Sluggish Cognitive Processing or 'Thorough Cognitive Processing'

I got a few comments and emails about the name for Sluggish Cognitive Tempo.  Some of you suggested the names Sensory Processing Disorder or Deficiency.  The problem with those names is that there is a condition called Sensory Processing Disorder that many children have and is knows to co-exist frequently with ADD and ADHD. That Sensory Processing Disorder condition causes kids and adults to be bothered by scratchy shirt tags, loud noises, motion sickness, etc depending on what sensory system is affected. 


The name matters because patients and parents start with the label of a condition to determine if the condition that they are diagnosed with applies to them.

Whatever the new name it has to:

1. Resonate with patients and parents.
2. Not be conceived as completely offensive or derogatory right off the bat.
3. Be consistent with the major signs or symptoms experience by patients.
We think that SCT problems involve the reaction time required for the processing of visual, tactile, auditory and probably (but who knows because it has not been studied) proprioceptive and olfactory information. 

We do not know if there is a benefit to this delay. The information may be delayed in processing but the output may be comprehended in a more global or thorough manner (as opposed to a strictly linear manner). For all we know there is a cognitive reward for this delay. If this were the case then the name should be 'Thorough Cognitive Processing' or 'Complete Cognitive Processing'.

My son sometimes seems to be just staring into space when the family is trying to solve a puzzle or problem and then out of nowhere he comes out with a totally novel and interesting solution. Maybe his processing was sluggish but it was also more complete. Just a thought.

8 comments:

  1. I wonder if there is some truth to this.

    My son does the same! Often we don't even realize he's listening and then all of a sudden he offers up a concise, deliberate solution to an adult problem. I attribute it to his creativity and being able to think "outside of the box".

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  2. "Dissociative Inattentive Thinking Syndrome"

    ...nicely makes up the backronym DITS, which is slang for a scatterbrained person.

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  3. Thorough Cognitive Processing is a far better description!!! Merry Christmas!

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  4. Andy thanks for some levity here!! Jenn I like the TCF option too, the only problem is that we do not know if it is more thorough yet.

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  5. Why has 'Working Memory Deficit Disorder' been forgotten? I always seemed like the better choice to me. Perhaps 'dysfunction' rather than 'deficit' even.

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  6. Tess, your son sounds just like me at his age.

    He's a lion amongst sheep. He'll be fine once he finds his superpower and hyperfocuses on it.

    I'll be happy to help any way I can. One he "dials it in", he'll smoke his non-gifted counterparts with ease.

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  7. FYI, be wary of dairy products and meat - soft drinks and processed foods. They all contribute to 'the fog'.

    He should be taking a multi-vitamin/multi-mineral as well as a B complex and Omega 3s - every day.

    He may also benefit from D3 (I certainly did). If he's deficient, he'll need a few months to build up what the stimulants deplete. I'd pick up Dr. Amen's book "Magnificent Mind at Any Age" - See which sub-type most closely matvhes his - There are supplement strategies for each of the 6 seperate types.

    Remember to keep sugar (HFCS) down and if you suspect he has breathing problems (apnea), have his physician schedule a sleep study.

    Even before I went vegan, I found massive improvement after my tonsillectomy. Look into Tyrosine also - if he's been using a dopaminergic stimulant for a while, his levels have likely been depleted.

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  8. Pete, Thanks for the information! he does take a B comples, an adult omega-3 and is supplemented with D3 (but he has been checked and his levels are fine). He does not drink milk and the sweets are kept to a minimum but these are all good things to be reminded of.

    Thanks for your comments!

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