Cognitive Training
Is it?
What
Cognitive training focuses on multiple aspects of brain activity including working memory, attention span, planning, problem solving, impulse control, and mental processing speed. People aged 5 to adulthood can work to improve, or optimize, these functions.
Seven Key functions of the brain help us manage and excel in our daily life tasks. Whether at home, school, or work, all of these abilities are tested daily and usually simultaneously. Attention, working memory, long-term memory, logic and reasoning, auditory processing, visual processing, and processing speed make it possible to accomplish tasks and set goals.
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If you struggle with one, some, or all of these functions call us to find out more about how cognitive training can help you.
HOW DOES IT
Work?
The patient is taken through a series of tests that assess their strengths and weaknesses in terms of the skills that are used during the cognitive training. Using this information, a treatment protocol is set up individually for each patient. The first couple sessions will occur in office and then the programming can be installed on your home computer for easier access and convenience.
The computer is ideal because it makes it easy to customize training and to track progress. The games vary difficulty level based on age, grade, and performance on the initial tests. Clients will be continually directed to develop their cognitive skills to the maximum of their capabilities, as the program adjusts based on the successes or failures during each game. The "games" come in a variety of formats, focusing on both auditory and visual stimulation.
Work?
Really
Neuroplasticity: The brain's ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. (Medicine.net) Cognitive training is based on this core concept. By practicing activating the different parts of the brain that are used in cognitive functioning, connections get stronger and reorganize to function more easily as you progress through the training. You can check out some research on this topic here.
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Ideally, you would want to complete training 2 hours per week, or 20 minutes per day to get optimal benefits. While this may seem like a lot, Focal Points tries to make this as manageable as possible by allowing the software to be installed on a home computer where it is convenient to do a little bit of training each day. This saves you time and money all while getting the results you want.