Computerized memory training leads to sustained improvement in visuospatial short-term memory skills in children with Down syndrome.
A 12-week computerized memory game run by classroom staff gives kids with Down syndrome a lasting boost in visuospatial short-term memory.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers gave the kids with Down syndrome a computer game that trains visuospatial short-term memory.
Teaching assistants ran the the study period in regular classrooms.
Half the kids started right away. The other half waited and served as the control group.
What they found
The game group scored much higher on visuospatial memory tests right after training.
Six months later they still beat the wait-list kids, showing the gain lasted.
How this fits with other research
Madden et al. (2003) tried phonological training in the same population. Their kids learned the trained sounds but the skill did not spread to clearer speech.
The new memory study shows a happier outcome: the visuospatial gains stuck around, so the type of skill you pick may matter more than the diagnosis.
Lanfranchi et al. (2015) also got positive results with numbers, hinting that short, game-like drills tailored for Down syndrome can work across domains.
Why it matters
You can hand a tablet to a child with Down syndrome and see real, lasting memory growth without pulling them out of class. Ask your teaching assistant to run two 20-minute sessions a week. Track visuospatial tasks like block-design or maze games to see if the gain shows up in your data.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study evaluated the impact of a computerized visuospatial memory training intervention on the memory and behavioral skills of children with Down syndrome. Teaching assistants were trained to support the delivery of a computerized intervention program to individual children over a 10-16 week period in school. Twenty-one children aged 7-12 years with Down syndrome were randomly allocated to either an intervention or waiting list control group. Following training, performance on trained and non-trained visuospatial short-term memory tasks was significantly enhanced for children in the intervention group. This improvement was sustained four months later. These results suggest that computerized visuospatial memory training in a school setting is both feasible and effective for children with Down syndrome.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2013 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-118.3.179