Not so enthusiastic

As excited as I have been about using CogStateTM to independently baseline A-Ones's cognitive functioning, and getting ready to try him out with C8 - Kids Cognitive Cross Training, I don't exactly have an enthusiastic partner in my venture.

Last night A-One went to bed early.  His sleeping patterns have become more erratic lately because he's been playing WOW on and off both day and night. However, after last night I thought 'You beaudy!  He's had a really good night's sleep.  His brain will be fresh. What a golden opportunity to begin the CogStateTM practice tests!'  I had been 'warming' him up to them over the last couple of days. Waking him up mid-morning:

Mum: Hi A-One. Time to get up. After such a good night's sleep, let's get started with your round of practice tests today.  How about you get up, eat, have a shower (it's been several days), and we can get started.

A-One: OK, I'll get up, but we'll see about the practice tests.

Later on as he was having breakfast ...

Mum: When will we get started? This afternoon sometime?

A-One: No! I'm not doing it today!

Mum: A-One, this is a golden opportunity because you had such a good night's sleep! Your brain will be on fire!

A-One: I'm not doing it today! 

Mum: The scientists have proven that you need adequate sleep, nutrition, physical exercise, as well as mental exercise for your brain to be healthy, so it's important that you've had adequate sleep to do the tests.

A-One: How do they know that? I'll prove that I can be fine without even 5 hours sleep!

Mum: Do you see that this brain training work is about helping you be able to have a job, and not just a job, but a good job? What will you do instead today?

A-One: Other things.

Mum: Do you think your WOW friends would be happy for you to spend some time away from them, improving things for yourself?

A-One: Yes.   

Mum: Well, can we do it tomorrow?

A-One: Yes.

Mum: What time?

A-One: I don't know!

Mum: How about 10am?

A-One: OK.

Mum: It may take about 3 hours all up.

A-One: Three hours! How come?

Mum: The practice will take about an hour or more, so that you get used to what you have to do.  Then we do the real baseline test, which will take just as long.

A-One: No, we're doing only the first part.

Mum: So when will we do the second part?

A-One: The next day, Sunday.

Mum: I can't do it Sunday because Dad and I have something on Sunday morning.

A-One: Well, whenever is the next time!

Mum: You do realise, don't you, that improving things for yourself can start right now?

So instead today, I'm blogging ... and he's WOW'ing.

Getting ready for a change ...

In the last couple of days I've sent off a few emails to others on the advocacy list for Arrowsmith, as well to a couple of educational institutions.  I've also been keeping up with the latest news from SharpBrains, and came across a reference to a free cognitive test called Brain Baseline for iPads and iPhones.  I duly went looking for it but it's only in the US Apple store, not the Australian one.  So I wrote off to them too asking when it would be available in the Australian store.

In the meanwhile I've tested myself out on the CogStateTM practice tests and think I have the hang of them now.  I've uploaded my practice results and am now working out whether the test report is useful to me, or simply to track A-One's scores in a spreadsheet myself. I'm very keen to get started with him as he seems to be losing interest in Lumosity, and I think it's time for a change. So I want to baseline him using CogStateTM, then try something else, giving Lumosity a rest for a while.

I'm very impressed with C8-Kids Cognition Cross Training, another suite of brain training exercises I came across via SharpBrains.  This one's from Yale University and has been used to treat ADHD. I like very much that a few simple games progressively incorporate training for additional cognitive functions, and progressive comprehensive reports on a student's cognitive profile are also available i.e. it combines both training and assessment.  The program also combines mental and physical training, so it's really the whole package! The program is geared to 5-10 year olds, but the interface is not too 'babyish' and adults can benefit from it too. The downside, and this is noted on their website, is that for adults any comparative assessments draw on a much smaller population, so I'm not sure how useful they'll be.

The C8 program requires that the student do 3 - 5 sessions a week ranging from 25 - 40 mins each, generally over a 4 month period.

I recall when I spoke to Sheryl Batchelor that she wondered why the Arrowsmith program needs 3-4 years when other programs show improvements over 3 months or so. I also have some niggling concerns whether A-One would qualify for the Arrowsmith program which requires students to have average or above average intelligence.  A-One's IQ is just below the average range, although when he was younger he was in the average range. Given the C8 program is used for ADHD, and A-One had been on medication for ADD when he was younger, this program might even be more suitable for him than Arrowsmith?

So, I think C8's worth a try.  It seems to match A-One's cognitive impairments, and compares in price to Lumosity.