Memory Difficulties

Understanding The Different Aspects Of Memory

Memory is not just memory -- it contains several types of memory processes, any of which can be a source of memory difficulties. Our Fast ForWord cognitive training programs work mainly on processing and Working Memory, to the extent of automating cognitive functions, so that it frees capacity for the development of the various required memory skills.
Fast ForWord cognitive training

Here is a little more information on each aspect of memory:

Involuntary and Voluntary Memory
Involuntary memory happens when you remember something you didn’t have an intention of remembering while voluntary memory is where you purposely remember something.

Involuntarily remembering something can happen when you’re enjoying something and you happen to remember what you were doing. An example of this would be a child learning the units of measurement while learning to cook a meal.

If you’re studying for a test, trying to remember a name, or remembering an appointment are all examples of voluntary memory. You are, in a way, forced to remember on demand without much "happy" feeling attached.

When you’re trying to remember what’s in your mind, you’ll see the involuntary and voluntary memory are called into action. Remembering things in your mind may come as involuntary when you see something or hear something that triggers the memory to come back. This is often seen when your child can remember the great trip to Disney –- down to what you wore every day of the trip.

Yet, when the same child is asked to remember facts for a test they an nonexistent. For some children this type of voluntarily remembering something can be a challenge if they are young or don’t want to remember what they need.

Prospective and Retrospective Memory
Prospective and retrospective memory cover past and future memory. Future events are stored in the prospective memory while the past memories are stored in the retrospective memory. Children with frontal lobe complications seen in ADHD often have memory difficulties with upcoming events, assignments, etc.

Until brain training is completed to assist in creating new pathways to avoid the issues in the frontal lobe and strengthen what is available, then reminders on PDA's (Blackberry, etc.), post-it pads, lists and notes need to be utilized.

Nonverbal and Verbal Memory
Nonverbal and verbal memory have to do with speaking. Nonverbal memory is where you remember something but you don’t speak about it and verbal memory is where you remember something and speak about it.

An example of nonverbal memory would be when you remember an appointment you need to go to and you do it without speaking to anyone about it. Verbal memory comes into play when you get up on stage, for example, and begin to recall your speech for the following hour.

Nonverbal memory can be impaired and is usually seen as weak visual processing/memory on our cognitive skills assessment. The student would then receive extra attention to these skills during training. The same approach is used for Verbal Memory which would be impacted in our language centers of the brain. Students in this case usually measure low on auditory analysis, processing speed and some memory domains within our cognitive assessment. For these students, extra care is given to strengthen word retrieval and increase language while working through the typical brain training programs.

With this information, you can try and pull from nonverbal memory using images or verbal memory using words! Teachers can typically have access to this type of information so they assess which type of memory bucket to place information into and retrieve from. This is why sign language can be very helpful in the classroom to help students learn, retain and recall –- the student is using their strength of nonverbal memory.

Sensory Modality-Specific Memory
Sensory modality-specific memory has to do with each of the five senses. You may find you remember something when you smell your favorite meal or when you hear a song on the radio. That is why some research tells us that students who studied with a specific "fragrance" of vanilla present, for example, could recall the information much easier when the fragrance was present in the classroom. The smell helped recall of the information.

Sensory Long-Term and Short-Term Storage Systems
Sensory long-term and short-term storage is broken down into three categories of sensory, long term, and short term storage (memory). Each is based and defined on a period of time. Sensory storage has to do with immediate time to process a sensation –- information coming in through our senses. Long term memory is stored for a long period of time, and short term memory happens within minutes of the conversation and usually defined by 7 units of information. That is why a typical memory test may be digit span to measure how many digits you can keep in your short-term memory to see if you are considered to meet the average measure.

Working Memory
Working memory is a background, harder to detect cause of learning and reading comprehension difficulties for many of our students. Limits in working memory are important because working memory is the mental process of holding information in a short-term, readily accessible, easily manipulated form where it can be combined, rearranged and stored more productively.
Understanding working memory