The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was designed by Dr. Ziad Nasreddine in Montreal, Canada in the year 1996. This assessment method was authenticated and legalized to diagnose slight cognitive impairment in people. Since then, the (MoCA) has been widely regarded and practiced around the world as a very effective method to assess mild cognitive impairment.

The MoCA consists of a 30-point test which is usually spread around 10 minutes. If you are a clinician, you can get access to the instructions associated with the MoCA on the internet.

Though the original test is in English, it can be adjusted for people who speak other languages.

STEM Educational Toys to Improve Your Child’s CogAT score

What Happens in a MoCA?

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment diagnoses a number of different areas associated with cognitive impairment. It assesses the person’s quick memory function which involves the patient learning five nouns in separate intervals and then the patient is asked to recall what he has learned (5 points for this).

It assesses a patient’s Visuospatial abilities and involves clock drawing and a cube which is in 3D, (3 points for drawing a clock correctly and 1 point for drawing the cube).

The MoCA also analyses a patient’s executive function which directly relates to our working memory. If someone has trouble connecting his experiences from the past to the present and has trouble making decisions, planning, paying attention, managing time and/or organizing his life then he is suffering from a loss in executive function which is a part of cognitive impairment.

The MoCA provides (TMT-B) tasks, Trail Making Tasks-B, (worth 1 point), Verbal fluency tasks (1 point) and a Verbal communication intelligence task with two items (2 points). The patient’s motor skills, working memory, concentration and his attention to instructions given are also evaluated by using different attention tasks.

These include:

• Detecting things using tapping (1 point)
• Subtracting: For example, being asked to subtract 7 from 40 (3 points)
• Being asked to place digits either forward or backward (1 point for each)

Through the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, a patient’s language fluency is also evaluated. Various tests like three item confrontation in which you have to name three unfamiliar animals for example a rhinoceros, camel and a bison  (3 points).

Another test engages the test taker in speaking complexly arranged sentences (2 points are given for this).  Lastly, the patient’s ability to successfully determine the time and date she/he is in is assessed.

Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scores

The MoCA results are given on the points scored between 0 and 30. People who score 26 or higher  are generally considered to be functioning normally.

Research done be clinicians using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment have concluded that people who succeeded in the assessment usually scored over 27 in comparison to those who score 22.1 (which means they may be suffering from a milder form of cognitive imbalance). Those who scored 16.2 may be likely to have Alzheimer’s.

Is the MoCA convenient?

The Montreal Cognitive Assessment is a relatively convenient procedure which allows medical professionals to accurately and quickly determine whether or not someone is suffering from a considerable imbalance of cognitive function.

The MoCA determines whether or not a person requires extensive treatment in case of Alzheimer’s disease. The MoCA also determines certain symptoms and allows doctors to keep such a situation from worsening.

Doctors using the MoCA are allowed to evaluate whether or not a person has dementia as a result of mild cognitive impairment. And the sole reason they can do this is because the MoCA involves evaluating a person’s executive function (as explained above).

Overview of the Pros and Cons of MoCA

Some of the major advantages of the Montreal cognitive assessment include simplicity, easy for the patient, reliable outcome and the screening process involved to determine whether or not a person has Alzheimer’s disease. Furthermore, the MoCA also measures the various hints of dementia present in a person.

The Mini-Mental State Exam (MMSE) does not measure the components of dementia. The MoCA also works well to determine symptoms for Parkinson’s disease. Unlike the MMSE test the MoCA has been declared free to use, involving no payments.

The only potential drawback of the Montreal cognitive assessment is that the desired outcome can only be accurately achieved in memory clinic settings. According to Assistant clinical professor at UCSD and the author of a study on the application of MoCA in comparison to MMSE, Dr.

Stephanie Lessig the MoCA is newer to the scene and originally just looked at patients with milder forms of Alzheimer’s. The MoCA has since gone on to being used for other diseases as well. It seems to be a little better at looking in depth at some of the deficits that the MMSE might not pick up.

For instance, the MMSE has a heavy language component, but that’s not an area that tends to be as much a deficit [in the early stages] of conditions like Parkinson’s or other forms of dementia, so that’s where the MoCA comes in at being a little more sensitive.

According to a study made by Stephanie Lessig it was found that the MoCA successfully manages to point out subtle insufficiencies in cognitive behavior with the patients suffering from Parkinson’s disease. This is not the case with the MMSE though many prefer to use the MMSE.

The MoCA is regarded as a very useful tool in recognizing certain abnormalities in cognitive behavior under normal circumstances but it has been proven not to work that effectively against patients who have severe dementia or cognitive impairment.

The idea of getting examined through the Montreal cognitive assessment or any other assessment for that matter is often very disheartening and discouraging to slightly older people. They chances of them getting panicky and confused before an assessments are high.

The anxiety may lead to poor performance on the MoCA. So it is important to take this test confidently in order to get accurate results. Not taking the test has no upside.

President Trump takes Montreal Cognitive Assessment

The MoCA is getting particular attention because President Donald Trump took the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

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Autism is a disorder of human development characterized by abnormalities in behavior, communication and social interaction. Autism declares itself in various forms. In addition, the manifestations of autism may be present in other mental disorders. The severity of autism may vary from mild to severe.

People with mild autism symptoms may seem normal. People with severe autism often have completely disrupted function of brain and a person cannot function normally.

In the past, autism was frequently confused with the manifestation of childhood schizophrenia or childhood psychosis. The more information about the disease appeared, the more frequently it was diagnosed. Many of the early confusions associated with causes of autism have been resolved.

Autism Symptoms

Scientists define three signs of autism:

1. Disorder of social interaction
2. Difficulties in communication with other people
3. Features of the behavior

Disorder of social interaction

A person, who has autism, is not able to build healthy relationships with other people and that is very important when you are a part of society. The disorder may be so serious that could affect the relationships of mother and child at the initial period of life.

It is important to know that a child with this syndrome shows his/her affection for the mother and other people, who take care of him/her. However, the way of expression of this affection and love is different from ways of other children. If a child has little contact with other children and his/her parents, doctors aren’t always able to determine autism. And autism treatments depend on that.

During the process of child development, the interaction with society becomes more and more difficult with time. The features of behavior are often related to eye contact, facial expressions and body positions. Usually, it is difficult for an autistic child to establish any relationships with their peers and often the child is isolated from society.

Also, the child does not express any interest in games or any activities in comparison with the peers. Children with this disorder do not want to play any games. In severe cases, such children may not notice the presence of other people.

Communication

Autistic people have usually broken communication skills, i.e. the ability to communicate with other people. Sick people simply cannot understand what they are said; sick children may not understand the meaning of some children’s games such as hide and seek, for example.

Autistic people frequently do not take part in dialogues. Typically, the expression of another person is perceived as something incomprehensible. Speech of a sick person is monotone and lack of emotions. Often people with autism repeat phrases and sentences told by others. For example, you may say “look at the plane!”, and a child or an adult repeats: “plane”.

He/she does not realize the meaning of the word. Such repetition of words and phrases is called echolalia. While many people believe that it is a sign of the intellect (songs repetition etc.), autistic people often do not understand the content of what they say.

View on Autism

Swiss psychiatrist Paul Eugen Bleuler first applied the term “autism” in one of the British medical journals in 1912. At that time he meant under this notion difficulties that emerge in patients with schizophrenia when communicating with others.

Autism was defined in the form we know it later in 1943 by Dr. Leo Kanner, who studied the behavior of eleven children with similar symptoms. These children do not seek to learn new things, meet somebody and share their emotions. Often they have problems in communication and social adaptation, nothing interests them.

A child, who has the symptoms similar to the listed above may have autism. These are the signs of autism. This illness has several names including Asperger syndrome and Rett syndrome. But each of these disorders is classified as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and differs only by several symptoms.

Autism that develops in a child’s organism gradually starts to emerge at the age of a year and a half. It is fully formed to three years. Autism symptoms checklist is rather various and it manifests itself differently in diverse people.

This condition affects gestures, movements, speech and reactions. Not all autistic children have any physical manifestations of it. Autism is most often manifested in changes of behavior, such as following:

• Refusal of tactile contact with parents
• Absence of speech to three years
• A child prefers to be alone than with someone else
• A child refuses to contact with the outside world or is not interested in it
• A child either doesn’t have skills of nonverbal communication or these skills are poorly developed. The child does not want to look into your eyes
• Baby’s gestures are strange and rather nervous than expressing something
• The child speaks, but steadily, as if he/she repeats studied text. Many autistic children repeat the words of others in the manner of echo
• Unusual sensory responses (for voice, smell, taste, touch)
• The child shows the same behavior and way of communication with others; prefers to repeat one chosen action
• Autistic children do not play with other kids and always prefer to arrange their toys in the same manner, always depending on the color
• They are not afraid of surrounding, but do not want to change anything in their life. They are so engrossed in their daily occupations, that changes seem to them as something unnatural
• Autism manifests also in sleep disorders.

Autism may have mild and acute form. Many children show autism like symptoms after they start going to school, but that’s normal: the kid becomes accustomed to learning, new people and school atmosphere. It is hard for any parent to understand the child and work with them.

Children with autism require even more care and attention, so raising an autistic child you need to follow some recommendations. You can get such recommendations from a doctor and find peculiar book related to the theme of autism. This will help you to change your life and the life of your child.

Autism as a Genetic Disease 

As some neurological disorders can be associated with autism, the issue of whether autism is a genetic disease is very complicated. It’s safe to say that such disorders as the syndrome of friable X-chromosome and multiple sclerosis are hereditary diseases.

The most recent researches have revealed that one of the causes of autism may be considered dysfunction of the site on chromosome 13. In some families, autism is passed from generation to generation. In other families, you cannot identify cases of autism in the past generations; however, it may be present in the child or his/her brothers and sisters.

The results of this study confirm that a gene of autism will be found soon. However, many children, who suffer from autism, do not have close relatives with this illness. The cause of autism may be the environment, such as the impact of harmful substances etc.

Diagnosis of Autism Symptoms

The main manifestations of autism are abnormal development or underdevelopment of a child, the inability of child to contact with the outside world and people, pathological forms of behavior, which are not typical for other children. By three years, if a child is sick with autism, it would be clearly expressed.

In many cases, abnormalities in development might be not observed at first year of child’s life, but autism is expressed to three years, as it is told above. If the speech is not developing or a child is not able to communicate with others by three years, we may suspect autism.

Diagnosing of this disease starts with a careful study of medical report and a medical examination of a patient. The examination of a patient with autism should be made by a specialist, who not only knows autism, but also knows other similar disorders that can imitate the autism symptoms. It is required to make neurological and psychological tests to determine the correct diagnosis.

For example, weakness and reduced reflexes on one side of the body may give the doctor quite exhaustive answer that a person likely has structural brain pathology and MRI is required.

The medical report of patient and thorough examination will help a doctor pinpoint the diagnosis of the disease and identify other possible disorders and diseases that largely cause the presence of autism in a patient. A doctor should test ear of a child, who does not speak.

or normal development of speech process, a person needs to hear sounds of low and high frequencies. Even if a reflex to turn the head to the side from where the sound comes is preserved (e.g. to hands clapping), speech is still may be undeveloped.

If the results of neurological examination are normal, it is usually not required to conduct computerized tomography and MRI. However, if a doctor finds brain pathology during the neurological examination, it is necessary to conduct magnetic-resonance imaging.

Examination of an autistic person by a speech therapy is also very useful, because a doctor may define the speech disorders and prescribe appropriate treatment.

Causes of Autism

Autism appeared in the scientific literature as a mental disorder a few decades ago and for many years scientists study and identify the causes of this disease. Scientists have not found still what causes autism. However, autism is certainly a disorder of biological nature.

In support of the biological theory of autism, some experts have the opinion that various neurological disorders may accompany autism. In this case, autism is a symptom of neurological malfunctions. For example, such disorders may include multiple sclerosis (a genetic disorder), the syndrome of friable X-chromosome, Rett syndrome and some congenial defects associated with the metabolic processes in human body.

Autism may be the result of several neurological malfunctions that influence brain function and human development in general. Genuine autism is rare. Usually it is accompanied by other disorders or is a result of these disorders.

During the years of autism treatments scientists discovered that there is a link between epilepsy and autism. This connection is expressed in two ways: first, many patients (20-30%) suffer from seizures. Secondly, these patients with seizures may get autism as a result.

This sickness is often confused with Landau-Kleffner syndrome. Acquired epileptic aphasia is another name for the syndrome. Some children that have this syndrome may occasionally lose speech, especially receptive communication skills (ability to understand), often autism appears at the same time.  These children commonly have a peculiar result of EEG (recording of electrical brain signals), which corresponds to their behavior.

Loss of speech and other malfunctions, which occur because of this disease, occur at the age of 4, and therefore the described above rare syndrome is not difficult to distinguish from autism, which may be present from birth. However, in recent years, scientist noticed that some children, who do not have seizures, have Landau-Kleffner syndrome.

The importance of the above information is that the Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS) occurs spontaneously and in some cases it can be treated with corticosteroids. The connection of this syndrome and autism leads to situations when people affected by autism should undergo electroencephalogram.

Pathological EEG can be identified when a person is asleep (it takes 12 hours). Many children and adults perform abnormal EEG, but rarely anyone has the Landau-Kleffner syndrome. We should underline that large doses of corticosteroids may induce side effects such as gain in weight, high blood pressure, diabetes, disorder of human growth, irritability, weakened immune system, ulcers in the mouth etc.

But the main amount of those side effects is reversible.  Other treatment methods may be also used. They range from common anti-convulsants and to operation. It is difficult to assess the effectiveness of the treatment of Landau-Kleffner syndrome because the symptoms of syndrome may spontaneously disappear.

As for autism symptoms, many children and adults may have something as a ritual. Even such an action as having a bath may be very difficult for an autistic person: they demand a definite amount of water in the bath, exact water temperature, the same soap and towel, which were used by them earlier.

Treating Autism

People often wrongly interpret autism. Allegations that autism can be fully cured you may hear in many families. There are different models of autism treatment, which concern educational system in this area (to enlighten people) and the treatment itself.

Yet the most effective approach to treatment of this disorder is in education or human awareness about the disease. There is a tendency to place children with autism in small classrooms, so that they are free from auditory and visual stimulation. Training information is given to a child in small portions.

People with autism must be taught how to communicate and interact with other people. It is a hard task and it includes the entire family, as well as professionals. Parents of an autistic child should constantly receive information about new treatment methods and maintain openness.

Read about fidget tools here.

Some treatment ways are suitable for one patient, but do not fit others. The effectiveness of many treatment methods has to be scientifically proven yet. Treatment decisions are always made on an individual basis after careful evaluation of signs of autism.

These methods are based on the fact this treatment is appropriate for both the child and his/her family. It is important to bear in mind, despite some recent denials, that autism is a condition, which requires constant treatment.

The treatment program may change with the development of an individual. Families should beware of treatment programs that give false hope for healing.

Some drugs have been tried for the treatment of autism. But there are no such drugs, which fully proved their effectiveness in autism treatment. In the past, television showed a story about the hormone secretin, which supposedly helps in the treatment of autism.

Children, who constantly complained of chronic gastrointestinal diseases, presented evident improvement after they were injected this hormone during the research. Parents of these children and doctors believed that the hormone promoted the treatment of autism.

Since then, many doctors began to prescribe this hormone as a treatment for autism. We should note that this drug is very expensive. However, published studies refute the fact that the hormone promotes the treatment of autism. This example highlights the importance of good clinical researches with usage of autism symptoms checklist.

Treatment of autism involves a special diet that restricts reception of foods with high volume of gluten and casein and the use of drugs and sedatives. In addition, there are a lot of techniques and developments nowadays aimed at the treatment or correction of autism.

For example, the therapy of communication helps develop a child’s independence and skills for social adaptation. It also promotes the development of communication skills through sign language and other types of nonverbal communication.

Audio-vocal training and audio training, as well as the conflict therapy are aimed at adapting an autistic child. The main method of conflict therapy is a forcible holding. This method, proposed by M. Welch in 1983, is also called forcible support.

It performs forcible physical connection of a mother and child, because the absence of exactly this connection is considered to be the main disorder during autism.

When it comes to timed tests like the CogAT, it’s always a good idea for young students to get familiar with the type of questions they will likely face. CogAT prep young students can minimize the intimidation factor, and also alleviate any concerns as to what kinds of answers are correct. Children who are in kindergarten or first grade may already be familiar with school tests.

For the most part, the quizzes and tests they take in class are designed to see what the child has learned. Because of this, a child can review for the test by reading their books and trying to memorize facts or math techniques. But the CogAT is a different kind of test. It doesn’t really try to discover how much kids have already learned.

Instead, it tries to measure a child’s ability to reason. Because of this distinction, many experts discourage extensive reviews for very young children (kindergarten and first grade level). It shouldn’t be about the child’s ability to memorize answers to the CogAT sample questions.

Nonetheless, there is some value for young children to be exposed to the kind of test they will likely encounter in the CogAT. For one, it can clear up any confusion in the child as to how the test will be done. It can also dispel any sort of anxiety regarding how to answer these tests correctly.

By reading CogAT sample questions and knowing what type of answers are expected, a child can face the test with more confidence. For kindergartners and first graders, the CogAT questions are read to them by the teacher, and the entire process is explained to them in a way that they will understand.

As a parent, you may want to read the questions to your child as well.

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Choosing a CogAT sample test Questions for Kindergartners and First Graders

If you just Google for CogAT prep courses, you may encounter online preparatory courses and even CogAT practice books on Amazon. You need to know how to choose the right one.

For example, the most basic rule is that you need an age appropriate CogAT sample test, because the CogAT test questions for older children are much more difficult and complicated.

There are many problems in some types of commercial CogAT prep books. For example, the writer of the test questions may not even understand the rules about subject verb agreement.

Sometimes prepositional phrases can be misplaced, which can change the meaning of a test question that can confuse a child to pick the wrong answer. There are even times when the foils (the technical term for the wrong answer choices) are so obviously wrong that the right answer can be chosen easily even if the child does not understand the test question.

So you should review the CogAT sample test and check for mistakes. It’s even possible that the wrong answer will be given for test questions. Bottom line, read online reviews before buying it.

The Importance of CogAT Test Sample Materials

For some people, trying to help kindergartners and first graders do well in the CogAT may smack of overkill. This may be true, in a way.

Some parents just really want their kids to excel, and preparing for the CogAT may seem excessive. But at the same time, the CogAT may determine your child’s academic curriculum. Many schools these days use tests like CogAT to find out which kids can enter a Gifted and Talented (GT) program.

Many intelligent kids will benefits greatly from these types of educational instruction, but there may only be a few slots. What’s more, your child may be overlooked as unsuitable for these programs because of low CogAT scores when your child is highly intelligent and creative.

So how does a child truly prepare for the CogAT?

There are different ways recommended. But essentially, children should be familiar with the process so that their confusion or anxiety will not affect their CogAT scores. That’s how the CogAT test sample questions work. They expose the child to the type of questions they will encounter, so that the child can be familiar as to the kind of answer expected.

These CogAT test sample questions are not meant to be memorized. The preparation can be fun for children, but it should also not interfere with the child’s other normal activities, such as sports or doing their homework. By getting a good score on the CogAT, your gifted child may be able to take advantage of more creative and more in-depth teaching methods that are more fun and more effective for exceptional children.

CogAT Sample Test Questions

Here are some appropriate CogAT test sample questions for your young child to practice on.

Just remember to read the questions for the child, just as they would in the real CogAT.

• Oral vocabulary. These are the questions which emphasize a word, and then the child needs to pick the picture or pictures which show the meaning of the word.

For example, a question may be: Which of these pictures are identical? If your child knows the meaning of the word “identical” then they would pick the two pictures which look exactly the same among the answer options.

Another possible question is: Which picture shows a peel? The right answer may be the one with the banana peeled halfway. Finally, there’s the question: Which one is upside down? And the right answer is a turtle that’s lying upside down on its shell. The right answers here define a key word in the questions.

As you can see, it may not be possible to memorize every word that a gifted first grader may be expected to recognize. But by encountering questions like these in their preparations, the child may have a better idea of how to answer the question.

• Verbal reasoning. Some questions may be about how words are related to each other. For example, here is a sample item. Mrs. Smith will walk to the park. It is raining. Among the pictures shown, what should Mrs. Smith bring with her to the park?

The right answer may be the umbrella if it’s shown among the choices. To answer the question correctly, the child should know what’s needed when someone is about to walk in the rain. While the other picture options (like a bag) in real life may be helpful and can also be used to cover the head when it rains, the child should know that the umbrella here is the most appropriate answer.

• Quantitative concepts. Here it’s mainly about math. For example, your child may be shown a picture of three stars. He may be asked to count how many stars there are in that picture. Then he is asked to look at other pictures of stars and asked to find the picture that has 4 more stars than the first picture. To answer this correctly, the child should realize that “4 more stars” means adding 4 to 3 to arrive at 7 stars.

It may also be about knowing which number is greater than another. For example, a child may be shown a number like 156. Then other numbers will be introduced, and the child will be asked to pick the number which is greater than the first number.

• Figure classification. In this part of the test, a child is asked to look at a group of figures. The first figure may be a bunch of blue triangles of different sizes. The answer options may include another blue triangle, along with a green triangle and a blue rectangle. With this type of CogAT sample test question, your child may understand that a group of figures may be similar in two ways instead of just one. That’s why the correct answer is the blue triangle, instead of just another triangle or another figure that’s blue.

Here’s another example. A square, rectangle, and a triangle are in the same picture, and each one of the figures has a shaded corner. The most appropriate answer is the one which also has a shaded corner and not the figure with shaded area in the middle. 

Even for first graders, some of the questions may be a bit complicated. You should make your child understand that no one (including you or the teachers) expect them to get each and every item correctly.

• Matrices. This may seem like a rather complicated term, but it just denotes a big square divided into 4 boxes. You then explain to your child that there are pictures in three of the squares, while another square is empty. You should point out the empty box to your child.

You can then say something like: “Look at the first little square at the top row. It has a drawing of a rectangle. Now see the next drawing in the next square at the top row? It also has a rectangle that is exactly alike as the drawing in the first square.

This is your clue. The two pictures in the top row should have the same shape. Now on the bottom row there is a picture of a shaded circle. To complete this puzzle, you need to find the answer that looks like the first picture of the shaded circle. Look at the drawings in the answer choices, and pick the right picture that also has the shaded circle.”

Tips on Prepping Your Young Child For the CogAT

At this age, it’s not always a good idea to prep a child too extensively.

This is especially true if the preparation prevents them from doing their homework or in participating in various extra-curricular activities. But when you do take some time for prepping for the CogAT, here are a few worthwhile tips.

• Ask the teachers about how long the test takes. You then make sure that each review session does not take longer than the actual CogAT. It should just be the same, or shorter.

At this age, many children can really find it difficult to focus on a single activity for too long. They get bored easily. That same principle applies to your review session too.

• Try to make it fun. One way of encouraging children to review for the CogAT is to make a game out of it. Many games, including video games, are all about problem solving, so you can do the same for your review sessions.
• Be easy-going. Children are very good at assessing the mood of their parents. Remember, you’re reading the test items to your kids. You need to make your tone of voice friendly and cheerful, so that your child does not tense up.

Admittedly, some parents may feel a bit of frustration when their children fail to answer questions correctly. But you must be calm and patient. The CogAT measures reasoning ability. It’s just a fact of life that some kids are better at this than others.

The point of the review is not to improve your child’s reasoning ability. The point is to familiarize the child to what going to happen in the CogAT, so that they are not intimidated by the questions.

Final Notes on CogAT Sample Questions

The CogAT is an effective way to measure how your child recognizes, discovers, and uses relationships between words, numbers, and figures. It also tests for how flexible they are in their reasoning. These abilities are not inborn. These skills can actually be developed, both in school and in your home.

As a parent, you can help with that, and prepping for the CogAT is a good start. The CogAT is also a very good way to predict the academic performance of your child. But again reasoning ability is not the only factor that determines grades. Their work habits can really help, and they should want to get good grades.

As a parent, you can instill effective work habits that can help them all through college. You should also encourage the desire to do well.

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It is exasperating and at the same time very saddening to know that, while other moms are raving on and on about how their little angels have started to walk and feed themselves and developed gross motor skills, your little angel does not show any signs of accomplishing either of the above.

But do not get disheartened as there is a time for everything; some children tend to start walking rather quickly as compared to others. It is normal, but if there is a considerable delay in your child’s walking and feeding abilities, then rest assured that there are ways to speed up the process to compensate for the lost time.

Read on to find out how you can encourage and support your child to develop his/her gross motor skills and gross motor abilities

What is Normal Gross Motor Skill and Gross Motor Abilities in Children?

There are certain indicators which are used by pediatricians in order to measure and get an idea of how infants are physically emerging. Though these indicators can be different depending on the physical development of each individual baby, there are certain time frames in which each baby develops his gross motor abilities.

Some babies start to take their first steps in life at the age of 9 months while some start walking at the age of 14 months. This should not at all be alarming. According to research done on the subject, babies generally at the age of 5 months, start to crack a smile, manage to do rollovers and their curiosity for reaching for things is developed.

At the age of 9 months, babies normally develop the ability to grasp small things with their index finger and thumb. Some kids at the age of 8 months do not require parental supervision when sitting anywhere. By the age of 10 months they are able to stand up on their own and finally at the age of 14 months they exhibit the ability to walk.

Some children display two skills at once, for instance gross motor skills and speaking skills. Though some children tend to walk and talk at the same time from an early age this is not the case for everybody.

Some babies might try to work hard in order to develop one skill, for example talking, and may involuntarily disregard learning other abilities such as walking or grabbing little things. They tend to try and master one ability first before they tackle the other one, this is natural and nothing to worry about.

What Are Some of the Reasons for Delay in Gross Motor Skills Developing?

Self Analysis

Most kids are quite cautious; they want to be sure about doing something before even trying to attempt it.

For instance, most kids might think that if they climb up a chair, will they be able to get back down. Most kids just want to be sure that they will be safe before attempting that first hesitant step.

Whether it is talking, crawling or walking, some babies will always think about safety before trying to become experienced in any first time activity.

Innate Strength

When talking about strength it will be best if you think up of anybody in your family who is an athlete or a music player; specifically gifted kids tend to exhibit their innate abilities at the age of 1. So if a child starts to develop speaking capabilities at a very tender age, he/she will most likely end up becoming a talented actor or writer.

Kids who develop walking abilities at an early age may become athletes. But remember that children who tend to blossom a bit later than normal can also equally achieve such capabilities at later stages. In no way should they be considered weaker than others.

Siblings

Kids who have older brothers or sisters tend to achieve their goals sooner than expected because they look up to their siblings and try to rival them. So they try and try hard to keep up. But it could also mean the reverse, children who have older brothers or sisters also tend to develop their gross motor skills a bit late, for example if they let their older siblings help them with picking up stuff or feeding themselves.

Babies Body Type

Babies who are big in size might naturally face difficulties in trying to walk or crawl simply because of their weight. Babies who have big heads in comparison to their bodies also display a delayed response in gross motor skills.

Premature Babies

Babies who are born prematurely also take a bit longer than others to develop gross motor skills. They usually accomplish their milestones by the age of 2. According to research, many pediatricians say that when observing a premature baby’s motor skill development the counting should start from the date the baby was supposed to be born, not the date he was actually born.

For example, if a baby is born 3 months before due then it should be anticipated that the baby’s motor skill development may be delayed by 3 months.

Ways to Administer Help

If you notice that your child is a bit behind schedule in displaying walking or talking abilities then do not be alarmed as there are plenty of things you can do to help the child attain his progress. First of all, you need to let your baby know that you will always be there for help.

Especially if the kid is extremely careful about how he goes about doing his thing. Offer him your hand and encourage him to hold on and to stay close by when attempting to walk. Praise him for a job well done. If your baby tries hard to do something, praise him and keep on encouraging him to do more.

Form a routine with your child, play with him more and scatter his favorite play toys around so that he manages to crawl and get them if he wants to play with them. Also make sure to feed your baby on time so that he starts to develop his gross motor skills along with muscles in his tiny arms and legs.

It is also important to provide your child with an energizing and invigorating environment in the house. Make sure that everything is safe when playing with your baby. Childproofing the areas where a baby can easily move around and grab stuff randomly without the risk of getting hurt does wonders for developing gross motor skills.

There are many educational toys that will help with developing cognitive skills in children, and there are baby play toys as well. But, first just observe your kid when he’s playing with regular stuff around the house such as an empty box, wooden spoons and etc.

Delay in Milestone

There is no need to panic if you see that your child has mastered one milestone but has not yet shown signs of accomplishing another. This probably means that he is a late bloomer; developing gross motor skills is a gradual process. Many babies even directly start walking before even attempting to crawl. Usually kids who display signs of delayed development physically also show various problems that they go through in controlling their body.

3-month olds show improper control of the head, weak posture of the body, limping, rigid limbs, bending the back and using only one side to crawl. Apart from these physical symptoms of poor gross motor skills you must also observe your child’s behavior, observe whether or not he smiles, or displays irritation to something or throws tantrums quite often.

Other symptoms include feeding difficulties by the age of 3 months. By 6 months of age a child may also develop problems including gagging, spitting food out and choking.

5 Early Warnings that Your Child May Experience Problems in Developing Gross Motor Skills

Thus far it is clear that babies have their own rate of development both physically and mentally. While some babies are faster at developing their gross motor skills, others tend to be a bit late.

However with this being said it will still be a good idea if you get an appointment with your pediatrician if you observe the following delays in motor skill development in your infant:

Your Baby has very little Muscles in his Limbs

Many babies develop what is known as hypotonia at the ages of 6 months. Hypotonia is a clinical condition in which a baby very slowly develops the muscles around his limbs and neck. Hypotonia is sometimes harmless and can be dealt with by administering proper care but other times this condition can lead to serious health difficulties such as muscular dystrophy.

Babies who have hypotonia will always tend to be soft and mushy as compared to the babies who are stiff and firm, this is due to the fact that the baby has very little muscles surrounding his limbs.  Due to hypotonia babies may face difficulties like crawling, walking and running, which in turn would lead to poor development of gross motor skills in their tiny bodies. The best way to prevent this from happening is keeping the baby well nourished and physically fit.

The Baby is Rigid

Symptoms that are on an opposite extreme to that of hypotonia are also signs of delayed gross motor skills. Some babies feel unusually stiff and rigid when you touch them; the reason for this is another condition which babies tend to suffer from, called hypertonia.

When your baby’s muscles begin to shrink, it is an indication of hypertonia. Sometimes hypertonia is harmless and can be overcome by proper physical conditioning of the baby but other times it is considered to be a symptom leading to a disease called ‘Spastic Cerebral Palsy’ which causes serious delays in motor skills development in the baby.

Your Baby is taking far Longer to Walk than usual.

Though parents should be fairly concerned when they see that their baby is not walking when he should be, it is still no cause for panic. Babies have their own development process and take their time to do things. Some excel at this while others just slowly and gradually begin to stand up and walk.

There are many healthy babies who begin to walk when they are 18 months old. However it is still better to be safe than sorry, so schedule an appointment with your pediatrician every now and then.

Half of your Baby’s Body is Strongly Favored than the Other Half

It is normal for babies to favor their right hands and not their left. This normally begins to happen after your baby’s first and or second birthday. You may have noticed why many people are right handed and some are left handed. This tendency is formed at the very early stages of infancy when the child is just a couple of years old.

However if you notice that your baby is favoring one part of his body over the other from a very early age, before he is even 1, then your baby may have condition known as hemiplegia. Hemiplegia causes considerable gross motor skills weaknesses in the body’s one half.

Your Baby is losing his Gross Motor Skills

If you notice that your baby is not doing as much crawling, sitting, walking or smiling as he used to some time ago then it is probably best that you get him evaluated by a pediatrician as soon as possible.

These signs may mean that your baby is progressing very poorly in terms of his gross motor skills development and could be susceptible to fatal diseases such a brain tumors and cancers.

These diseases can harm the developmental process of the infant considerably, leaving him helpless when he starts to grow. It is crucial that you take your baby for monthly check ups to an expert pediatrician who can evaluate whether or not your baby is developing gross motor skills.

You need to be very careful when monitoring your baby and have to be mindful of any early symptoms pertaining to his motor development.

Cognitive abilities test examines a person’s capabilities regarding how he/she thinks, reacts to challenges, his/her perception, verbal abilities, mathematical understanding and the abilities required to solve problems. CogAT tests, though are designed just for children, there are also other tests for adults who are looking to get employed in corporations.

Usually the only thing that is measured through IQ tests and General Tests is the general ability to display knowledge. Cognitive abilities test provide insight regarding a person’s specific mental capabilities, for example, completing number series, verbal correlations and spatial analysis.

Cognitive Abilities Test – Interpretation and Overview

Here are some important factors that you need to know regarding the cognitive abilities tests for children.

What is a CogAT?

CAT refers to the cognitive abilities test. As mentioned above, the purpose of this test is to assess your child’s ability to comprehend logic, the ability to reason and the ability to manipulate using three types of different evaluation techniques, namely

1. Using words
2. Using mathematical quantities
3. Using visualizations

in forms of different shapes and patterns. All three of these techniques are considerably useful for the human mind to function in an efficient manner.

There are three different ‘Batteries’ devoted to each technique in the test. Each ‘Battery’ is then further broken down to form subsets which challenge different perspectives of reasoning. Kids generally have different preferences when it comes to facing challenges regarding reasoning.

Some kids prefer mathematical challenges, some prefer verbal problems and some prefer using different illustrations and 3D patterns to showcase their level of intelligence. By evaluating each individual’s score in these different batteries, considerable information can be extracted from their performances, meaning you will be able to know what your kid is better at and in which areas does he/she need help.

Advantages of Cognitive Abilities Test in School

One great thing about the CogAT test outcome is the fact that it does not in any way correlate to a student’s performance in school. Schools tests normally challenge the knowledge of each individual pupil while the CogAT evaluates a student’s potential to show his/her capacity to grow mentally.

School experience and knowledge does not factor in the result of a CogAT. The use of complex reasoning challenges at schools will provide a better understanding of a student’s abilities, talents and the space needed to hone that talent.

It will give teachers an avenue to design more comprehensive and effective ways of teaching and providing students the environment they need to improve themselves substantially. The cognitive abilities test results provide teachers a guideline to standardize the classroom environment and challenges. It provides grounds for the children to respect what they learn and to become responsible at learning.

Verbal Reasoning, Non-Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Analysis: A Broader Definition

The cognitive abilities test aims to assess and evaluate a child’s ability to reason. The test itself is composed of nine different tests within a single test and each test has a different ‘battery’ or section. The first battery is verbal reasoning, the second one quantitative reasoning and the third is non-verbal evaluation.

You can view CogAT preparation questions online

Different word mediums are used to assess the child’s verbal skills in the first battery. The processes for the second battery are similar but instead of words the child is required solve numbers in the form of symbols. The third battery deals with analyzing different spatial visualizations including puzzles, 3D imaging and other illustrations.

The third section is considered to provide a fair assessment due to the fact that you do not have to know English in order solves puzzles and other visualizations, thus this is suitable for children who have poor English speaking abilities.

Furthermore the third part provides a great assessment regarding a child’s ability to reason using figures and images rather than displaying intelligence using words or numbers. Getting a good score in the third battery would mean that your child possesses the ability to perform well in science and technology, mathematics and design.

Does the CAT Evaluate a Child’s Natural Ability?

It is impossible to say that the cognitive abilities test assesses a child’s natural ability. A child will perform well in all tests if he/she has received good teaching, parental support and is emotionally, mentally and physically healthy.

Having said that, when it comes to testing the kids’ reasoning abilities the CogAT test is not greatly influenced by the factors mentioned above in comparison to tests which are used in schools. Tests’ curriculum designed by educational institutions such as the SATs and GSCE desire results which are derived by providing teaching and knowledge necessary to attempt such exams.

These tests in no way challenge a student’s cognitive ability.

Can Underachievers Be Identified Through The CAT?

The cognitive abilities test does not depend on a student’s school experience or what scores they have achieve in school tests. Comparing the CAT results of a student with that of his/her school test results will give you great insight into the areas where the students needs more attention and areas in which he/she is strong.

CAT results help evaluate a child’s potential, for example the results will help in identifying why a student is falling behind in school and yet has average or even above average reasoning skills as displayed in the CAT. Students not performing well in school are labeled as underachievers.

The cognitive abilities test highlights the fact that these students have a lot of room for improvement and can make considerable progress if guided in the right way.

Can I Keep Track of my Child’s Progress using CAT?

The result of a cognitive abilities test tends to be stable in comparison to school tests and annual school examinations.

In this regards it is better to view your child’s scorecard after each school examination in order to determine whether he/she is under-performing, staying average or performing better in relation to what they are being taught.

Determining Improvement and Decline in a Student’s Progress

There are a number of factors which can considerably affect a child’s performance in a performance related test on that specific day.

The pupil could have been tired, he/she could have experienced an unexpected event such as divorce or fighting between parents, he/she could have been bullied the day before, etc.

These factors can influence a test score considerably for an individual. Moreover, due to the fact that school tests are generally very short, they do not provide an accurate assessment of a pupil’s reasoning abilities. A cognitive abilities test examines a particular pupil’s progress differently.

As a general criterion, CAT recognizes a pupil’s improvement if he/she has scored 10 points more than he/she scored previously in any of the batteries of the test. If the pupil achieves this, he/she will be said to have improved in the CAT.

Usually standard scores in the cognitive abilities test are derived when scores in all three batteries are similar or close to being similar. The results in (verbal reasoning, quantitative analysis and non-verbal reasoning) should align with each other for a candidate to have a standard score.

Cognitive abilities test scores are never equal and it is a rare occurrence for anyone to get them. Any improvement in the CAT will be judged when a particular student achieves 10 points or even more in one of the batteries.

The difference in points will be considered as being substantial. If the score is lower than before then the student will be considered as being weak.

It is not advisable to make any suggestions based on a student’s school test scores. Traditional test scores do not display a particular child’s cognitive reasoning skills. They are merely attainment tests which are targeted at understanding whether or not the student qualifies to advance further.

In order to gauge where a student stands when it comes to problem solving and reasoning abilities it is best that parent/ teacher refer to the individual’s cognitive abilities test score.

Differences in IQ and CAT Scores: An explanation

While IQ tests are taken individually, the cognitive abilities test is taken in a group. Both settings have different benefits. For example, some students would prefer to take the test individually due to problems associated with paying attention and may not understand the test when attempting in a group setting.

The IQ test involves the examiner reading out the questions to the pupil. In a CAT, the pupils are required to read the materials given to them on their own. Moreover, intelligence tests, such as the tests, assess some cognitive tasks which are not evaluated in the CAT, which means that in a way an IQ test can also be a reliable source of assessment regarding an individual’s cognitive abilities and reasoning skills.

Scores in both the tests can considerably differ if you consider factors like a child’s unwillingness to participate, his/her health, poor administration of the tests, etc. The difference in scores depends on the applicant being assessed.

Is The Accuracy Of The Cognitive Abilities Test In Any Way Affected By Children Suffering From Dyslexia, Dyscalculia Or Other Attention Disorder Disabilities?

One of the factors that make the CAT stand out is the fact that it can be used to diagnose the student’s method of performance in all sections of the CAT. For instance, if a student has dyslexia then it is likely that he/she will underperform in the verbal section of the test but perform well in the other two.

Students who have other attention disorders tend to score low on all three sections. If this happens then it is advised that a further one-on-one assessment be done with the pupil(s).

Bear in mind that it is pertinent that you must realize the skills required of your child/student to attempt the cognitive abilities test or any other test in the first place if you desire accurate results. For example, if the student is going to attempt the verbal abilities section in the test then it should be presupposed that your child has a normal grasp of basic reading and writing skills.

Without that, your child will not be able to attempt the test.

If a child’s reading abilities are considerably affected by dyslexia then an accurate assessment of his/her level of reasoning ability will not be made. In such circumstances, the other two batteries (Quantitative Analysis and Non-verbal Analysis) may shed some light on how able the child is but it should be noted that children who have dyscalculia will most certainly be unfairly challenged in the above mentioned sections.

Importance of Proper Supervision and Management during the CAT

The CAT test should always be properly organized and supervised. It is pertinent that the instructions given to the personnel must be followed correctly. Each subset of the battery starts with the instructor demonstrating and explaining sample questions. The instructor should make sure that everybody in the group appearing for the test is familiar with by the format of questioning.

Secondly, timing every individual is also very important and it is advised that instructors use stopwatches and or clock to ensure that time is equally given to each participant.

For example, if a subset has a the time limit of ten minutes, then it is necessary the entire ten minutes be given to the children, not a second more or less. After the test has commenced, the administrator/ instructor should not get involved. He/she should only address problems which are deemed legitimate.

Can I Help in Reading Out the Questions Pertaining to the Verbal Analysis Out Loud?

It is advised that you should read the questions written on the verbal analysis section in the language that you originally speak, if not English. But bear in mind that this may affect your child’s score.

Preparing for the CAT

Click Here For:  Cognitive Abilities Practice Tests and Guides

It is important that you encourage your child to practice for a couple of months before the test. Without preparation, an accurate assessment cannot be made.

Get involved with him/her, look for samples of the cognitive abilities test online and make sure your child understands everything. There are also several educational games that help prepare for the CogAT

Cognitive Assessment and Tests

There are so many geniuses out there waiting to get the chance they deserve to show the world their actual potential and ability to generate the right amount of reasoning for a challenging situation and producing a solution within a deadline. It’s all about cognitive functioning.

No matter how much or how great the knowledge of a scholar might be, devoid of cognitive analysis there is no success. So, it is established that cognitive function is a mandatory skill that binds a genius to his wits. There are several ways to test that power and the most effective among that is CogAT.

Cognitive Abilities Test Improve Your Skills and Reach Top

How to assess yourself Cognitive assessment

To find your Cognitive assessment it is important to view its tests for better understanding. The test such as CogAT makes use of the person’s mental abilities under several platforms such as word relation and vocabulary, power of observation and mathematical challenges.

Through these various sections, a detailed picture can be drawn of the cognitive assessment of the person collectively. Whether the situation involves establishing brain relation of patients suffering from brain diseases such as Parkinson’s or dementia or examining the academic potential of various students that have promising prospects, both of these situations can call forth the use of cognitive assessment.

IQ test and Cognitive assessment

Compared to the IQ test, generally as we know it, cognitive assessment is a lot different and broad as it involves the periodic learning and feeding information process that makes it quite the different platform from the IQ test.

Secondly, IQ test aims to assess the ability of a person in achieving an expected score that he might be capable of, while cognitive assessment and tests shows the individual’s ability to present an analytical decision based on a provided situation that cannot be accomplished without the right amount of potential in that individual.

This is the main idea of cognitive assessment, showing criteria in the evaluation.

The rising importance and applications of cognitive assessment

Cognitive assessment is however the main tool in the CogAT test and like many other tests, CogAT also involves the thorough appraisal of one’s ability in a particular area to make sure the individual excels through his expertise. Cognitive assessment is the instrument for finding problems and providing its solutions.

Without this tactical advantage, the human race cannot understand other creatures such as animals or other beasts. Even monkeys exhibit some amount of intelligence that we are able to comprehend, but without cognitive assessment that intelligence will find no meaning to us.

Several tests that are practiced on our closest biological relatives, the chimpanzees, also include picture analysis and verbal commands, same as CogAT. It establishes the fact that understanding the intellect of any intelligent life form is achievable through cognitive assessment.

Cognitive assessment always helps

Ranging from basic mental exercises to deep reasoning and solution finding, cognitive assessments are used as a litmus test with a high success rate. There is never a challenging mind that can’t be opened with the help of cognitive assessment and tests

Almost all parents assume their child to be one of the geniuses, and actually they are. The Cognitive Abilities Test is widely used to find out the genius in the child. Cognitive Abilities Test system is designed keeping in consideration that the individual should be tested in three categories; quantitative reasoning which pertains to mathematical problem solving, non-verbal testing which pertains to geometric figure testing and verbal reasoning which pertains to comprehensive skills.

Reasoning is one of those features of human being that is developed with time and experience. Also, every individual develops reasoning skills at a different pace.  One common misperception is that COGAT test measures an individual’s effort or hard work or previous knowledge, this is not the case as COGAT is entirely based on individuals reasoning skills and nothing else. CogAT Tests are Generally Used to Predict Success of Students

Cognitive Abilities Test

As mentioned above a COGAT evaluates an individual on three bases. This article will discuss these three criterions in some detail.

Verbal reasoning or verbal batteries

The verbal section will measure lingual thesaurus, verbal reasoning, sentence completion and verbal analogies .This portion of the test is usually dedicated on evaluating the fluency and the flexibility that the individual has in making verbal reasoning decisions. These skills deal with critical thinking and other useful aspects on an individuals decision making skills.

• Verbal Classification: The student is asked to identify the words having same underlying meanings
• Sentence Completion: The student has to find the most appropriate words to fill the blank spaces
• Verbal Analogies: The student has to make a relation between different words

Non-verbal reasoning or non-verbal batteries

This portion of the COGAT test uses shapes and figures to evaluate and individuals reasoning skills. The students have to figure out strategies to find a meaning full relation between figures.

The students are expected to be efficient and effective in implementing these strategies.

The test requires no reading and no prior knowledge.

• Figure Classification: The students have to find a similar relation among figures like the one that exists in the question figure,
• Figure Analogies: Out of the three given figures the first two are similar and the third one is similar to the answer figure
• Figure Analysis: The student is given a paper of a folded paper and he/she has to figure out how the paper looks when it is unfolded.

Quantitative reasoning or Quantitative batteries

This portion of the COGAT test evaluates a student’s reasoning skills based on mathematical skills. The students have to use mathematical functions in order to solve the problem given to them. This is a test of their analyzing and problem solving skills.

• Quantitative Relations: The student has to choose the best out of three possible answers
• Number Series: This involves completing a series of number based on previous relations.
• Equation Building: Student has to use mathematical functions to solve a problem

All-in-all COGAT is a system that evaluates an individual based on their reasoning skills entirely. No, part of  the Cognitive Abilities Test is associated with the IQ or the motivation that an individual has.  Ease The Anxiety Of CogAT Test For Students