The importance of working memory for school achievement in primary school children with intellectual or learning disabilities.
A quick working-memory check predicts school success in primary pupils with ID better than IQ alone.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team tested 52 primary-grade pupils who had an intellectual or learning disability.
Each child took a short working-memory game and a standard IQ test.
Teachers also gave report-card grades in math and reading.
What they found
Kids with weak working memory scored lower in math and reading, even when IQ was the same.
Strong working-memory scores went with good grades, no matter the child’s IQ level.
How this fits with other research
Su et al. (2008) saw the same link in adults: verbal memory plus job status predicted daily-life skills.
Kanevski et al. (2023) seems to disagree—kids with ADHD plus movement problems had worse visuospatial working memory yet equal math scores.
The difference is the group: Claudia’s sample had broad ID, while Margarita’s had ADHD with motor issues who may use other brain routes for math.
Howard et al. (2023) also found lower working memory and math scores in girls with fragile X, backing the core memory-school tie.
Why it matters
You can spot risk fast. Add a two-minute working-memory span task to your intake kit for any primary student who struggles. If memory is low, weave rehearsal, chunking, and visual aids into lessons before grades slip.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Given the well-known relation between intelligence and school achievement we expect children with normal intelligence to perform well at school and those with intelligence deficits to meet learning problems. But, contrary to these expectations, some children do not perform according to these predictions: children with normal intelligence but sub-average school achievement and children with lower intelligence but average success at school. Yet, it is an open question how the unexpected failure or success can be explained. AIMS: This study examined the role of working memory sensu Baddeley (1986) for school achievement, especially for unexpected failure or success. METHOD AND PROCEDURES: An extensive working memory battery with a total of 14 tasks for the phonological loop, the visual-spatial sketchpad and central executive skills was presented in individual sessions to four groups of children differing in IQ (normal vs. low) and school success (good vs. poor). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: Results reveal that children with sub-average school achievement showed deficits in working memory functioning, irrespective of intelligence. By contrast, children with regular school achievement did not show deficits in working memory, again irrespective of intelligence. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Therefore working memory should be considered an important predictor of academic success that can lead both to unexpected overachievement and failure at school. Individual working memory competencies should be taken into account with regard to diagnosis and intervention for children with learning problems.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2016 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2016.08.007