Processing Speed

What is processing speed?

“Processing speed” is a term that describes how your brain receives, understands and responds to information. Imagine your brain is a computer. It receives information from your senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell) in a constant stream of data. Processing speed is how fast your brain can take in all that information, sort through it and understand it.

Processing speed is involved in many actions your brain takes, including:

• Reading: When you read, your brain has to take in the letters, figure out what sounds they make (decoding) and then put those sounds together to form words and sentences (comprehension). Faster processing speed means you can do this all quicker, leading to smoother and faster reading.
• Math: Processing speed helps you understand math problems quickly. You can identify numbers, symbols and operations faster, and then figure out the steps to solve the problem correctly.
• Listening skills: Imagine someone giving you directions to a destination. With good processing speed, you can catch all the details and get from point A to point B efficiently.

Processing speed isn’t just about being fast, though. It’s also about accuracy. Just like a computer that makes mistakes if it goes too fast, your brain might miss important details if you rush through things.

What is slow processing speed?

Slow processing speed occurs when it takes you longer to take in, interpret and respond to information. The information may be visual, like numbers or letters, or it may be verbal (auditory), like spoken language.

Having slow processing speed can create challenges at work, school and in social situations. For example, a child may struggle to understand the basics of reading and writing. However, slow processing speed can affect people of all ages. Anyone may have trouble performing tasks quickly and correctly, or they may have a difficult time remembering new information.

What causes slow processing speed?

Researchers believe that slow processing speed may be related to differences in your brain. They have several theories. For example, some parts of your neurons are coated in a fatty substance called myelin. Myelin helps neurons send messages quickly. Myelin may get thicker as you develop in childhood, but then, it may start to thin later in life. Researchers are studying how the thickness of myelin may affect processing speed.

Researchers think some people with slower processing speed have fewer neurotransmitters, which are chemical messengers in your brain. And some messengers have difficulty handing off information between neurons. Both of these issues may affect processing speed.

Finally, neurons that work together to transmit information create pathways called neural networks. Processing speed depends on how organized or efficient your neural networks are. Some researchers have linked slower processing speed to less organized frontal lobe networks in your brain.

What conditions cause slow processing speed?

Slow processing speed doesn’t mean someone has low intelligence, but it can affect learning and problem-solving. Slow processing speed often co-occurs with learning disabilities, like:

• Attention-deficient/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
• Dyslexia.
• Dyscalculia.

In addition, many children with slow processing speed have anxiety. But researchers don’t know if anxiety leads to slow processing speed or the other way around.

Other conditions that are related to slow processing speed include:

• Autism spectrum disorder.
• Dementia.
• Schizophrenia.

What are the signs of slow processing speed?

Slow processing speed can look different for everyone, and it especially differs as people age. But there are some common signs you may notice in a person with slow processing speed, including:

• Getting overwhelmed by too much information all at once.
• Needing more time to give answers or make decisions.
• Frequently missing social cues.
• Needing to read information repeatedly to understand it.
• Having trouble keeping up in conversations.
• Having difficulty following routines and directions.
• Having problems finishing tasks in a reasonable amount of time.

How do you improve your processing speed?

Slow processing speed doesn’t go away as you get older and it may worsen. But there are strategies that can help you manage. You can improve your processing speed with some practice and brain training activities, like:

• Reading regularly: Reading exercises your brain muscles like any other muscle, and the more you read, the faster you might be able to process information.
• Playing brain games: There are many brain-training games and puzzles that can help improve your processing speed. These games might involve things like matching shapes quickly, remembering sequences of numbers or finding hidden objects in a picture.
• Getting enough sleep: When you’re well rested, your brain can function at its best.
• Eating healthy foods: Just like your body needs fuel to run, your brain needs healthy foods to work properly.