by Bob Doman

Neurodevelopmental Processing and Neurodevelopmental Processing Deficits are terms needed to help people understand the significance of processing and processing inadequacies, or deficits. Neurodevelopmental processing deficits are becoming ubiquitous because of numerous factors that limit the perception of what could be and factors that limit the opportunities needed for the development of strong processing.

Neurodevelopmental processing, or simply “processing,” is a term referencing mental cognitive functions that include the ability to learn from what we see and the words that we hear, as well as what we can remember, mentally manipulate, and use to think and function. These components include short-term memory, working memory, long-term memory, executive function, and fluid intelligence. These pieces are part of the whole which determine our brain’s processing ability, cognition, and simply how smart we are.

An NPD, or neurodevelopmental processing deficit, is simply not having the processing power appropriate for your age or the demands placed on you educationally, needed to meet requirements for daily living, healthy social interaction, or work/career. Neurodevelopmental processing grows as a natural process, but the rate of development, degree of development, and later sustainability and further enhancement can be impacted through opportunity and intervention.

I use the equation IP+E=F.  Our innate intelligence to the power of our processing ability, plus educational opportunity and knowledge, determines our function, or simply how smart we are. Our innate intelligence is generally untapped, and our ability to develop our processing function is essentially unlimited. We all have the potential to be smarter, much smarter, and to function at higher levels.

Processing is something that typically develops from birth to about nine or ten years of age. There is often a slight progression from the age of ten to our twenties, and then there is usually a slow decline throughout the rest of our lives, if not for intervention or exceptional use of these functions.

From lack of maturity, inappropriate behaviors, and receptive and expressive language issues to problems with learning, difficulty with social interaction, and later to problems with job performance and interpersonal relationships, often the underlying issue is processing function that is inadequate for the expected or needed level of function.

Processing develops through opportunity, stimulation, and input. For children the first years of life are vitally important. The quality and quantity of 1:1 input and interaction largely determine how targeted the input and how effective the environment and opportunities are for the developing child. Factors that limit quality input negatively impact the development of processing. Some of the limiting factors include lack of the most fundamental piece affecting this development, i.e. 1:1 positive interaction with parents. A child provides parents with instantaneous feedback as to whether the input they are receiving is appropriate and stimulating and targeted or not; and parents innately respond and modify their interaction. This 1:1 interaction can produce targeted input, meaning input that specifically fits that individual at that point in time. The further we get from targeted input, the less effectively the child’s environment develops their processing function. Even trying to interact and be targeted with two children of the same age and keeping them both engaged can be challenging. What about 1:5, or 1:10, or even 1:30? The younger the child and the lower the processing level, the more difficult it is to provide them with targeted input. Opportunity is that which produces neurodevelopmental processing.

There are many factors which produce NPDs, including the decline of the family unit, an increase in the number of working mothers, limited expectations, negative societal influences, decline of reading ability, addictions to screens, inferior educational practices, and sensory processing issues, as well as the increase in labels and “diseases” that limit expectations.

For five decades we have assessed and worked with neurodevelopmental processing with tens of thousands of individuals, covering the full range of individuals from babies to geriatrics, as well as the full spectrum of developmental issues and labels from brain injury, autism, Down syndrome, dyslexia, and ADHD, to the “gifted.” Utilizing interventions, which have included many 1:1 activities, apps, and software such as our Simply Smarter program, it is unquestionable that anyone at any age can improve their processing ability and improve their overall function.

Significance for Those with Developmental Issues

To varying degrees, NPDs are significant, or the primary factors, in determining the level of function in the entire population; but they may have the greatest impact on all of those with developmental delays or issues.

ADHD

The primary issue for many if not most children labeled as having ADHD is an inadequate level of processing. If you have a ten-year-old child with the processing function of a four- or five-year-old, which is not unusual, and even possibly having good innate intelligence, you have a child with the attention span of a four- or five-year-old, the distractibility of a four- or five-year-old, the lack of executive function exhibited by most four- or five-year-olds, and often the maturity and behavioral issues associated with four- or five-year-olds. The “diagnosis” of ADHD is a checklist that essentially characterizes a typical younger child. Should we be using medications to slow down four- or five-year-olds so they can sit and attend longer? Then why do it with that with those labeled as ADHD, when we can easily address the common cause of the issue– a neurodevelopmental processing deficit? The medical disease model implies some mysterious, underlying limiting factor in these individuals. There can be contributing dietary factors, as well as issues related to their home, school environments, and negative behavior patterns; but the most common issue with the vast majority labeled with ADHD, this perceived incurable disease, is simply a processing inadequacy, and particularly an auditory sequential processing problem. Their processing ability is inadequate for the demands of their chronological age. We establish patterns of behaviors in our early lives. If processing has not been developed adequately when we are young, it can result in attention and behavior patterns that can remain with us for the rest of our lives. Patterns can be changed, but first we need to address the underlying issue, the processing deficit.

Autism Spectrum Disorders

The severity of those placed on the autism spectrum is essentially measured by the degree of sensory dysfunction, as well as the degree to which the child is not present and engaged, or engaged in DSAs, debilitating sensory addictive behaviors. Sensory issues impair the child’s ability to participate in, engage in, and learn from their environment; and this directly impacts their ability to develop their processing abilities. The impaired processing and related lack of engagement leads to varying degrees of global immaturity, poor receptive and expressive language, difficulty understanding and relating to people, and lack of executive function, etc. Foundational to improving the function of those on the spectrum or getting them off the spectrum is addressing their processing inadequacies. The higher their processing, the higher their global level of function. The primary difference between those on the various levels of the spectrum is processing level.

Down Syndrome

Children and adults with Down syndrome have NPDs, and their overall level of function can universally be determined by their processing level. Low functioning individuals with Down syndrome have low processing function, and those given the opportunity to develop “typical” processing levels can function in” typical” ranges. Processing can be improved in every individual with Down syndrome, at any age, and their global function and independence developed with it, if given the opportunity.

Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Other Learning Disabilities and Issues

Children learn differently, and a significant component in those differences reflects inefficiencies in auditory and/or visual processing and one size fits all curriculum.  Children will generally get labeled as having a learning related disability if they are seen as having “normal” intelligence, but have a problem learning to read, or doing math, or learning in general. These problems can often be remediated and fixed by identifying and addressing their processing issues and by modifying the approach to better fit their individual strengths, while remediating their weakness.  Having seen literally thousands of such children go from having issues to being at the head of the class in a short time bears testament to where potential really lies, if the children are given the help they need to turn their weaknesses into strengths.

Behavior Problems and Disorders

Behavior problems are becoming increasingly prevalent, largely as a reflection of societal trends which have impacted the role of parents and family and decreased such fundamentals as teaching children that there are consequences to their behavior, teaching them responsibility, and developing independence. There is, however, often some level of issue relative to sequential processing that impacts their global maturity, ability to process directions, and the development of executive function. Behavior issues and resolution require a thorough understanding of the whole child, including the family situation, parenting, schools, and other influences. Addressing any NPDs improves their executive function and helps to address their behavior issues.

Average/Typical Joe

There is no more limiting perception of individual potential than being viewed as “average” or “typical.” The vast majority of the population fits into this category. Being “average” or “typical” limits expectations and opportunity. “Average/typical” is generally perceived to be simply a reflection of innate intelligence. It is not! Every “average/typical” adult or child is not restricted by innate potential. With rare exception, all our innate potentials are sufficient to develop super levels of function if provided with the opportunity to develop our processing.

IP+E=F

Your innate potential to the power of your processing ability plus your E (education/knowledge) determines your functional intelligence– how smart you are.

Using the tools to develop processing should be at or near the top of every child’s curriculum and parent’s priority. Everyone trying to improve the quality of their lives can and should work to be simply smarter, and they can.

We have the tools to help everyone function better, and we need to use them.

Related Posts

Processing Power: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Parenting 101: Processing, Behavior, and Maturity

California- They’re Not Dreamin, They’re Doing! Getting Serious About Processing and Working Memory

Time to Upgrade Your Processor: Building Better Brains

If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Achieve It

•             Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 39 No. 5, 2025 ©NACD

The post NPD: Neurodevelopmental Processing Deficits appeared first on NACD International | The National Association for Child Development.

by Bob Doman

Our perception of our children’s potential is limited by what we believe is possible. The opportunities we provide for them reflect that perceived potential, and the opportunities determine the outcomes.

Let me start by getting your attention. I want to introduce you to Ellen, a not-so-typical, “typical” child who just turned 6.  

This list of names Ellen was hearing for the first time and recalling represents her processing and short-term memory; and repeating the names backward represents her working memory, which is exceptional. Ellen’s cognitive function permits her to do amazingly well in everything she does, and she is just getting started.

Ellen’s parents understand neuroplasticity because of what they have seen with her big brother, Coco. Coco is a brilliant ten-year-old who exceeds the perceptions of what the professional world believes could be. However, NACD and Coco‘s parents believe that he has unlimited potential and are providing him with opportunities commensurate with those perceptions. 

Please watch Coco’s demonstration of his working memory. Neither Ellen nor Coco are using memory strategies or tricks; they are using the short-term and working memory that has been developed.

Coco is demonstrating his processing power and working memory. Working memory is now appropriately being called the new IQ. Coco was brain-injured at birth and would be identified as having Cerebral Palsy. However, to his family (who, with NACD’s guidance, is providing all his therapy and education themselves at home), he is their son, Coco. Coco needs no other labels; “Coco” suffices, and he is given the opportunities of a child with unlimited potential. Physically, Coco still has many challenges but has already surpassed traditional expectations and is not stopping.  

Coco’s and Ellen’s parents can see the potential in their children; because they can see it, they are doing everything they can to help them achieve it.

Step 1: Understand that through neuroplasticity, almost anything is possible.

Step 2: Do not be limited by labels & associated baggage.

Step 3: Provide the child opportunities to achieve their unique innate potential.

Note: Coco’s parents read our articles and watched our videos before Coco’s first NACD evaluation and TDI (Targeted Developmental Intervention) Program, which he received just before his second birthday. They understood neuroplasticity and knew that they were responsible for their son’s future and that they needed to be all that they could be. In preparation, they started using our online Simply Smarter program. Both parents developed superior processing and working memory—exceptional parents doing exceptional things. No limits. 

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 38 No. 5, 2024 ©NACD

The post If You Can’t See It, You Can’t Achieve It appeared first on NACD International | The National Association for Child Development.

Processing and Its Relationship to Cognition, Maturity, and Global Function

What every parent needs to understand about processing:
It’s not about chronological age, it’s processing power.

by Bob Doman

Whether your child is “typical,” has learning or attention issues or special needs, you need to understand your child’s processing level and its global significance.

Knowing and understanding your child’s processing provides you with some important insights into how they take in information and learn and think much better than does their chronological age. This information provides you with vital information that can help you be proactive and help them achieve their innate potential.

The term processing power is generally reserved for and applied to computers and their ability to manipulate data and the speed with which they can do so. People understand that the more processing power their computer has, the better. What most people do not understand is the significance of human processing and its relevance to child development and global human function.

At NACD we have been working with the development of human processing power and have developed software and hundreds of activities to assist in this development for more than 40 years, working with tens of thousands of children and adults.

We view human processing as the ability to take in and to manipulate visual and auditory information, to learn and manipulate information, and to think. These functions are also the neurological pieces that underlie our maturity and behavior and which in turn provide us with the means to develop the mental ability to do such things as plan, prioritize, develop self-control, organize, and more–cognitive function.

The more associated pieces of information we can process, the more we take in of what there is to see and hear, the more we learn, and the higher our level of cognition. What different individuals process varies significantly, as does their perception of the world and their ability to think and function. None of us see, hear, or process the world the same way or think alike; but the stronger our processing power, the better equipped we are to learn and think, understand our world, and function in it.

Processing power develops in children. It changes, and what changes can be developed at any point in our lives.

Neuroplasticity is the mechanism by which the brain develops and changes. Everything we put into our brains and everything we think, feel, and use our brains for to some degree physically changes our brains and its function for better or worse. Our processing power impacts the quality and quantity of data we take in and our ability to manipulate and think.

The more we learn and know, the more meaning and significance what we perceive has, which in turn affects the relevance to our brains, and thus in turn affects what we take in and process. The world that is perceived is the world as seen and heard through our ability to process it and its relative significance. And the more of those pieces we can manipulate together, the greater our complexity of thought and ability to think.

Psychologists use the terms short-term memory, working memory, and executive function, rather than processing power, but processing power really says it better. The term “memory” doesn’t really describe, and to some degree distorts and minimizes, the neurological mechanism and significance of our processing power.

When we first start working with a child, and at NACD that means the whole child, we begin with basic functions, which include simply their ability to see, hear, feel, taste, and smell. These are things that are often taken for granted. In some cases, there are specific factors affecting these functions, ranging from actual injuries to the brain, to genetics, to more common problems such as middle ear fluid, degrees of hearing loss, to a wide variety of issues affecting vision, etc. But the reality is that all of these sensory functions need to develop or be developed in every child because they affect the child’s ability to process input, process the world. The brain needs to learn how to process and interpret this sensory information. If the child cannot perceive this sensory information, they need to be provided with the means with which to develop these functions or, to use another computer term, garbage in-garbage out. You first must see, hear, feel, taste, and smell properly. Most children on the autism spectrum, and to varying degrees children with other developmental problems, have issues that negatively impact the brain’s ability to learn how to process even basic sensory information appropriately. These sensory issues need to be addressed in order to develop processing power and further overall development.

Measuring Processing Power

Processing power can be gauged by looking at auditory and visual sequential processing.

For most children and adults functioning above the level of the average five-year-old, sequential processing can be tested by measuring what is referred to as a digit span. To test someone’s auditory digit span (the measure of how much the individual takes in from what they hear), you would simply say a sequence of numbers slowly (1 second intervals) in a monotone voice and have them repeat the sequence. Do not repeat the sequence if they miss it; give a different sequence of numbers. Start with 3 random numbers (using numbers from 0-9, do not repeat a number until you have surpassed a sequence of ten numbers), and give longer sequences until they can no longer repeat the sequence. The highest sequence they can get correct is their auditory digit span.

Following the same method, you can also test their reverse auditory digit span, presenting the numbers in the same way, but asking the participant to repeat the numbers backwards. The highest number of digits they can repeat backwards is their reverse auditory digit span.

Likewise, you can also test the visual digit span. Following a similar procedure, clearly write a series of large font numbers starting with a sequence of three numbers on a card or whiteboard; then show the participant the sequence and have them immediately read it aloud, without letting them review it. Immediately remove the card and have them repeat the sequence. As with the auditory test, continue until they can no longer repeat the sequence. Repeat this process again, but after having read the sequence from left to right, ask them to repeat the sequence backwards to ascertain their reverse visual digit span.

Some children younger than five who are familiar with numbers and can identify them easily can be tested with digit spans. Children can be tested prior to this by asking them to repeat a series of names of familiar objects, such as “spoon, table, ball” for auditory sequencing, or visually showing them a sequence of pictures and having them name them as you point to them and then removing them and having the child name the objects in order. Some children will be able to understand (“process”) a reverse sequence when they can do a forward sequence of 4; but many will not be able to until they can do a sequence of 5 digits forward.

Younger children can be crudely tested by having them follow a sequence of directions such as “Touch nose, ear,” or asking them to find this and that.

Forward digit spans are generally referred to as a representation of short-term memory, and reverse digit spans as a representation of working memory. But for now simply see these numbers as a representation of processing power.

At NACD we have tested the processing power of tens of thousands of individuals, and in some cases tested and followed some individuals for decades. Digit spans themselves are used as a testable number, but the primary processing power gauge is the individual’s actual function– their ability to understand and use language, their problem solving, behavior, and maturity. For younger children there are some very direct correlations between functions such as language and behavior and sequential processing.

When most children are in the processing range of 1-2 (with typical children this generally correlates with being 8 months to 24 months of age), they are relatively easy to please, generally happy unless they have a basic need such as being hungry, needing to sleep, or needing a diaper change. At this level of processing power the first random words begin popping out. As the child moves to stronger 2s, the behavior tends to begin to get more difficult and we often get tantrums–terrible two behaviors–but the child also starts using meaningful words and 2-word combinations. As we work into sequential processing power of 3, we start seeing what we refer to as “lock and block” behavior, which means that if the child perceives a request as something fun, typical, and nonthreatening, they will comply; but asking them to do something that is atypical or that they sense as strange or threatening in some way will often result in them just staring at you and refusing to comply. Behavior is to a significant degree a reflection of the child’s complexity of thought–processing power. At this stage the language moves into phrases of three to four words, and as the child moves toward processing a 4 they start using sentences and can be bargained /reasoned with. All these changes are reflections of the child’s ability to process (understand) and to think with greater and greater complexity. As processing power increases from here, so does the ability to process more and more of what is said and what is seen, and to think with greater and greater complexity. Other factors begin to figure into the equation, such as the individual’s ability to think conceptually (in words) and to visualize (think in pictures).

Processing power is what ultimately permits the individual to develop higher level mental function and associated maturity. The term “executive function” is used to describe these higher levels of function, which include things such as the ability to adapt, plan, self-regulate and control, time management, and organization. These functions only exist to the degree that our processing power permits.

To understand any child and many adults it’s not about chronological age, it’s Processing Power.

Whether we are trying to understand a special needs child, a “typical” child, or even an adult for that matter, one of our best insights as to how they function and thus what we should expect from them and what to do to help them improve is understanding their processing power. The degree to which we can identify their level of function, the greater our ability to target their needs.

The sad reality is that most educators have no idea as to a child’s processing ability and thus have limited ways at best to appropriately target their needs. For example, a special education teacher and an occupational therapist may be trying to get a six-year-old child with Down syndrome to write or cut with scissors with very minimal or no success because the six-year-old child has the processing power of a typical 2-year-old. Would you work hard to get a two-year-old to write or use scissors? Not if you had any sense. There are a lot of much more appropriate things to be teaching a child at this level, not the least of which is how to process more.

If you had a typically functioning four or five-year-old, would you be surprised if compared to a much older child they had a short attention span, were a bit distractible, and were still immature? No! Now if you had an eight, nine, or ten-year-old child, or even older, who had a short attention span and was distractible and immature, would you just jump to the conclusion that they had ADHD? Sadly, this is the label that is given to most of these children, even though they still have the processing power of a four or five-year-old and their attention span, distractibility, and maturity are in fact appropriate for where their processing is. Solution: raise their processing power! If you had a four-year-old whom you wanted to sit and attend in a third or fourth grade classroom, how would you do that? You would probably have to drug them. Would you do that, or would you wait until they were older and had developed the processing power needed?

What about the sixteen-year-old who is struggling in school, can’t get himself out of bed in the morning, is irresponsible, socially inept, and who wants to get a driver’s license? If you were to test his processing and were to discover that he had all these issues because he had the processing power of a five-year-old, would you want him to have a driver’s license? Do him and the world a favor and don’t put him behind the wheel of a car until you’ve raised his processing power to the point that he could develop some real executive function and make good decisions.

Typically, processing develops rapidly from infancy to about nine years of age, (see https://www.nacd.org/short-term-and-working-memory-clinical-insights) and then very slowly develops a bit from nine years until into the twenties. After the twenties, without intervention of some form, or exceptional use and demands, it starts a slow decline. Sadly, the processing level of most seven-year-olds is close to most young adults.

If you look at the change in global development between an infant and an average seven-year-old, it is quite spectacular. That tremendous change is not due to the child getting older; it’s due to the opportunities they have received and the resulting increase in their processing power. If you see children with high global function, you are generally looking at a child with superior processing. There does not appear to be any limit as to how far processing can develop given the targeted input to do it.

What develops changes, what changes can be developed.

Until the educators and psychologists and particularly the academics understand that the foundational pieces that permit us all to function can be developed, very few will ever come close to achieving their innate potential.

It’s a tragedy that our potential as individuals and as a world population remain untapped and that children and adults are labeled and denied the opportunity to achieve their innate potential. “Typical” or “average” is not a reflection of the potential anyone was born with, it’s a reflection of limited opportunity. We can all do better and function at higher levels if given the opportunity.

Developing processing power is something that should be an integral part of every child’s day.

Parents need to educate themselves, become active participants, and become the force that helps their children become all that they can be.

Related Apps/Software

NACD has developed many activities to develop processing power. Programs that are accessible to the general public include:

Simply Smarter

Cognition Coach – Toddlers

Cognition Coach – Preschool

Related Graphs

The Simply Smarter Project

Construct of Thought and Memory

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 35 No.1, 2022 ©NACD

Related Articles

https://www.nacd.org/the-effect-of-the-simply-smarter-program-on-short-term-memory-working-memory-and-academic-competency-for-elementary-students/

https://www.nacd.org/nacd-makes-adults-smarter-too/

https://www.nacd.org/vol-2-working-memory-training-physically-changes-brain-better-fmri-neuroimaging-study-finds/

https://www.nacd.org/nacdwasatch-peak-academy-school-model-program/

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I will never forget the feeling I had the day when Jack was labelled as autistic, he was five years old and had received a heavy educational input from myself and my supportive family with reading, math and general learning. My husband and I had left our jobs to take our son to “the best” child psychologist in London, primarily because the private school Jack was attending in Andorra had asked us to withdraw him. The schools’ headmistress said that they did not know what was wrong with him, but they did not have the facilities to educate him. This was quite a shock to us because from when he was a baby, I had seen how intelligent he was and I thought the milestones he wasn’t making was a result of him going to a multi-lingual school for the past year, as before he went to school, he was reading well for his age and showed a great memory for stories and I had no reason to believe he had any issues. My husband and I work on Super yachts, myself as a captain and he as a chief engineer. Before we left our jobs for the trip to London, we had had an amazing guest, who was a pioneer in reducing biological age and in practical uses of increasing knowledge of neuroplasticity. We had mentioned to him why we were leaving our jobs and he gave us the following parting words of advice:

1. Do not take the psychologist’s opinion as the only option, because they specialise in only one specific part of the child, which is a result of the problem.
2. Ask about possible effects of other factors, such nutrition and genetics.
3. Read the book “The brain that changes itself” before you make any major decisions. (This was key to us understanding what to look for in the solution which we finally found in NACD).

After a very expensive, one hour evaluation of Jack, the psychologist in London advised us, in no uncertain terms, that I should move to London and put Jack in a school specialising in children with autism (which he was the resident phycologist for), he advised us that Jack would regress and he would be nonverbal by the time he was 8 years old, he would never be very academic, although he was clearly intelligent by nature and if he did manage to have a career as an adult, he was very likely to grow up to be a selfish and self-involved, egotistical adult, who would have little thought for others. He would not be able to do math or learn to play music, as that part of his brain would never function properly.

My whole world fell apart, we asked the psychologist if there could be any links to genetics or diet that could help him, but he shut us down. We left his office feeling completely overwhelmed. How could we have an autistic child, could there be such low expectations of child of whom we had seen had a natural high intelligence level, who was happy and fun to be with and furthermore, what could we do to help him?

Luckily, throughout our training and careers, we have been taught not to mop up the symptoms of a situation but to find the root cause of the problem and to find a solution to fix these problems. My husband instantly identified that we should find somebody who understood how the brain works and how to fix the neurological root cause of Jack’s disability.

After over a year of home schooling and trying different methods to help an autistic child without improvement, I came upon The Listening Programme (developed by NACD), which is a music recording on an iPod, linked to bone conducting headphones, which trains the ears to learn audible frequencies. Within the first month of using TLP, I saw the first real step forward, in what had been over 12 months of intensive and soul-destroying work, one-on-one with speech therapists, occupational therapists and many other experts with no steps forward and so I read all the recommendations that parents had given on TLP’s website, hoping to find like-minded parents that had found the solution we were looking for; luckily, one of the recommendations mentioned NACD. I searched the internet and was so delighted when I realised that their method of working with disabilities was based on fixing the root cause of the problem, through a series of proven exercises, based on an understanding of the ‘plastic brain’, the effects of neurological issues and how they manifest themselves in symptoms. NACD had managed to help a range of children with disabilities of all kinds of different labels as well as “normal” and gifted children.

After an initial interview with an assessor, we were sent an introductory audio file to listen to, where the NACD method was outlined. I was a little overwhelmed hearing about digit spans etc, but intrigued and totally onboard, so a short while later, in September of 2014, with full enthusiasm, we went to Chicago for Jack’s assessment. Ellen Doman completed a one-on-one assessment of Jack in a hotel room office, whilst we sat anxiously in the foyer. She then brought us into the room and explained how she had identified a number of issues including: sensory dysfunction, developmental motor issues and poor auditory sequential processing amongst other developmental problems. She explained that he was ‘stimming’ and told us what this meant, I still remember being on the phone to my mum during the 4-hour drive home, explaining that Jack was watching movies in his head at hundreds of times the speed and getting a dopamine kick from it, and that this was more addictive than morphine and when he was ‘in a world of his own’ he was actually completely immersed in these movies. It took a long time for this to sink in. I was hesitant at first, as it seemed so far-fetched, but over the years, the theory was proven again and again and when Jack was communicating well enough, he explained this in his own words. Ellen also told us where he was in his fine and gross motor skills, specifically linked to where he was neurologically and noted that Jack was using his peripheral vision over his central vision and she explained why this was not good.

Ellen reassured me that there was a lot we could do with Jack to get him back on track and I was very impressed with the systematic and detailed approach. She said that she would send me a program for Jack and to contact them with any questions or concerns, but in the next few days, while she put the program together, we should avoid dairy, reduce sugars and gluten, not watch any movie or TV shows more than once and get as much time reading together, engaged in games and conversation and to go on walks etc as much as possible. We saw a big improvement within two weeks, particularly in Jacks’ responsiveness and use of language, which we later confirmed was due to stopping milk is his diet as he was lactose intolerant (something I did not really believe in before I saw the evidence in Jack). Our journey on a new path had begun.

The First Program

We were somewhat overwhelmed with the first few programs as they were educating us on how to help and improve Jack’s issues. With the whole family completely involved in every step of the way on how to teach and retrain Jack. NACD reset the way we understood education (My mother lives with us and was the primary teacher because I have a demanding job and my Mum is trained in educating young children and so it took her a while to adapt to these new methods). The program made sense as a whole, but we could not quite see the reasons for some of the tasks until a year or so later, but we started working on the basic fundamentals of a properly functioning brain, starting with developmental motor activities, as well as continuing with TLP and implementing many basic sequencing exercises. Ellen explained where Jack was with math (which was a lot lower than we had realised) and how to teach him the meaning and sequence of number and the difference between math facts and math problem solving. We learned how to teach reading with flash cards of the first 1,000 words and the importance of frequency, intensity and duration. Having the training videos online to access whenever we needed a refresher of how to complete a task has been incredibly useful and the simplified approach to teaching math has helped us teach the children in a fun and engaging way.

The program progressed with Jack and was adapted to suit his level of ability rather than his age. We hadn’t realised how far behind he was on basic neurological assessments initially, but over the years, he has caught up substantially and academically, he has overtaken his peers.

One of my most vivid memories from before NACD, was watching a mother with her 7-year-old boy in Barnes and Noble, she was discussing a topic in the Encyclopaedia with him and they were happily engaged in a two-way conversation. My heart sank and my world fell apart as, I thought, I would never have this relationship with my son, as he would be non-verbal, never mind able to hold a conversation, but now Jack is thriving, he is almost fluent in Spanish, has basic Chinese and French, is learning to study independently and is able to take on any chore in the house. Jack has also just published his first book called “Albert and the Karnikans” in the UK, a process that he had a lot of involvement with, (this is one of many stories he has in his creative space at home). Jack enjoys playing the piano and cello, which I will admit was a struggle for the first few years, he has a very high level of vocabulary, actively engages in conversation and discussions (although his is still quite shy in social situations) and last year, at aged 11, he scored at sophomore college level on his math test. Jack loves to read philosophy and history and writes his own computer code to make basic computer games. In his free time, he draws comics and tells and re-enacts stories and plays with his sister for our entertainment. In short, he is thriving.

Our daughter, Charlotte, is now 10 years old. She was an “average child” when she began NACD at 4 years old (we removed her from school when they asked us to take Jack out). Charlotte loves maths and she tested sophomore level math at 9 years old. She scores 12 in her digit spans in person, 9 on Simply Smarter, which makes more advanced learning in STEM subjects and coding more enjoyable and engaging for her. About a year after starting on NACD, Bob and Ellen discovered she had issues related to reading that a psychologist would have labelled as dyslexia and with early intervention we were able to fix this issue with simple methods that we easily implemented into our daily program, she now tests at reading grade 12 and is an avid reader. She is happy, highly capable and is becoming an independent learner who loves history and science. She plays the harp, piano and violin and is almost fluent in Spanish and is learning Chinese and French.

NACD has made us realise that we can all reach our full potential. The methods we have learned and implemented into improving ourselves has had an everlasting positive influence on us as individuals and as a family. We have all developed with Jack and Charlotte in the process of learning the NACD methods, we have a greater understanding of how the brain works, specifically, how we learn, which has led to a great desire to help other families and children who are experiencing the fear and frustration that we had in our lives only six years ago. All of our family have improved in so many ways and as a result of NACD our lives are so much more enriched, we have become better leaders, communicators and able and willing to take on new academic challenges that otherwise may have been daunting.

My mother, who is now 72 years old, is improving her own brain capability and is reaching her own true potential by completing NACD’s, Simply Smarter in her free time. She is learning Spanish and is still teaching both children English and math.

If I could give advice to other parents it would be to trust the incredible knowledge that the team at NACD have from their education, training, years of experience and teamwork which they draw on with great care, when making up a new program which is specifically designed for each child.

Myself and my family will be forever grateful to Bob, Ellen and everyone at NACD for giving my children the chance to realise their true potential and for making us a stronger and happier family, we intend to continue with NACD for the rest of our children’s journey through education.

The NACD Foundation, Volume 34 No.1, 2021 ©NACD

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The Simply Smarter® program is built upon the foundation of neuroplasticity, utilizing the science of targeted input, frequency, intensity, and duration.

Targeted

The program constantly modifies itself to keep you right at the sweet spot, the spot that is targeted for you to achieve maximum benefit.

Frequency

To take advantage of neuroplasticity, we need to keep triggering the firing of neurons and reinforcing neural networks. Everyone is encouraged to use the program once or twice a day and preferably four or more days a week.

Intensity

This is an incredibly important piece. The importance of intensity cannot be overstated. How you or your child approach every session is going to determine how much the program impacts, changes, and develops the brain. Just doing it isn’t enough; you must do it with real intensity and with intention. Every activity is very short. It was designed that way so that you could create and maintain maximum attention and intensity for the seconds needed to complete each piece that you are asked to process, to watch, or listen to. Approach every sequence of every activity with the intention of remembering it, of nailing it!

If your children are using the program, sit with them, if you can, and cheer them on. The program has built-in rewards and acknowledgement, but a parent’s power is much greater, and we encourage you to provide very meaningful, big rewards for new high scores or higher digit spans. These changes can be life changing, treat them as such.

We realize that it’s not reasonable for many parents to sit in while their child does Simply Smarter®, so we have built in the means to send email and text alerts so that Mom, Dad, grandparents, coaches, whoever will know when the child did well; and each can provide their own congratulations, making every step forward all that more meaningful. Dad coming home from work and immediately acknowledging Johnny’s new high score or a call from Grandma can be very powerful.

For adults be honest with yourselves. Sitting down with good energy, intensity, and with the intention of knocking it out of the park each time is difficult. You are not only allowed but encouraged to set up your own rewards program—rewards for all new high scores. Set digit span and processing power goals, and when you hit it, reward it. It’s only your life and future that you are changing!

Duration

To change the brain, we need to keep causing those networks of brain cells to keep firing together. The longer we do it, the greater the change. Keep in mind that generally without specific intervention the development of processing, short-term memory and working memory, slows virtually to a halt at about seven years of age, creeps a tiny bit forward from then until we are in our twenties, and then usually begins a slow decline that continues throughout our life unless we target it, address it, and build it!

Simply Smarter® is an invaluable tool that has the potential to change the lives of your children, your parents, and yourselves.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 33 No. 7, 2020 ©NACD

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These COVID-19 Coronavirus times have certainly turned many of our worlds upside down. We now virtually have a world full of homeschoolers; more parents are at home with their children than at any time in the history of the world. Exceptional times and exceptional circumstances can also result in exceptional opportunities. Many of us are rediscovering and redefining basic things like family, work, school, and our relationship to institutions and society. I would like to talk with you about redefining potential and intellect and how while you are all at home, you have the potential to change the lives of every member of the family.

I would like to share a personal story. I grew up in a family of pioneers in human development. My father, a physician, and my uncle, a physical therapist in the ‘50s, worked with brain injured children and discovered that with the proper stimulation, healthy parts of the brain could learn to carry out the functions of damaged areas of the brain. This was ground breaking work that was originally seen as heretical, but is now after decades universally accepted. Changing perceptions is not an easy task, as I can certainly attest to after fifty years of trying to do it.

When I started studying psychology in the sixties, I had a tremendous advantage over others studying and working in the field. I came to understand that all development was possible through this amazing mechanism called neuroplasticity. If you understood neuroplasticity, development was no longer such a great mystery. The brain changed and developed as a reflection of specific stimulation, not because it just got older. Armed with this understanding, I looked at the brain as dynamic, changing, and most significantly, as changeable.

One area of early interest for me was learning and memory. At that time it was just beginning to be understood that there were various components of memory. Memory was being broken down into short-term memory, working memory, and long-term memory. The focus was on testing it and looking for correlations between these pieces and how people learned and functioned. At that time and for decades, the worlds of psychology and education did not have a perception that you could actually help develop or change memory; and even today, they are not really working to do that. My perception, based on an understanding of neuroplasticity, was that these components of memory didn’t just pop up as adult abilities, but they developed; and what developed changed; and what changed was changeable. I set out to understand all of these pieces and to find ways to change, develop, and accelerate that development.

Decades later I am proud to say that we have developed a great understanding of all of these foundational pieces that we now lump together and refer to as “processing.” Armed with this knowledge and the tools we have developed, we have helped change many thousands of lives. Improving these pieces of auditory and visual short-term memory and working memory is quite simply making people smarter. From our first software that ran on a Commodore Pet computer with a cassette drive in the early eighties, to the Brain Builder software in the nineties, to the present online Simply Smarter program and many dozens of one-to-one activities, we are working to change lives. From brain damaged individuals to those on the autism spectrum, to those with learning and attention issues, to typical children and adults, we can build all of these foundational pieces of memory that literally have the potential to make everyone smarter.

At NACD we work with “whole children,” designing home based comprehensive programs that address everything from a child’s sleep and behavior to how they walk and do algebra, including innovative comprehensive homeschool/home-based educational programs. But there is something that in one way or another is on every child’s program, and that is processing activities.

We are fortunate that we can work via Skype with any family in the world who has Internet access and give them the tools designed to develop and improve their brains. Today everyone doesn’t need to come to NACD to work on their processing. You can take advantage of this expertise and go online and in about fifteen minutes a day put together the pieces that can help you and your children work to become smarter. The tool that is available to you is our Simply Smarter program, a tool that your children can use all by themselves!

Let me help you understand what this all really is and what it can mean for you and your family.

What is “smart?” Can you define it? Do you think you would like your kids to be smarter? How about you?

You can define “smart,” possibly, but even more so, you probably know it when you see it. Smart has to do with being present, being aware, being able to take in and process a lot of information, being able to manipulate that information, think with complexity, put ideas together, focus, and communicate.

Smart doesn’t necessarily mean knowing that the capitol Nevada is Carson City, or that Sir Walter Raleigh was beheaded, or that the First World War ended on November 11, 1918, or what your bile duct does, or that “or” is a conjunction. But smart does mean that you are more likely to find such things interesting and you can learn them more easily than most. Knowing “stuff” doesn’t make you smart. (You are going to actually forget most “stuff” unless you are smart enough to make associations and connections between “stuff” and use it.) And smarter also means that it’s easier to understand and learn everything.

What is the foundation of “smart?”

The foundation of smart is the ability to process and take in a lot of information that you see and hear and to manipulate that information and think.

The more you can process and take in what there is to be heard, the stronger your auditory short-term memory. Your auditory short-term memory provides the fuel for the development of your auditory working memory, which is how many pieces or words you can hold together and manipulate, which equals your complexity of thought, or “smart.” How many pieces of visual information you process from what you see, whether from observation of your world or from reading, relates to your visual short-term memory; and as with auditory processing, your visual short-term memory provides the pieces you use to create your visual working memory and visual-spatial abilities. These fundamental, foundational pieces ultimately determine how much information you take in and use, which translates to how much knowledge you gain and your complexity of thought. All this equals “smart.”

How does processing “smart” develop?

Processing develops primarily from birth to about seven years. The rate and degree it develops is a reflection of the targeted stimulation and opportunities that you receive. In general the more quality one-to-one interaction between a child and an involved adult, the faster and the further it develops. The more enriching the environment, the faster and the further it develops. With specific targeted input designed to build processing skills, processing not only can be accelerated, it can be developed to superior levels.

When does the development of processing abilities stop?

Without specific intervention, the development of processing abilities almost comes to a halt at about seven years of age. From seven into our twenties, it typically develops perhaps another ten to fifteen percent; and after our twenties, without specific intervention it goes into a slow decline. You can continue to learn more, but your ability to do so declines, as does your ability to manipulate the information. As you continue to learn, you can become wiser, but not necessarily smarter, unless you are stretching your processing through complex cognitive activities or actively working to preserve or develop it.

How can you build processing ability and get smarter?

Everyone, from infant to geriatric, with input that is targeted to them, can incrementally build and improve processing ability and get smarter. We at NACD have been developing methodologies and improving processing abilities for the full spectrum of children and adults for over forty years. NACD designs specific processing programs for families who are members of NACD and who wish to utilize comprehensive developmental and educational programs designed so that they can be implemented in the home by parents and caregivers. But as mentioned earlier, NACD also has developed a very comprehensive targeted program for all children five years old and older and for adults up to and including seniors—Simply Smarter.

What is Simply Smarter?

The Simply Smarter program is a dynamic online system that constantly develops and modifies itself, adapting to the individual user to help produce maximum change. Specific activities work progressively to address focus, attention, intensity, auditory and visual short-term and working memory, visualization, conceptualization, and visual-spatial abilities, all of the pieces that help make everyone learn, think, and function better. The program first assesses your baseline and then builds from there, tracking and graphing progress. It has the capability of adjusting from basic levels of a child to levels of incredible function.

What can you do with children under five?

Children at or functioning under five years of age generally need specific one-on-one activities that are designed as part of NACD’s individualized programs. But in addition children from toddlers to five years old can use NACD’s Cognition Coach apps to build processing skills.

How long does it take to get smarter?

With motivation and consistent use, measurable changes can occur in a couple of weeks; and with continued use of Simply Smarter, virtually unlimited improvements are possible. Over the course of the present lockdown, you have the potential to produce a significant change.

Who has used Simply Smarter and what have the results been?

The range of those who have used NACD’s processing activities and Simply Smarter is as broad as the population. NACD’s Simply Smarter and other processing programs have been used by thousands of typical and gifted children and adults, those with learning and attention issues, as well as those with significant developmental issues such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, and brain injuries. Most everyone working on our comprehensive home based programs not only knows about processing, but is actively working on processing every day and understands the correlation between their child’s processing and global function and abilities. We have seen exceptional changes along the path of many thousands of children’s development and are continually heartened as we see their potential being redefined. Processing is a huge key to success and potential.

Please take this opportunity to change your child’s life trajectory. My mission in life has been to help change the perception of potential and to help develop the tools to do it. Today with more parents and children at home than ever before, I see this as a unique chance to change many lives and potentially change the perception of what can be.

To read an incredible testimonial from a couple about Simply Smarter and see what incredible things even a child can do, please read the following article and watch the video.

Reprinted by permission of The NACD Foundation, Volume 33 No. 4, 2020 ©NACD

The post My Greatest Discovery – How to Make Everyone Smarter appeared first on NACD International | The National Association for Child Development.

Years ago, I saw a TV show on Discovery with an organization from England that transformed “typical” children into geniuses using programs close to what NACD is using. I was fascinated but frustrated because I believed that I would never have an opportunity to follow this type of program in Romania. After I registered my son in an NACD personalized program [NACD TDI Program] last year and saw how fast a brain-damaged child can learn to process information, I quickly understood that NACD was the key to success. My dream created by that TV show was about to come true. I read about Simply Smarter and registered immediately. When I first started the Simply Smarter program, I was processing 7 directions. Some studies show that “smart” people are able to process between 7 and 10. NACD said that if you are processing 10, you are doing very well. It has been more than one year since I started Simply Smarter and I can process 15-16 pieces of information at this point. This is huge, folks, very huge. I was in the dark a year ago. I started a discussion and after 2 minutes forgot where I was going with the conversation. I could not remember too many things, nor could I understand many important pieces of information because of my weak auditory processing. There are many of you out there in the same situation that I was experiencing. Now at a processing level of 15-16, things have changed so much. I can think, talk and learn faster, hear more, and write better. I have many good ideas. I can function better. I have improved my life and the life of my family also. I’ve started to remember things from my childhood, memories that I thought were lost!

Thinking gives you strength and you can achieve things that most people find impossible to achieve. For those of you who have children in NACD, you know what going from 7 to 16 means. For those of you who don’t know about NACD, let me try to explain it to you. It is like lifting weights. At the beginning, perhaps you can lift 10 kg. Then you start building your body and after one year you can lift 200 kg. In this case, however, you are building your intelligence which is so much more important. Much like those body builders who become addicted to growing muscle, I am addicted to building intelligence. I now am 36 years old and by the time I am 40 I want to process 25-30 pieces of information.

I love Simply Smarter and I will use it for the rest of my life. If you want to ask me questions about my experience with Simply Smarter, feel free to do so at roviancom@yahoo.com

—Razvan

P.S. My wife started Simply Smarter at a processing level of 8 last year. She can now process 20-21 pieces of information (However, I am still the boss in the house!).

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Last summer, a group of researchers
 published a study in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience in which they
used fMRI technology to show
auditory working memory training
 (such as the auditory sequential processing activities in Simply Smarter) resulted in physical changes 
to the brain. In addition to showing
 auditory working memory can be
 trained, this research was able to demonstrate such training is more
than just learning a skill, but literally 
transforms the brain and the mind. These findings are consistent with Bob 
Doman and NACD’s 40+ years of experience in the development of tools for building processing and working memory. The researchers also found that physically altering the brain did not take very much time—only eight training sessions in 2 weeks!

Over the course of two weeks, a group of normal, healthy college students had a total of only eight training sessions that consisted of performing auditory working memory activities. Previously, they had taken part in an fMRI pretest alongside a matched control group; and at the end of the two-week training, they took part in an fMRI posttest that was conducted in the same manner as the pretest. The tests measured brain activation of all the participants as they performed auditory and visual working memory tasks and control tasks. When the fMRI posttest data was compared to pretest data, measured changes in the brain were observed in certain brain sections of the “fronto-parietal working memory network” for the treatment group but not the control group. These physical changes were also accompanied by an improvement in the performance of auditory memory tasks.

Other findings concluded that auditory training by itself did not significantly enhance visual functioning and vice versa, which is again consistent with NACD’s methodology of addressing both auditory and visual sequential processing.

Please explore the NACD Foundation initiative the Simply Smarter Project, as well as NACD’s Cognition Coach app and Simply Smarter.

Source:

Schneiders, J.A., et al. (2012). The impact of auditory working memory training on the fronto-parietal working memory network. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 6, 173. doi: 0.3389/fnhum.2012.00173

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Ah, summer! It’s the time that most of us spend outside—at the pool, relaxing in the sun, and just having fun. We often look at our NACD programs as a separate part of our day, but that doesn’t have to be the case. You can make your program a part of your day and have fun doing it.

Summer is a great time to advance your child’s sequential processing. There are many fun ideas to incorporate while outside in the water or while playing in the back yard. It is simply a matter of remembering to look for opportunities. I hope the following suggestions spur you on to think about how to incorporate processing into your fun-filled days.

Squirt Guns

I have two boys and a girl. My boys LOVE squirt guns. We turn this into a processing activity like this: I hold the gun filled with water and give a sequence to one of the boys. If they get it right, I squirt them. They love it! (If your child doesn’t like to get wet, then only squirt them if they get the sequence incorrect.) I switch between the two boys, squirting at them after getting a sequence correct. I only spend a few minutes doing it, but it produces very HIGH intensity! If they BOTH do well, then they get to squirt at me!

For the Little Ones

Take advantage of pool time, sprinklers, and playing at the park or swinging. My daughter loves me to throw her in the air while in the pool. She also likes jumping in. Before she does any of these, I give her a sequence. If she gets it right, she gets thrown or jumps in. If she doesn’t, I might give it to her again or give her a different one that she can be successful with, and then provide the reinforcer. While at the park, she loves me to push her on the swing. So before a big push, I give her a sequence. I don’t do it every time, just one here and there to keep it novel. But over the course of a day, she is getting many. They add up!

If you are working on teaching 1-step directions to your child, the above activities work for that as well. They really provide a lot of intensity—lots of high frequency, but very SHORT bursts of duration.

Outdoor Scavenger Hunts

“Go find something that is soft, two things that are green, and something that blooms.” Give your child a bag and have them go out to the backyard and search away. This really challenges your child’s working memory and conceptual thought. Ask for more and more items and be sure to give them different things to hunt each time.

Hose/Water Sprayer

My middle son LOVES to water the flowers and anything else he can get wet. So it works well to give him sequences of things to water. So for example, “Marc, I would like for you to water the peppers, the purple petunias, the pink rose bush, then the snapdragons.” Not only is he sequencing, he is learning the names of plants and flowers!

Get the Neighbor Kids Involved

In our neighborhood the kids are always playing together at some time during the day. They love for the adults to interact with them. I line them all up, give them each an auditory digit span (forward and reverse), and then let them earn a popsicle from our freezer. I promise—your neighbors won’t mind if you improve their children’s sequential processing!

Water Balloons

This is always a popular one for my boys. My son just recently received a water balloon-making machine for his birthday. If they do well on Simply Smarter, they get to throw water balloons at me for 5 minutes. (Haven’t been hit yet!)

For the Older Kids/Adults

Schedule Simply Smarter into your day, rather than waiting for a convenient time to come along to do it. If you know that you have errands to run, lessons to attend, work to go to, program to get done with your children, etc., then schedule it! Each day look at your day and carve out 15-20 minutes to get it done. For me, the earlier the better! Reward yourself later with some fun in the sun!

You can have fun with processing. Think outside the box, think about the activities, and make them part of your everyday experiences with your kids. Have a great, safe summer!

NACD Newsletter, Volume 5 Issue 6, 2012 ©NACD

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