Working memory problems seem to be prevalent in those with ADHD and learning disabilities. Mainstream thinking to date has been that a person’s working memory is rigid and cannot be changed. Recently research is changing that thinking and software based training may, in fact, improve an individual’s working memory. I will share my experiences in future videos and I try out what is currently available.
 
 

 
 
I am soooooo confused!! I have heard so many terms associated with our son’s issues that I am really really confused. ADD, language processing issues, expressive language processing issues, receptive language processing issues, Dyslexia, and visual memory processing. Then there is the list of potential problems – dysgraphia, dyscalculia, dysphasia. What the h— does it all mean? You read the symptoms of any number of issues and you start to believe that you are a hypochondriac!! I know hypochondriac is not the right word here but you get what I mean.

So 6 nights a week, we work together for an hour and a half. Reading, writing, word rings, spelling words, math problems, and language arts work sheets. It is all about repetition, repetition, practice and practice.

As you can see, I do NOT have this all figured out yet. I have decided, however, to approach the problem a little differently. One of the areas where he is weak is an area known as working memory. So in addition to our practice and repetition, I plan on researching methods and approaches that strengthen working memory specifically.

According to Wikipedia, “Working memory is a theoretical construct within cognitive psychology as to the structures and processes used for temporarily storing and manipulating information in short-term memory. […] What we now call working memory was referred to as a “short-term store” or short-term memory, primary memory, immediate memory, operant memory, or provisional memory. Short-term memory is the ability to remember information over a brief period of time (in the order of seconds). Most theorists today use the concept of working memory to replace or include the older concept of short-term memory, thereby marking a stronger emphasis on the notion of manipulation of information instead of passive maintenance.”

There are several theories of working memory which differ in the anatomy of working memory and the explanation of the cognitive functions associated with it which you can research online and are written in the typical academic lingo. However, all agree in that the working memory is associated with the simultaneous storage and processing of temporary information. Working memory and its components are critical components of comprehension, attention, information retention, and information retrieval.

Working memory problems have implications for reading, reading comprehension, writing, organization, the ability to follow directions and math! So the big elephant in the room, I have decided, is the question of whether we can do anything to help our son’s working memory!

Apparently working memory has been studied for decades in animals and humans. Only recently have some started to believe that working memory can be strengthened through rigorous training. Swedish Neuroscientist Dr. Torkel Klingberg is one. He has developed a software working memory training program for both children and adults called Cogmed. The Cogmed program has been offered in Sweden since 2003 and, in the United States, since 2006. The Cogmed program has supposedly been tested and evaluated by scientists throughout the world. Dr. Susan Gathercole, an expert on working memory, for many years believed it was not possible to train working memory. Much of her research had, in fact, been focused on ways to reduce demands on working memory in the classroom. Apparently with Cogmed, her views have changed. The results of Dr.Gathercole’s study have recently been published (April 2009).

Another tool is Jungle Memory. Jungle Memory is an online interactive computer program based on scientific research. Children play games that train working memory in key learning activities, like reading and math. Tracy Packiam Alloway who helped to develop Jungle Memory, is a senior lecturer at the University of Stirling’s Department of Psychology in Scotland and Director of the University’s Centre for Memory and Learning Over The LifeSpan.. Ms. Alloway has studied and researched working memory for 12 years.

So apparently the belief that you can expand or strengthen working memory is a relatively new concept. I have a lot more research into this to do but I am going to start by trying the Cogmed program with my son. We will probably start some time in September after we have settled in with the start of school.

So what about you? Is working memory an issue for you or your child? I would love to hear your feedback and experiences.

Thanks for watching and until next time ….

Karen