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.

Under his own steam

Over the last month I have not been overseeing A-One's brain training too closely.  Under his own steam he has averaged training 3 times a week, which I'm very pleased about. 

At 53.6th percentile, his Flexibility has now finally passed the 50th percentile which is great news too! 

His Problem Solving is the only area that still lags under 10th percentile.

Over the last month we have been learning more about his WOW friends because he talks to them frequently, using his headphones and microphone. When playing, he sits in our family room so that he can use the internet cable instead of our unreliable wireless - we can't help overhearing his end of the conversations.  His sitting in our family area helps to include his online life with ours.

Not bored. Disappointed.

Over the last few weeks A-One's overall Lumosity BPI has stayed pretty steady at around 1000 or 43rd percentile.  He's been playing on average about three to four times a week.  The exciting part is that he is almost at the 50th percentile for Flexibility, and almost, almost at the 10th percentile for Problem Solving.  I'm still trying to convince him to re-prioritise his training preferences with Problem Solving at the top so that he can give himself a good workout in that area.

I asked him today if he was getting bored with Lumosity, because there are other exercises he could try, for example CogniFit.

A-One: It's not so much that I'm bored, but that only a few of the games have a 'Pause' button.  They flash up things so fast that it doesn't give me time to get it right. And sometimes I get only one thing wrong, and it gives me a low score - which is disappointing.  And the Penguin still goes faster than I can, which is cheating. Do they have a feedback section where I can tell them?

Mum: Some of the games might be testing your speed, just above your current level of skill, so that it's stretching you to get better.  Do you know what happens when you play any game against someone better than you?  Like tennis?

A-One: You lose?

Mum (laughing): Yes, probably.  But you get better!  They help you to lift your game. 

A-One: Sometimes you need to pause to do something else, like answer the door or something, and then for that day, you get a low score.

Mum: Well, after your official training for that day you could always do the game again to see how well you could really do without taking a break.  It wouldn't count in your official score, but you'd know how well you've really done.  And that's what really important isn't it?

A-One: Yes, I could do that.

Mum: If you want to send in some feedback, why don't you and see what they say?

A-One: I will, but not now.

Plateau'ing is normal

Today we looked at A-One's brain training scores over the last week. He seems to be playing about three to four times a week at present.  His scores are still at a plateau; he's now at 42.7th percentile overall.  However his Flexibility has been showing a steady increase, now at 48.2nd percentile.

Mum: I was reading in the Lumosity blog that plateau'ing is a common pattern when learning something new, and that sometimes sharp rises can occur and then be sustained.  That's certainly been your pattern, A-One.  The important thing is that you keep doing it, because your brain is working on it even though it doesn't seem to show in your scores right away.

A-One: Well, I didn't have internet for some days.

Mum: But you do now, so you should play today to catch up.

A-One: Yes, I will.

Perhaps he has been encouraged by his test report.  I haven't managed to get him to try CogniFit yet.