Once you are informed with a screening of core cognitive skills, the next step may be to gain a greater awareness of available options for increasing brain power.

The activity to be pursued will depend on the level of personal need and personal goals.

The purpose of these materials is to inform you and introduce you to some options.

The following general observations are guidelines related to a BrainPower Profile or report and cognitive skill training. Nothing in this communication is intended for or presented as advice associated with or representing any specific program, product or recommendation of possible actions.

The good news is that having a profile and report is a big first step to help in identifying and overcoming personal learning challenges or needs.

Identifying Needs

A report alerts you to potential areas of relative weakness or need. It should identify problem areas that may need more extensive testing to achieve a proper diagnosis if required.

A profile and report is not intended to be a clinical diagnostic tool but can go beyond IQ as an indicator with a compilation of seven tests that measure eleven core cognitive skills critical for learning. It is not an average but a report on each skill area.

This gives you the Power to Know™ if any weak skills may be holding anyone back from achieving their full potential. Once you know, you can take powerful steps to improve mental skills and the capacity to learn and perform tasks.

Indicating Strengths and Weaknesses

Measurements of individual cognitive and decoding skills are findings that represent current cognitive abilities, not potential cognitive abilities – because cognitive skills are not fixed and can be enhanced.

However, the current level of these cognitive skills will determine the current ease, speed, and quality of an individual’s learning and performance.

The purpose of screening is not to diagnose or label but to:

1) Indicate relative cognitive skill strengths and weaknesses,

2) Understand the reason/cause of a learning problem,

3) Compare change in cognitive skills over time,

4) Measure the effectiveness of skill intervention,

5) Determine the best intervention to bring weaker skills to productive levels,

6) Predict performance,

7) Offer insight to guide future life choices.

It is important to understand that core cognitive skills are not fixed but can be modified with mentally challenging activities and/or appropriate targeted intervention. The place to begin is with a screening tool that can identify whether weak cognitive skills are likely an issue. More detailed testing may be necessary depending upon the need and circumstances. For example, if a medical diagnosis of a learning disability is desired, testing must be obtained from a licensed practitioner.

Weak cognitive skills cause associated learning capacity and performance limitations. While anyone can benefit from stronger core brain skills, the decision to address weak cognitive skills in a comprehensive training program is a highly personal one.

Initiating Guidelines

The percentile of an individual’s measured skill area shows how that skill compares to others in an age group on average. Given 100 individuals that represent a diversified norm group, a skill score of 60 means that there are 40 individuals that are stronger in that skill set and 60 that are weaker in that particular skill set (the individualʼs score is better than 60% of all persons taking the evaluation). The 81 percentile represents the average percentile of college-bound students. When the lowest score in any of the reported areas for an individual is in one of the following four categories a cognitive skill intervention with comprehensive brain skills training exercises should be a consideration:

1. When the lowest single score is not better than 95% of all persons taking the evaluation and the individual wants to attend and compete in a prestigious or superior university for academic excellence.

2. When the lowest single score is not better than 75% of all persons taking the evaluation and the individual wants to attend a college or university.

Scores below the 50th percentile in a standardized cognitive skills test are considered weak skills. Learning skills can also be considered weak in relationship to individual goals. Skills in the 50th to 75th percentile are weak for the students hoping to attend college, for example.

3. When the lowest single score is not better than 50% of all persons taking the evaluation and the individual wants to complete high school with the potential to attend a college or university.

4. When the lowest single score is not better than 25% of all persons taking the evaluation and the individual wants to at least complete high school.

Intervening Goals

Simply stated, when the lowest skill area is not better than…

95% Taking action to increase brain skills is a preference based upon personal goals.

75% Taking action to increase brain skills is a priority based upon personal goals.

50% Taking action to increase brain skills is a critical need to overcome definite weakness, alter the mind and allow its capabilities to grow.
25% Taking action to increase brain skills is a crisis intervention to not only improve limited capabilities but make higher levels of skill an attainable option.

It is not the purpose of Cognitive First to offer advice associated with or representing a recommendation of possible actions. General observations can be offered related to scores.

Cognitive skills play an essential role in learning and reading. A single significant weakness can lead to reduced or poor proficiency regardless of other skill strengths.