What is Cogmed? Is Cogmed Worth the Money?
Screenshot of Cogmed Island
What is Cogmed? Is Cogmed Worth the Money?
What is Cogmed, and is it worth the money? We get asked this question an awful lot!
Cogmed is a clinical software program, worked on at home, on the computer. Raviv Practice London has been using this program since it arrived in the United Kingdom in 2008. We are the leaders in terms of experience and have a track record of working directly with Cogmed (the makers of Cogmed) and then with Pearson Clinical (distributors of Cogmed). At Raviv Practice London, Cogmed is part of a more extensive therapeutic intervention for 90% of our students.
Cogmed is research-based - validated by clinical neuropsychological testing and published in scientific peer-review papers. The program is proven to boost concentration and attention.
Cogmed aims to increase the amount of information you can hold and manipulate. By storing and manipulating information at one time, you, in effect, increase your capacity to concentrate.
“My son was diagnosed with ADHD in July of 2021. The diagnosis showed he had very weak concentration skills due to a very poor working memory.
We contacted Raviv Practice London and discussed my son in depth.
My son did Bal-A-Vis-X classes (online) for eye problems and Cogmed for the working memory deficit. In August 2022, my son achieved grade 6 in English GCSE.
Without the strategic help and clear therapy path to follow, this would not have been possible.”
What is Cogmed as a therapy?
Cogmed is designed to improve an individual’s working memory which is the ability to store and manipulate information in the brain for short bursts (see What is Working Memory, and why is it so important?) Working memory also helps retrieve long-term facts and connects them to thinking processes we do moment to moment.
How do we measure Working Memory? You can go to a psychologist and have various tests done, or you can do a self-assessment questionnaire.
“My daughter was recommended Cogmed by her college. The Principle’s son had done Cogmed Working Memory Training with Raviv Practice London and said it was ‘life-changing.’ The training was very carefully monitored with WhatsApp messages when we did not follow the protocol!
Learning my daughter could only remember a couple of things and was aged 16 was such a shock.
With the help and guidance of Raviv Practice London, she completed Cogmed to achieve the 25 points increase. She went from remembering two things to six in eight weeks of training.
She can now follow through on tasks and do things promptly.
Each year she does Cogmed Brain boost to top up her skills and increase the baseline to the next level.”
What is the Cogmed Working Memory training process?
There are two types of Cogmed Working Memory Training available. 'Cogmed Light' is for young children and individuals with limited language capabilities. 'Cogmed Standard' is for any individual age eight and above.
Both Cogmed Light and Cogmed Standard have an option of adding buildings on ‘The Cogmed Island.’ This building is a fun activity that is done as a reward after the training.
More serious adult users, and those doing their yearly Working Memory Boost, can opt to do the Cogmed Focus; it is the same training but without ‘The Cogmed Island.´
Both Cogmed Light and Cogmed Standard have a series of exercises. These exercises are set to challenge the participant to hold an increasingly larger number of information.
The exercises fall into various sub-categories:
Visual
Visual-spatial
Visual auditory
Forward sequencing
Reverse sequencing
Critical skills challenge
Phoneme discrimination
All the exercises involve sequencing at different levels. This ordering of the brain is critical for those with weak working memory, which can only focus on any one thought at a time and do not link things outside that current thought activity.
“My six-year-old son was a school avoider with severe dyslexia. He did not see the point of school. He is a brilliant child, and we were confused about how to help him achieve his potential. We went to Raviv Practice London and started therapy in May.
We noticed a marked change in decreasing letter/number reversals in a few weeks. Over the summer, we were recommended daily dictations from the Alpha Omega series of work and Cogmed Light. My son loved Cogmed. He loved the game at the end and beating his best score.
Cogmed worked hand-in-hand with the decreased letter reversals, and increased phonological understanding. It was life-changing because after the summer, he wanted to go to school, he wanted to learn, we know this is not easy, but having Cogmed as part of the therapy plan was a great way to boost his new learning skills.”
What does Cogmed Cost? Is it worth the money?
To find out the current price of Cogmed, please go to this link. When done correctly, it is worth the money.
With over a decade and a half of experience in understanding if the Cogmed program is suitable, we carefully screen all clients for suitability, before enrolling them on the program.
Cogmed is a normal part and parcel of a more extensive therapy program for most individuals coming to us. We understand how Working Memory can be affected by many factors. We support those factors and ensure you work to the clinical protocols set out by the scientists, not allowing individuals to deviate from Cogmed’s working protocol.
Most importantly, however, if we feel Cogmed is not the right solution, we discourage you from enrolling your child. All the variables need to be observed for successful training.
“My 12-year-old was always locking horns with his family on little things; he refused to do his chores and was always the last to be out the door. He just wanted to have the last word.
We noticed a shift in his mood and attitude after three weeks of the eight-week training. The school have reported fewer detentions and more focused attention in this short time. ”
What is considered a successful Cogmed training?
Cogmed creates a baseline score for each training candidate. This baseline score must improve by 25 points or more for the training to be considered successful. An increase of 25points is equal to two years improvement in working memory.
An increase of 25 points is difficult, but we understand the brain’s potential. We know how to combine all the right training factors to reach the necessary score. We offer a range of neurocognitive therapy. Cogmed is part of the jigsaw puzzle that is critical for children and adults to have successful outcomes at home and academically.
What should I look for in a Cogmed UK provider or a Cogmed Remote provider?
Raviv Practice London boasts one of the best results for Cogmed Europe-wide. We have the following attributes which can be compared to others you may consider
100% of our students complete the program to the end
95% make the necessary two-year jump in progress
5% increase their increase by over two years
Our gains do not fall after a year of repeating Cogmed for the brain boost program
“I called up Raviv Practice London after reading about brain plasticity. I asked if my child could be left alone to do the daily program. We were asked to defer until we had time to provide the daily supervision, and I was tempted to go elsewhere. But we returned when the workload had decreased. My child would not have done this alone, she needed my encouragement, and we a grateful for the honest and transparent approach we were given”
Do you want your child to improve by two years in 5 or 8 weeks of Cogmed training?
Dyslexia? Dyspraxia? ADHD? ASD? Speech & Language? Developmental Delay? Anxiety?
Is every school day a struggle? As a parent, you may feel exhausted and on this journey alone. Each year you see the gap getting wider. You need to do something - change the approach, help your child learn for themselves, find a way to turn this around - to help while you can - do this NOW. the first step is free.
About the Author
Usha Patel is a Neurocognitive Therapist and Director at Raviv Practice London. Parents searching to help their suspected/neurodiverse child can get evidence-based solutions with results in as little as 8 weeks. Those in search of jargon-free help can get started straight away.
