Turbo in waiting?

A-One's fortnightly appointment with his employment consultant falls due tomorrow, and he is meant to have had at least 8 employer contacts since the last meeting.  That was his 'homework' for the last meeting, and the one before that too, but the dog ate it both times.

I reminded him yesterday that we'd better get down to the shopping centre today if he is not to be embarrassed about not having done his homework.

Mum: When do you want to get started tomorrow?

A-One: Early.

Mum: What time is 'early'?

A-One: I don't know. Just early in the morning.

Mum: Well, early in the morning could mean 5am.

A-One: Not that early.

Around 10am, after I had finished my exercise, I woke him.  I calculated that he might be ready by the time I'd finished my shower.

Mum: Time to wake up.  We going to the shopping centre today?

A-One: What for? ... Oh, yeh.

Mum: So get up.  Have breakfast.  Do you need to shower?  Also, empty the dishwasher before we go too.  Get cracking.  We're not going down there at 4pm because that will not be enough time.  And if you leave it until lunch time, the people you want to see may be on lunch.  Come on.  Time to get up and at 'em.

We have had a few exchanges in the intervening hours in response to my
'A-One, what's happening?'s:

A-One: I've only just finished my breakfast ... What should I wear? .... I'm just getting dressed .... I need to check something in my resume ....  I'm just getting something ....

It's now past 2pm.  It appears not a creature is stirring ... I'd better go see what's happening again.

Status Check

A-One hasn't done much brain training over the last month - just one day in the last four weeks.  His last score on Lumosity was 45th percentile, comprising the following sub-percentiles:

• Speed: 72.4
• Memory: 60.1
• Attention: 46.8
• Flexibility: 53.9
• Problem Solving: 9.1

All of the above are well within the average range, except Problem Solving.  I reckon his overall BPI would be higher than 45th percentile if he learnt his number facts.

So, has anything changed for A-One from his brain training?

When he met with his employment consultant yesterday discussing kitchen hand work, I noticed that he worked out how many years he'd been cleaning up the kitchen at home when I said he'd been rostered on that job since he was at least 8 years old.  Next week he turns 23.  He casually slipped into his conversation 'So, I've been doing that for 15 years.'  No pause, no counting on fingers.

I've also been noticing that his conversations as he plays WOW with his online friends are quite coherent and not all one-way.  Quite different from just a few years ago when he'd get on to a topic and keep talking regardless of signals that it was time to let someone else speak, or to inquire after them.  It all sounds very regular to me.

He now needs to build his confidence, and become motivated to get out of his comfort zone at home.

He's a Sharpshooter!

I was listening to a 'Founder Story' of Mike Scanlon, Lumosity's Chief Scientific Officer today.  He made reference to a broader cognitive test that Lumosity members can use every few months to see how their cognitive capacity is going as distinct from how well they are performing in the brain exercises.  (Note: It doesn't seem to work with IE 10, but does with Chrome.)  I can't find a link from the Lumosity website, but I had an email record of the URL from my initial inquiry to Lumosity.

I can't recall why I didn't get A-One to do it initially because that had been my plan.  Perhaps I had thought that limited levels of co-operation were better directed to the actual brain training.

Today he was willing enough to do it.  His test results tell him that his strengths are Speed and Attention. Problem Solving is rated above Memory which is his weakest, even though Memory is his area of strength in the actual exercises and Problem Solving his weakest. The report notes that Attention is good for driving. Imagine that! For a boy who had been told all his life that he needs to be kept on task,  had been on ADD medication for a while, and last year told by the neuropsychologist that he shouldn't get his drivers licence.

I love the encouraging way the report is presented and the smile on A-One's face when he read it: A-One, you are a Sharpshooter! Quick, observant and incisive.  You easily take in information and use penetrating insight to make quick decisions.  With a keen sense of spatial orientation, people with these strengths make natural athletes and navigators.   His overall score also put him in the 'about average' range for people in his age range.

(Would WOW also have something to do with this?)

Mum: See A-One, I think for someone who has your capabilities, it's criminal that you're not out there working or learning an occupation.  And you should be playing to your strengths - get to the gym three times a week!  or Tae Kwon Do or Roller Blading. I'm happy to take you.

A-One: I'd like to go to gym.

Mum: Great.  What time of the day do you want to go - and it should be at least 3 times a week.

He's still thinking about that one.

Mum: For someone who is decisive, it shouldn't take too long for you to make a decision about that.

A-One: I don't think I'd do very well at TAFE, because I struggle with the theory.

Mum: Don't base all your decisions on what you were good at, or not, at school.  Remember all this brain training is to enable you to do those things.  It's not because I'm 'into it' that I'm getting you to do brain training.  It's to make it possible for you to do those things that you are interested in!

A-One: OK.