Guidelines for parents of children with slow cognitive time

Children with slow cognitive time, are children in general, slow for everything: to eat, to get dressed or to do their homework. For them, "time" is something very difficult to handle, and often, even if they try to go faster, they can not, time escapes them. It is very important to bear in mind tha

Children with slow cognitive time, are children in general, slow for everything: to eat, to get dressed or to do their homework. For them, "time" is something very difficult to handle, and often, even if they try to go faster, they can not, time escapes them.

It is very important to bear in mind that the problem is not a matter of capacity or disobedience of the child, therefore it is important not to punish or penalize the child for his slowness, since it is something over which the child does not have much control. But, what can parents of children with slow cognitive time do to help them?

Tips for parents of children with slow cognitive time

Children with slow cognitive time often have academic difficulties and also at home. They are children who lose things, are disorganized, (especially their thoughts), they forget things, they are in the clouds, they seem unmotivated by everything, to carry out the academic and daily tasks takes a long time, they seem tired all day or sleepy. They also show self-esteem problems, as they often hear phrases of the type, "hurry up", "always the last", "run" ... Also, their academic results are not what they want.

At home, we parents have to get used to the idea that, even if we ask you to run doing activities or tasks at home, (homework, dressing, breakfast ...) it will not be "as fast" as we want, as well What patience, otherwise we will only get desperate and frustrated ourselves. Remember, it is not slow for pleasure, it is your "natural rhythm".

At home you can find some guidelines that can help us:

- Simplify tasks, go step by step. It can help us make tables with routines, step by step so you can review the steps you are taking and do not forget any. "I undressed, then I put the clothes in the laundry basket, then I take the pajamas, I put it on."

- Give them more time to do homework. If I ask you to set the table, it will take a while to get to it, and once started, it will take a while to put it on. So we have to give him reaction time.

- NOT to get angry with him because of his slowness.

- Give them time to complete tasks. We can help with a clock with hands indicating how much time they have to do something (eat, dress, pick up ...) With hands it is usually better to see the time that passes or the time that is left, it is more visual.

- Look for activities that motivate and stimulate, so your brains will start and work better. We can record your achievements: "Yesterday you made 8 sums, today you have done 10", for example, and in this way reinforce their achievements and motivate them.

Children with slow cognitive time at school

Academically they are children who need more time to process information, so they will not keep up with the class, get lost in explanations, they will need more time to perform the same tasks as their children. comrades, answer questions more slowly because they need more time to process the information.

Therefore adjustments in the classroom are necessary for them. Give them more time to answer questions, both oral and written, reduce the number of questions on the exam (not the difficulty) or do it in two days. In short, give them more time. Fragment the tasks in steps so you do not skip any, redirect your attention when we see that it is in the clouds, but without calling attention.

In any case, children with a slow rhythm, such as children with ADHD, or dyslexia, in addition to adjustments in the classroom and at home, may need support or professional help, work with them and encourage and help the child to improve your "speed", or acquire guidelines and tools to manage your time, for example, in addition to giving you the emotional support you need, (since sometimes your self-esteem is affected)

When should we turn to him? When these difficulties or that slow pace interfere significantly in your daily, social or emotional life, it is recommended that a specialist evaluate and work with both the child and us, the parents, giving us guidelines and advice to understand and help our child at home.