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Symptoms of Poor Working Memory
Working Memory Definition & Research and Signs of a Working Memory Deficit
Working memory is a core executive function that closely correlates with IQ and attention stamina. Therefore, a working memory deficit can have an outsized impact on long-term learning outcomes.
Checklist of Symptoms
When looking for working memory processing disorder symptoms, first be sure you understand what you are looking for. Working memory is the part of the cognitive system that is responsible for the transient holding, processing, and manipulation of information.
If your child exhibits 2-3 of these behaviors in this checklist of a working memory deficit, there may be some cause for concern:
- Child struggles to follow multi-step directions
- Inconsistent performance
- Child forgets what they read immediately
- Child forgets the words they just decoded
- Child struggles with reading comprehension
- Lack of focus and attention deficit disorders
- Child tunes out when you explain things
- Child has trouble holding thoughts in mind
- Child drifts off in class
- There is a need for more time and repetition
Several of these poor working memory symptoms are associated with multiple learning diagnoses, indicating how critical working memory is to many learning abilities.
Is It Attention, Reading, or Memory?
Recognizing the symptoms is the first step, but because working memory operates quietly in the background, it is often misidentified. Many of these behaviors overlap significantly with attention deficit disorders or decoding struggles, making it easy to misdiagnose the root issue.
Take our complimentary 5-minute screening of risk factors and symptoms to help identify any main learning delays. We will follow up with our findings.
“He is doing great – I credit Fast ForWord. His expression, word choice, and working memory to understand multi-step commands – it has all dramatically improved!!! We still have a path ahead but I’m amazed of where we are when I look back at where we started!! It is truly night and day!! In turn, he has grown in confidence and social skills. I will never be able to thank you and your team enough.”
“The biggest improvement on the CAP retest was in his working memory. On the first number repeat test Connor rarely could give 3 of 6 of any sequence given. In the second testing situation he did significantly better in recall and in the order of the numbers given. Since the testing was done and since his last month with Gemm Learning, we have seen improvement with Connor’s spelling, reading fluency and everyday hearing. He says it has been easier to be with a group of kids and ” know what’s going on.””
Impacts of Poor Working Memory on Learning
Learning Efficiency
Academic success depends on many high-level skills, many of which involve working memory. These include retaining information in class, reading with comprehension, and attention stamina. Our learning software effectively reduces time spent on homework and improves grades by helping in these areas.
Attention Deficits
Poor working memory skills impact attention because it is harder to engage if students cannot hold information as it is coming at them. These children tend to be more easily distracted and are often diagnosed as having inattentive ADHD.
Reading & Dyslexia
Several of the working memory processing disorder symptoms above affect reading—both in learning to decode and in reading efficiency for comprehension. Most of the time, though, the real difficulty in reading is phonological awareness. An inability to retain text while reading is more often than not due to inefficient, exhausting decoding, not a working memory deficit. Our reading programs for struggling readers target both issues.
Working Memory Development By Age
Working memory, sometimes called short-term memory, develops over time like other cognitive abilities:
- Executive functioning, like “talking through something,” is initially conducted aloud in children, but by age six, it begins to be internalized to subvocal and finally silent modes by age 9-10.
- Recall for single units of spatial information (e.g., where on a screen a single dot appears) develops at age 11-12.
- Recall for multiple units of spatial information (e.g., a sequence of dots tapped by the examiner) develops around age 13-15.
- Self-organizing strategies develop around 16-17.
Working memory disorders related to longer-term memory function can also lead to attention deficits and other learning disabilities. Learn about the longer-term memory types.
Improving working memory is a major target of many cognitive software programs and online exercises. Gemm Learning provides two evidence-based working memory programs: Cogmed Working Memory Training and Fast ForWord software.
Generally, we can reduce poor working memory symptoms after just a few months of training.
Next Steps
A quick way to check your child’s working memory is to ask them to bring you three items at the far end of your house. If your child is able to hold those three items in mind while retrieving them, their working memory is at least functional.
If you still have doubts, check with your child’s teacher. Do any of the symptoms above apply to your child in class?
If working memory deficits are present, cognitive training can help – often profoundly. Read more about our cognitive training for working memory here.
“I couldn’t be more excited to see the how my son is learning and improving, not only in school but also at home as well. I’m glad to have you guys on his life. He is getting more responsible and yet having fun. Thank you for making our lives much easier with your program.”
FAQ About Working Memory Symptoms
What should I do if I notice working memory symptoms in my child?
It depends on your child’s age. Under 8 years of age, working memory and related cognitive skills are still developing, and so there’s time for them to click in. If your child is older, you should consider cognitive training for working memory, which can be remarkably effective. Gemm Learning provides working memory programs at home with oversight.
Can working memory symptoms be mistaken for ADHD?
Yes. If your child tunes out when you explain things, it could be a lack of focus or a working memory issue. For most families, the starting point is ADHD symptoms that, after testing, are shown to be caused by poor working memory. The fastest and most lasting way to treat ADHD is to remediate the working memory delays.
Will tutoring help fix poor working memory struggles?
No. It’s true that any kind of learning can help develop working memory by using it. But that kind of everyday stimulation is not enough for a child with a working memory deficit. That kind of gap can only be closed with targeted cognitive training for working memory.
Can you improve working memory capacity, or is it permanent?
Working memory capacity can be expanded. The brain is like a muscle; it can be exercised and improved with targeted exercise. Working memory effectiveness is a combination of capacity (the amount of information you can hold at one time), holding time, and how well you can manipulate the information in mind. Cognitive training programs like Cogmed working memory training address all of these skills.
Can executive function delays be a symptom of poor working memory?
Yes, Executive function delays are very often caused by working memory deficits. If your child has been doing fine at school and is reading at grade level through elementary school, but then runs into trouble managing the workload of multiple classes and teachers, working memory delays are a possible source of difficulty. More on executive dysfunction here.
Why can’t my child follow multi-step directions?”
This is considered the classic sign of a working memory deficit in 1st- and 2nd-graders. The inability to hold more than 2 items in mind at once and then act on them suggests limited working memory capacity.
Why does my child forget what I just said 2 seconds ago?
While this may point to poor working memory, your child’s receptive language skills may also be hindered by auditory processing delays. Check out the signs of auditory processing delays here.
Child can read words but doesn’t remember or understand what they read?
This is a classic working memory issue. If a child can read fluently but comprehension starts to slip in 3rd or 4th grade, working memory is the likely culprit. If however, your child is not reading with automaticity, then that should be your starting point. If your child is concentrating hard just to read the words, that takes up mental space needed for understanding.