A free checklist for parents. Many children who struggle in school are bright and hardworking. Often the problem is not effort or intelligence. It is one or more underlying cognitive skills, such as attention, memory, or processing speed, that are not keeping up with what school asks of them.
This checklist helps you notice patterns. Check every statement that sounds like your child most of the time, not just on a hard day.
1. Attention
The ability to focus, ignore distractions, and stay on task.
2. Working Memory
The ability to hold information in mind and use it, like a mental sticky note.
3. Processing Speed
How quickly and accurately the brain takes in and works with information.
4. Auditory Processing
The ability to hear, blend, and pull apart the sounds in words. It is a foundation for reading and spelling.
5. Visual Processing
The ability to create and work with pictures in the mind.
6. Logic and Reasoning
The ability to plan, solve problems, and see how ideas connect.
What your answers may mean
| What you checked | What it may suggest |
|---|---|
| 0 to 1 in each section | Your child's core learning skills are likely keeping up. Struggles may come from motivation, sleep, stress, or a specific subject gap. |
| 2 or more in one section | That skill may be weaker than your child's other skills, and it could be making learning harder than it needs to be. |
| 2 or more in several sections | Several skills may be working against your child. A cognitive skills assessment can show exactly which ones and how much. |
Why the difference matters
Tutoring re-teaches a subject. It helps when a child missed specific content. Cognitive skills training strengthens the underlying skills a child uses to learn every subject. When a skill gap is the root cause, tutoring alone often feels like working harder without getting easier. Knowing which one your child needs saves time, money, and frustration.
Want to know for sure?
A cognitive skills assessment measures attention, memory, processing speed, auditory and visual processing, and reasoning in about an hour. You get a clear picture of your child's strengths and gaps, and a plan for what to do next.
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