Learning Disabilities and WM
SYMPTOMS
Working memory is the foundation for learning at school: from simple tasks like copying from the board and navigating around school to complex subjects such as reading comprehension, mental arithmetic, and word problems.
Students with learning difficulties have verbal and visual-spatial working memory problems. They struggle when they have to cope with multiple demands of storing and processing information. This difficulty results in poor performance in all areas of learning. I have published several important facts.
Working memory is the #1 predictor of learning success. Working memory is the number one factor in predicting learning outcomes in 5 to 18 year olds. It is even more important than other cognitive skills such as IQ and phonological skills.
Working memory impacts all areas of learning from kindergarten to college.
Working memory is closely associated with core subjects like reading and maths, as well as general topics like Art and Music in studies involving hundreds of children. Working memory is a basic cognitive skill that we need to perform a variety of activities.
1 in 10 students have poor working memory. In a study of over 4000 students, I found that 10% of students had working memory problems that led to learning difficulties.
A student with poor working memory will not ‘catch up’ with their peers. Without intervention, they will continue to struggle in all areas of learning. In a recent study, I found that teenagers who were diagnosed with low working memory two years earlier were still performing very poorly in school compared to their peers.
INTERVENTION
As part of a government-funded project, I introduced working memory strategies in the classroom to support students with working memory impairments. Feedback from educators indicated that the intervention strategies could easily and regularly be implemented in the classroom. Teachers also reported improvements in the class as a whole as a result of the intervention, such as improved concentration and focus, as well as increased ability to follow instructions.
FURTHER READING
How does working memory work in the classroom? Educational Research and Reviews, 1, 134-139, 2006. READ IT
The cognitive and behavioural characteristics of children with low working memory. Child Development, 2009.
Verbal and visuo-spatial short-term and working memory in children: Are they separable? Child Development, 77, 2006READ IT
Working memory and other cognitive skills as predictors of progress towards early learning goals at school entry.British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 23, 417-426, 2005.
A structural analysis of working memory and related cognitive skills in early childhood. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 87, 85-106, 2004.
Working memory, but not IQ, predicts subsequent learning in children with learning difficulties. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 2009.
Working memory in children with reading disabilities. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 93, 265-281, 2006.
Attentional and executive function behaviours in children with poor working memory. Learning and Individual Differences, 18, 214-223, 2008.
Working memory and short-term sentence recall in young children. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 17, 207-220, 2005.
Working memory and special educational needs. Educational and Child Psychology, 22, 56-67, 2005.
