Special issues on 'working memory and executive functioning in individuals with intellectual disabilities'.
This editorial urges researchers to study working memory and executive function in people with ID, and later studies show that simple changes like extra time or hand movements can reveal hidden skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Hilton et al. (2010) wrote an editorial. It opens a special journal issue on working memory and executive function in people with intellectual disability.
The authors asked researchers to dig deeper into how these brain skills work in this group.
What they found
The paper does not give new data. It argues that better memory research will lead to better supports.
How this fits with other research
Wang et al. (2022) tested kids with autism plus ID. They found that letting kids act out instructions with their hands boosted working memory, but only for kids with middle or higher IQ scores.
Lin et al. (2009) showed that pupils with ID click a mouse more slowly and less accurately than peers, even when targets are big. This points to fine-motor control issues that could add noise to memory tasks.
Choi et al. (2012) tracked eye movements in children with ID. Younger kids, lower IQ kids, and those with Down syndrome took longer to look at new pictures. Slower visual processing could hide real memory skills if tasks move too fast.
Together these studies answer the editorial's call. They look at basic skills like pointing, looking, and remembering in the same population.
Why it matters
If you assess memory or executive function in clients with ID, slow down the task and watch for vision or motor issues. Give larger response areas, extra time, and consider letting clients use gestures or objects. These tweaks can show abilities that timed click-only tests miss.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In recent years, evidence has mounted to show that the study of working memory and executive functions is crucial for understanding the cognitive profile of individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), and for implementing appropriate interven- tion programmes. The two constructs of working memory and executive functions have been differently conceptulised and studied. However, there is a substantial agreement that working memory refers to the temporary maintenance of information in memory and to its eventual elaboration in order to meet specific cognitive requests (e.g. Baddeley 1986). Under somewhat more debate is the definition of ‘executive functions’ and the possibility that they concern a large variety of cognitive processes, working memory included. However, according to Meltzer (2007, pages 1–2) ‘there is general agreement... that executive function is an umbrella term for the complex cognitive processes that serve ongoing, goal-directed behaviour. In this regard, most of the definitions of executive function include many, but not all, of the following elements: goal setting and planning; organization of behaviour over time; flexibility; attention and memory systems that guide processes
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2010 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2010.01266.x