Cognitive Training is mental exercise for the brain that targets and treats the root causes of learning and thinking difficulties.
Like a set of muscles [the brain] responds to use and disuse. For the first time, we are learning to see mental weaknesses as physical systems in need of training and practice. The brain is a dynamic, highly sensitive yet robust system that may adapt, for better or worse, to almost any element of its environment. – Dr. John Ratey, Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School
In order to understand how to unlock learning potential and overcome learning struggles, it is important to understand what causes most learning difficulties and what skills need to be addressed in order to reach full potential. The graphic below is called the potential pyramid because we know that for learners to reach their full potential, they must have all 3 tiers working well.
At the foundation are the cognitive skills. You can think of these like your computer processor, always running in the background, allowing you to pay attention, take in information, and process, store and retrieve that information. There are seven core cognitive skills: short term memory, long term memory, attention, processing speed, logic and reasoning, visual processing and auditory processing. On tier two is our content, this is like a computers database. This is the subject matter that is learned in a classroom such as reading, writing, math, history, Bible, science, job specific skills, etc. The focus of school is on this tier and the most common learning support, tutoring, is what addresses weaknesses here. The problem is when the root issue is actually on tier one. For example, a child who has poor memory can be in a wonderful school with excellent math curriculum, they may have a stellar math tutor but if the root cause of struggles in math are due to a poor memory, all of that great instruction is not going to stick.
So, even with extra help and support, every year the child continues to struggle with math. As they progress in school and the expectation and academic rigor increases, they get further and further behind, and self-confidence typically falls. It is not that the tutoring and instruction were poor, it is that the root issue of the memory has not been addressed and thus the math problem becomes chronic. Finally, on tier three, is behavior. These are skills like motivation, time management, self-confidence, grit, work-ethic, and organization. They are how a student utilizes their cognitive function and content knowledge to be a “good student.” At The Nectar Group we provide intervention on all three tiers of the pyramid. We utilize assessments to identify the cause of the learning difficulty and then provide targeted treatments to the appropriate tiers on the pyramid, building from the foundation up.
Research from hundreds of studies, in addition to what we have seen in years of working with students has shown that a minimum of 80% of learning difficulties are caused by one or more weaknesses in the cognitive skills. Yet, that vast majority of time when a child is struggling, the help that is given beyond compensatory measures and accommodations, is to work on tiers two and three. They probably do need help on those tiers, but that help is going to be limited in effectiveness if the real issue resides on tier one.
Definition:
The ability to retain information for short periods of time while processing or using it.
When Weak:
Difficulty following multi-step instructions • Needs information to be repeated • “In one ear and out the other” syndrome • Trouble concentrating • Gets off task easily or zones out • Frequently frustrated • Difficulty completing tasks in a timely manner • Challenges with note-taking • Struggles copying information from board to paper • Often misdiagnosed as ADD/ADHD
When Strong:
Quick to understand new ideas • Picks up multi-step instructions with ease • Great note taker • Able to keep pace and stay engaged with lectures and conversations • Skilled at holding concepts and associated details of a passage while reading
Definition:
The ability to quickly process information and perform mental tasks when speed is required.
When Weak:
Has a hard time completing classwork in school • Easily distracted or zones out • Prone to frustration • Experiences test anxiety, especially when timed • Homework takes longer than it should • Slow reader • Performs poorly on math facts tests • Performance does not match ability • Often misdiagnosed as ADD/ADHD
When Strong:
Finishes tasks in appropriate amount of time or quicker than expected • Stays focused • Does well with timed tests • Can make decisions quickly and with ease • Learns new concepts quickly
Definition:
The ability to store and recall information for later use.
When Weak:
Seems to prepare adequately or understand material, but still performs poorly on tests • Grades don’t reflect effort • Needs multiple repetitions to retain information • Anxious about tests • Missing assignments at school • Remembers things they enjoy, but forgets academic material
When Strong:
Recalls information promptly and with ease • Performs well on tests • Feels comfortable and confident demonstrating what they know • Has the ability to carry concepts from one topic to the next
Definition:
The ability to perceive, analyze and think in visual images – the mind’s eye.
When Weak:
Has difficulty making mental movies or pictures • Struggles visualizing information in word problems • Likes movies/video games more than imaginative play • Reading comprehension may be weak • Spatial awareness is challenging – poor judge of distance • Does not enjoy reading for pleasure
When Strong:
Creative • Enjoys and is skilled at games, puzzles, or sports • Great with imaginative play • Can become engrossed or lost in a book • Strong reading comprehension
Definition:
The ability to reason, problem-solve, and plan.
When Weak:
Writing, word problems or reading • comprehension may be challenging • Responses don’t always fit with questions/discussion • Can feel overwhelmed when presented with a new problem • Frequently says, “I don’t get it.” • Struggles to make inferences or read between the lines
When Strong:
Grasps new concepts with ease • Skilled at negotiating and/or problem solving • Participates in conversations with ease • Able to organize thoughts in a clear and concise manner in written and spoken communication
Definition:
The ability to hear and distinguish different sounds and make sense of verbal information.
When Weak:
Asks for instructions to be repeated • May be a choppy reader or weak at spelling • Mispronounces words • May resist reading out loud • Poor reading comprehension • Does better with visual cues while learning • Poor note-taker • Frequent ear infections when young
When Strong:
Great decoding and spelling skills • Tracks verbal information well • Strong reader • Good note taker • Picks up verbal information rapidly and accurately
Definition:
The ability to stay on task, switch between tasks, and ignore distractions.
When Weak:
Slow to complete tasks • Difficulty tuning out distractions • Challenges with quickly jumping between tasks • Short attention span • Can sometimes be impulsive
When Strong:
Has good impulse control • Can stay on track for long periods of time • Is able to stay focused even when distractions are present • Multi-tasks with ease
In the brain there are individual neurons that fire and wire together to create neural connections. Groups of neurons work together to form neural pathways or white matter tracks and neural pathways work together to form neural networks. There is a white matter track for each of the cognitive skill areas. At a basic level, someone who has a weak skill has less neurons that have fired and wired together. An analogy that can be helpful is to think about the person with strong cognitive skills as having a paved highway where lots of information can travel around rapidly and efficiently. The person with weak cognitive skills has dirt roads. Less information can travel down the road, it is inefficient, slow, and there are lots of obstacles to navigate around like big rocks and potholes. In order to correct these cognitive weaknesses, we must “pave the road.” Most deficits in cognitive skills are genetic. However, having a low birthweight due to being premature, brain injury, substance abuse, and some illnesses, can also cause these issues.
Regardless of cause of the cognitive deficits, we can pave the cognitive skills pathways through a treatment called cognitive training. The field of neuroscience has identified and mapped the seven core cognitive skills and has developed exercises that target each skill. In cognitive training, a cognitive coach works with the student to complete mental exercises that target and strengthen the weak cognitive skills. Think of it as similar to a personal trainer for the body. If you have a weak bicep, you can strengthen that muscle by doing exercises such as bicep curls and push-ups. We all know that if you do those exercises frequently enough for long enough, you’ll eventually look in the mirror and have a bigger stronger bicep. The same is true with the brain, it just builds white matter instead of muscle tissue. There is a law in neuroscience called Hebb’s Law that says, “Neurons that fire together, wire together.” Cognitive training is what stimulates those neurons to fire and wire together and once those neurons have wired together, they don’t come apart easily. Because of this, cognitive training is a corrective measure. Once the skills have been strengthened and the road has been paved, as long as you are using your brain, you don’t have to keep doing the training. There are exceptions like with degenerative brain disease or concussions but for most people once the root issues are corrected, they graduate from the therapy for good!
Clients work with their certified cognitive coach one-to-one in a customized program that targets their individual needs. At the end of their program, they are retested to get a new baseline and confirm that all weaknesses have been remediated or have hit their goal for those who are engaging in cognitive training for enrichment and enhancement. Then we retest one-year and three-years post-graduation to ensure they are maintaining their growth. We see on average a 97% retention of gains even after three years with no further intervention.
Many of our clients then move to the next tiers of the pyramid and work on building strong content through our tutoring services and learning to be excellent students through study skills coaching. For students needing intensive intervention, some leave traditional schooling and enroll in Nectar Academy where the therapeutic intervention can be incorporated into the school day and curriculum can be customized to meet their individual needs so that they can catch up, keep up, and get ahead.
Cognitive training is only effective if the program meets the necessary elements that neuroscience research has indicated. When these elements are present, cognitive training transfers into real life experience with a high level of generalization and thus impacts for the better every facet of learning and thinking skills. Cognitive training at The Nectar Group includes all of these elements but not all programs do, so ensure that any cognitive training is designed as follows:
The training must be mental exercise, not just mental activity. Concentrated repetitions of mental exercises without a lot of mental breaks is necessary. Kind of like keeping your heart elevated to a target rate for a sustained period of time when doing cardio.
Training must occur at least 4 times per week. Just like if you were a couch potato and suddenly decided to run a marathon, you’d need to work out most days in order to get in shape to complete the marathon.
The training must continue to get progressively more challenging as improvement is realized. It must adapt real time to continue to increase in difficulty. However, these increases must be small and build one step at a time to be manageable.
Clients must experience success frequently while receiving real time feedback and correction to keep training focused and intense.
Remember that cognitive training isn’t about learning information and content, it is about exercising the brain. The exercises should be game-like while targeting neural processes that support real-world activities.
Training must address an individual’s bottlenecks and deficits and be tailored to their needs through data-driven individualization of training. This is why we assess cognitive skills before starting training.
Training must include cross training of the brain while being systematic and appropriately sequenced. Tackling a weakness from all angles and with increasing degrees of complexity ensures that skills become automatic.
Cognitive training is highly effective, and the results can be life changing. Read firsthand experiences on our testimonials page if you’d like to hear what cognitive training is like. Some of the benefits our clients report are:
The first step in engaging in cognitive training is to schedule an assessment so we can see exactly what the root issues are and devise a customized training plan.
Contact us to schedule a complimentary consultation, phone call, or to schedule an assessment.
We look forward to seeing you or your child reach their full potential by putting learning challenges behind them for good!
