Brain training is a growing and exciting new area in scientific research. In particular, there is a lot of evidence of the brain’s plasticity: that it can actually change-shrink or grow-depending on what we do. I wanted to investigate whether students with learning disabilities can also benefit from brain training.
I recently completed a study together with Dyslexia Scotland and the Autistic Treatment Trust on the impact of brain training. A group of students aged between 8 to 16 years old took part. They completed some tests of IQ and working memory and then participated in an 8-week training programme called Jungle Memory.
The findings were very exciting! The students who used the Jungle Memory training programme regularly (4x a week for 30 minutes) had higher IQ and working memory scores, compared to those who only trained 1x a week and those who didn’t train at all. By training your brain you will be able to improve your child’s prospects in classroom and beyond.
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Students with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can display amazing abilities well beyond their age, yet struggle in simple, everyday tasks. A teacher told me of a 13 year boy who loved going to the principal’s office to work on math and science exams for 17 year olds, but could not dress himself. A fascinating aspect of this polarity is the “special abilities” displayed by some autistic individuals. These abilities far exceed expectations based on their IQ, and in some cases, their special ability exceeds the level reached by experts in the same field. Special abilities are generally found in the domains of music, memorization of lists, three-dimensional drawing, reading (hyperlexia), and calendar and mental calculation.
Of interest is whether their working memory reflects their extraordinary skills. It seems that the memory profile of an autistic savant is much like an individual with ASD without special abilities. If a memory test uses material that is related to their area of expertise, then savants outperform individuals with ASD without special abilities. For example, a savant calculator has a much higher score than ASD non-experts in number-based working memory tasks. Both ASD groups perform similarly in other working memory tasks. When compared with experts, we see a similar pattern. Both savants and experts show superior memory skills compared to their peers with the same IQ level when tested using material from their area of expertise. Studies that have compared memory skills for music in savant musicians with typical musicians reveal that they demonstrate the same sensitivity and awareness of musical dimensions such as rhythm and pitch. Their similar performance in a music memory test suggests that autistic savant musicians and typical musicians use the working memory in a comparable way.
Autistic savants have built up a huge knowledge base that can be used to increase working memory performance in the area of their expertise. In some cases, their expertise and training in one area can also enhance their scores in another area. For example, calendar calculators and savant calculators can achieve phenomenal scores in memory tests using nonsense words. They are able to apply their training in remembering one type of abstract material (dates and numbers) to related things. One explanation is that dates, numbers, and nonsense words are all abstract material and we use similar mechanisms to remember information that is not connected to semantic memory. The bottom line is that autistic savants have superior memory in the area of their expertise, and in some cases in related areas. This enhanced memory performance far exceeds what is expected of their IQ levels. We see that working memory is very different from IQ.
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Asperger Syndrome (AS) is one of the Autistic Spectrum Disorders and is characterized by a pattern of difficulties. Individuals with Asperger Syndrome tend to have difficulty in social situations, particularly in showing empathy, and also have trouble communicating. Children with AS can be delayed in learning language. This means that it takes them much longer to learn vocabulary and grammar compared to their peers.
What is their working memory like? It is important to remember that some individuals with AS are considered as high-functioning. This means that their IQ is average or above average. I recently published a study on high-functioning teenagers with AS. I tested their working memory by asking them to remember different patterns and word sequences using a computer test
. The findings were very surprising. People usually think that individuals on the Autistic Spectrum Disorder have amazing memory (think ‘Rain Man’ with Dustin Hoffman).
In fact, what this study showed was that the majority of the teenagers with Asperger Syndrome (AS) struggled in verbal memory tasks. They found it very difficult to remember a sequence of numbers or words. What does this mean? The combination of poor verbal memory and social difficulties mean that individuals with AS will have a hard time learning language and remembering words and sounds, much like those with dyslexia.
The good news is that they do have strengths in visual memory, and can even have above average visual memory skills. Computerized programs that use visual demonstrations to build vocabulary and use language are really effective ways in helping individuals with AS. Some psychologists are also looking at how robots can be used to teach children with autistic spectrum disorders and these individuals prefer interacting with them.
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