), and the Wechsler Preschool & Primary Scale of Intelligence, Fourth Edition (WPPSI-IV).

How can we support students with slow processing speed?

A child with slow processing speed will benefit from classroom accommodations. Accommodations will not change what the child is expected to learn or the skills they are expected to demonstrate. Instead, accommodations are intended to “level the playing field” by allowing the student to access the curriculum without their cognitive differences preventing them from doing so.

Accommodations should be chosen based on how the child’s processing speed impacts their functioning in the classroom. Generally speaking, we can aim to reduce the cognitive load of tasks and we can aim to help students complete tasks faster.

Of course, we want to select accommodations carefully so that we are supporting the student without encouraging learned helplessness. The child’s team can determine the correct balance, which may change over time. Keep an open mind about what might work and don’t be afraid to try a few strategies or even revisit strategies that did not work in the past.

The following is a menu of choices that you may find helpful, depending on the specific child you would like to support:

Accommodations for processing oral information, like directions:

• Provide directions in small, manageable chunks. 
• Support verbal information with visuals, manipulatives, or realia (real objects) when possible. 
• Supplement verbal directions with written directions or checklists.

Accommodations for completing work or homework:

• Break down longer assignments or projects into chunks. Have students check in with an adult after completing each chunk. The whole class may be okay with one due date or time limit, but a child with slow processing speed will benefit from several milestone due dates or check-ins along the way.
• Allow additional time to complete tasks, including assessments.
• Reduce the number of problems or tasks assigned so the student can demonstrate understanding without reaching frustration level. Be sure that you’re including a variety of problems/tasks. If the worksheet includes 10 fill-in-the-blank items and 10 short answer questions, have the student complete some of each.
• Limit the amount of time the student and their family should spend on homework each night. For example, if the student is focused and working productively for thirty minutes, they can stop after completing only a portion of the whole assignment. What constitutes a reasonable amount of work is up to the adults. That being said, make sure the child understands the expectations.

Accommodations to support learning new skills:

• Offer ample opportunities to practice and apply skills, and provide repetition and review as often as necessary. Remember that slow processing speed can impact the ability to effectively use working memory, and this can prevent information from entering long-term memory. Review and practice will help new skills stick.

Accommodations for reading-related tasks:

• Allow additional time to complete tasks that require reading, no matter what the content area is.
• Offer text-to-speech or audiobooks. The Google Read & Write toolbar is a great option for speech to text and text to speech on student devices.
• Consider reading content area material aloud to the student whenever you are not assessing the student’s independent reading skills. For example, if the class is expected to read a chapter in the science textbook, allow the child to use text-to-speech to listen to the chapter instead.

Accommodations for tasks that require written output:

• Provide sentence frames or sentence starters to support the child in expressing their thoughts and ideas in writing within the given time limit.
• Reduce the volume of writing and/or copying required of the student. For example, they may receive a partially completed copy of the lesson notes to fill in, while the rest of the class is expected to copy all of the notes independently.

Accommodations for assessments:

• Allow additional time as long as the child is working productively.
• Reduce the number of problems or tasks assigned without reducing the complexity of the assessment or leaving out skills.
• Grade the child based on items/tasks attempted, rather than all of the items or tasks. Let’s say the grammar quiz included twenty items. Eddie attempted the first twelve problems and got ten correct before time was up. Instead of giving Eddie a 10/20 (50%), score him with a 10/12 (83%). His performance suggests that he understands the concept but he didn’t have enough time!
• Consider reading content area material aloud to the student whenever you are not assessing the student’s independent reading skills. We want their scores to reflect their knowledge and skills in the content area, not the fact that they struggled to read the assessment.
• Provide sentence frames or sentence starters to support the child in demonstrating their knowledge in writing within the expected time frame.

Do you have students with slow processing speed in your classroom?

The answer is most likely yes! You may even recognize yourself or a loved one as you read about the characteristics of slow processing speed. I hope that the information and suggested accommodations I shared help you support your students. Do you have other accommodations you like to use with your students who process information slowly? Leave a comment and share your ideas!

Sources:

Cepeda, N. J., Blackwell, K. A., & Munakata, Y. (2013). Speed isn’t everything: Complex Processing Speed Measures Mask Individual Differences and developmental changes in executive control. Developmental Science, 16(2), 269–286. https://doi.org/10.1111/desc.12024 

Cowan, N. (2013). Working memory underpins cognitive development, learning, and Education. Educational Psychology Review, 26(2), 197–223. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-013-9246-y

Weiss, L. G., Saklofske, D. H., Holdnack, J. A., & Prifitera, A. (2016). WISC-V assessment and interpretation scientist-practitioner perspectives. Elsevier.