Working Memory Tests

Posted by Tracy Thursday, September 18th, 2008

Behavioral profiles of students with working memory impairments

  • Typically in the low ability groups in both literacy and numeracy
  • Normal social integration
  • In groups, they are reserved and rarely volunteer information
  • They are aware that they struggle to remember information. One 7-year old said to the support staff: “I forget everything, can you help me or Miss will get annoyed at me.”
  • Teachers often misdiagnosed working memory deficits as an attention problem. They make comments such as: “He’s in a world of his own” and “She doesn’t listen”

Situations in which students with working memory impairments often fail

  • Forgetting instructions
  • Forgetting recent events
  • Keeping track in complex tasks
  • Unable to meet the demands of tasks that involve both storage and processing of information. Some examples include counting the words in a sentence that they have to remember; or detecting missing numbers in a sequence.

Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA)

The Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA) is a computer-based assessment of working memory skills, with a user-friendly interface. This tool provides a practical and convenient way for educators to screen children for significant working memory problems. It is suitable for use with children aged between 4 and 22 years. The screener version allows you to test a student’s verbal and visual-spatial working memory in 5-7 minutes. As part of a government-funded project, over 4000 children in the UK have been screened for working memory impairments. The AWMA has been translated into over 15 languages. FREE demo and details on the AWMA

Working Memory Rating Scale (WMRS)

The Working Memory Rating Scale (WMRS) is a behavioural rating scale developed for educators to easily identify children with working memory deficits. The WMRS was developed on the basis of interviews with educators and consists of 20 questions relating to classroom behaviours related to working memory deficits. It is suitable for ages 5 to 11. It has also been co-normed with the AWMA to provide a reliable tool for routine screening of memory difficulties. Further details on the WMRS


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