Does anyone know of strategies to increase processing speed that have worked for them?
Welcome to the forum, sam11. You've already received great advice above - I have just one extra suggestion re processing speed. I'd request a full report from the WISC that includes subtest scores. There are typically two subtests that are averaged together to give you the PSI total, and how the subtest scores relate to each other can give you clues re what is causing the relative low in processing speed. For example, two of my children have tested with relatively low processing speeds. My ds has a challenge that impacts fine motor response, hence he has a lower score on the coding subtest than symbol search, because symbol search requires the child to identify like objects among a field of random drawings (a la "Where's Waldo"), and the only mark the child has to make is to draw a circle or otherwise mark the like objects - so doesn't require detailed fine motor coordination. He scores much lower on coding which requires the child to copy a specific type of mark repeatedly, and is timed. My dd, otoh, doesn't have any type of learning challenge but had (at the time she was first tested) an undiagnosed vision issue (her eyesight was a-ok but her eyes didn't track together, causing double vision and lack of peripheral vision). Her score on coding was about the same as her other scores, but her score on symbol search was really low relative to her other scores, because she couldn't pick out the images in the crowded field due to vision issues.
You've asked what people have done to improve processing speed - I think it's really important to not think of "processing speed" as an actual "thing" but rather the processing speed subtests as ways of measuring different skills and abilities. What's important is to understand why the scores are what they are, relative to each other. My dd with the very low symbol search score saw that score improve dramatically after vision therapy, because the reason the score was low to begin with was a vision issue which was treatable. My ds has been retested and has had a similar processing speed result each time, because his fine motor challenge is related to a disability that isn't "trainable" or curable. While it's not something that he can overcome (in terms of "raising his processing speed"), it's also not something that "slows him down" or has prevented him from being successful and happy - he's doing very well in school with accommodations.
Re ADHD, as the others have mentioned, it's important to have a professional who is qualified perform the assessment for ADHD. Both of my children mentioned above were thought to have ADHD when they were in early elementary - ds because he seemed checked out at school, dd because she couldn't sit still to read for more than a nanosecond, couldn't focus, was always moving whether or not she was technically sitting down. Her teacher, her doctor, and on more than a few occasions, her parents, thought she had ADHD. All those behaviors disappeared almost overnight about 1 month into vision therapy, because the real issue had been she couldn't see well enough to do classwork or to feel like she was at equilibrium sitting in a chair etc.
Have you observed your ds in a classroom setting? If not, I'd ask to do that. I realize he may act differently than usual with a parent present, but I think it might be really helpful for you to see with your own eyes what's going on in the classroom. I volunteered in my ds' classroom in early elementary and one of the boys I worked with had ADHD. He truly had a difficult time settling down to work on assignments, and I can understand why his teachers thought he wasn't all that bright, but when you could get him sitting down and focused, he was such a smart kid. Yet it was so obvious that he couldn't sit still, and that his hyperactivity was preventing him from fully accessing his education. His parents didn't think he had ADHD because they didn't see it at home, but I think many of us here with children who have some type of challenge often don't see it at home because we subconsciously make accommodations we're not even aware of. I had no idea my dd couldn't see well, but when I thought back over how our life plays out at home I realized she really didn't *need* to see well to get along fabulously here
And neither one of my kids gave us (parents) any hints of their struggles when they were in 1st-2nd grade age range - they were two young to express what was going on in a way verbally that made sense to us as parents that there was an issue. My dd had absolutely no idea that the rest of all the people around her in her world didn't see things exactly the same way she did. My ds was able to realize that he was struggling with something the other kids in class weren't struggling with, but he internalized that difference and thought it was something "wrong" with him rather than having enough world knowledge to realize it was just a small part of who he is and that the adults around him could help if they understood what was going on.
If you're concerned about behaviors at school and possible ADHD, and would also like to understand the WISC scores you have, I'd suggest talking to a neuropsychologist.
I hope some of that makes sense!
Best wishes,
polarbear
