1 Comment Does Your Child Have Working Memory Issues?Working memory, also known as short-term memory, is an executive functioning skill that is key to learning and everyday life. If you suspect your child might have working memory issues, this quiz may give you some solid clues. Read the questions below and keep track of how many times you answered “yes.” 1.Does your child struggle to follow a set of multi-step directions like “Please pick up your napkin from the floor and throw it away, and on your way back to the table can you grab the salt from the pantry?” It’s common for younger kids to have a hard time following directions with more than two steps, but by kindergarten most kids have that ability. Kids with visual-spatial working memory issues have a hard time visualizing the steps in a set of directions. Even if they’re able to create a mental picture, they often can’t hold onto it long enough to finish the task. 2.Your child waits for his turn to talk while you finish a phone call, but does he forget what he wanted to say by the time you hang up? Kids with weak working memory skills can quickly lose track of their thoughts. Even a few minutes of wait time may be too much for them to remember what they wanted to say or do. 3.Does your child have trouble retelling the bedtime story you just read or summarizing a chapter he’s reading? Kids with weak working memory skills have hard time juggling lots of information. With stories or books, they might struggle to remember what already happened while continuing to read or listen to more. 4.Does the teacher tell you that your child doesn’t follow directions well, even for daily tasks? Kids who have weak verbal working memory skills may seem as though they’re not listening to a teacher’s directions. In reality they’re probably having a hard time keeping track of everything that was said. 5.Does your child have a hard time telling you the names of most of the kids in his class? Remembering names can be hard for school-age kids with working memory issues. They have an easier time if they’re able to connect more information—for example, that Joe likes to eat glue—to the person’s name. understood-logo-promo This article was created for Understood.org. Learn more about this new resource. 6.Does your child have a hard time following along when his friends are having a fast-paced, lively conversation? Kids with working memory issues often have difficulty following the thread of a conversation, especially if there are many people participating. Results If you answered yes between 0–2 times Your child’s working memory skills appear to be fairly strong! Learn more about the other executive functioning skills your child uses in addition to working memory to help him stay on task and keep organized. If you answered yes between 3–4 times It looks like your child’s working memory skills might need some boosting. Learn more about the possible causes of executive functioning issues and how kids use working memory to learn. Then check out strategies you can use at home to help your child strengthen working memory skills. If you answered yes between 5–6 times Your child may have some issues with working memory and other executive functioning skills. You may want to consider speaking to your child’s school or doctor about having your child’s skills evaluated. In the meantime, learn all about how kids use working memory to learn and ways to help build those skills at home. Amanda Morin is an education and parenting writer who uses her experience as an early interventionist and teacher to inform her writing. Her work appears on many parenting websites and she is the author of two books, including The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education. 133 1 Comment Does Your Child Have Working Memory Issues?Working memory, also known as short-term memory, is an executive functioning skill that is key to learning and everyday life. If you suspect your child might have working memory issues, this quiz may give you some solid clues. Read the questions below and keep track of how many times you answered “yes.” 1.Does your child struggle to follow a set of multi-step directions like “Please pick up your napkin from the floor and throw it away, and on your way back to the table can you grab the salt from the pantry?” It’s common for younger kids to have a hard time following directions with more than two steps, but by kindergarten most kids have that ability. Kids with visual-spatial working memory issues have a hard time visualizing the steps in a set of directions. Even if they’re able to create a mental picture, they often can’t hold onto it long enough to finish the task. 2.Your child waits for his turn to talk while you finish a phone call, but does he forget what he wanted to say by the time you hang up? Kids with weak working memory skills can quickly lose track of their thoughts. Even a few minutes of wait time may be too much for them to remember what they wanted to say or do. 3.Does your child have trouble retelling the bedtime story you just read or summarizing a chapter he’s reading? Kids with weak working memory skills have hard time juggling lots of information. With stories or books, they might struggle to remember what already happened while continuing to read or listen to more. 4.Does the teacher tell you that your child doesn’t follow directions well, even for daily tasks? Kids who have weak verbal working memory skills may seem as though they’re not listening to a teacher’s directions. In reality they’re probably having a hard time keeping track of everything that was said. 5.Does your child have a hard time telling you the names of most of the kids in his class? Remembering names can be hard for school-age kids with working memory issues. They have an easier time if they’re able to connect more information—for example, that Joe likes to eat glue—to the person’s name. understood-logo-promo This article was created for Understood.org. Learn more about this new resource. 6.Does your child have a hard time following along when his friends are having a fast-paced, lively conversation? Kids with working memory issues often have difficulty following the thread of a conversation, especially if there are many people participating. Results If you answered yes between 0–2 times Your child’s working memory skills appear to be fairly strong! Learn more about the other executive functioning skills your child uses in addition to working memory to help him stay on task and keep organized. If you answered yes between 3–4 times It looks like your child’s working memory skills might need some boosting. Learn more about the possible causes of executive functioning issues and how kids use working memory to learn. Then check out strategies you can use at home to help your child strengthen working memory skills. If you answered yes between 5–6 times Your child may have some issues with working memory and other executive functioning skills. You may want to consider speaking to your child’s school or doctor about having your child’s skills evaluated. In the meantime, learn all about how kids use working memory to learn and ways to help build those skills at home. Amanda Morin is an education and parenting writer who uses her experience as an early interventionist and teacher to inform her writing. Her work appears on many parenting websites and she is the author of two books, including The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education. 133 1 Comment Does Your Child Have Working Memory Issues?Working memory, also known as short-term memory, is an executive functioning skill that is key to learning and everyday life. If you suspect your child might have working memory issues, this quiz may give you some solid clues. Read the questions below and keep track of how many times you answered “yes.” 1.Does your child struggle to follow a set of multi-step directions like “Please pick up your napkin from the floor and throw it away, and on your way back to the table can you grab the salt from the pantry?” It’s common for younger kids to have a hard time following directions with more than two steps, but by kindergarten most kids have that ability. Kids with visual-spatial working memory issues have a hard time visualizing the steps in a set of directions. Even if they’re able to create a mental picture, they often can’t hold onto it long enough to finish the task. 2.Your child waits for his turn to talk while you finish a phone call, but does he forget what he wanted to say by the time you hang up? Kids with weak working memory skills can quickly lose track of their thoughts. Even a few minutes of wait time may be too much for them to remember what they wanted to say or do. 3.Does your child have trouble retelling the bedtime story you just read or summarizing a chapter he’s reading? Kids with weak working memory skills have hard time juggling lots of information. With stories or books, they might struggle to remember what already happened while continuing to read or listen to more. 4.Does the teacher tell you that your child doesn’t follow directions well, even for daily tasks? Kids who have weak verbal working memory skills may seem as though they’re not listening to a teacher’s directions. In reality they’re probably having a hard time keeping track of everything that was said. 5.Does your child have a hard time telling you the names of most of the kids in his class? Remembering names can be hard for school-age kids with working memory issues. They have an easier time if they’re able to connect more information—for example, that Joe likes to eat glue—to the person’s name. understood-logo-promo This article was created for Understood.org. Learn more about this new resource. 6.Does your child have a hard time following along when his friends are having a fast-paced, lively conversation? Kids with working memory issues often have difficulty following the thread of a conversation, especially if there are many people participating. Results If you answered yes between 0–2 times Your child’s working memory skills appear to be fairly strong! Learn more about the other executive functioning skills your child uses in addition to working memory to help him stay on task and keep organized. If you answered yes between 3–4 times It looks like your child’s working memory skills might need some boosting. Learn more about the possible causes of executive functioning issues and how kids use working memory to learn. Then check out strategies you can use at home to help your child strengthen working memory skills. If you answered yes between 5–6 times Your child may have some issues with working memory and other executive functioning skills. You may want to consider speaking to your child’s school or doctor about having your child’s skills evaluated. In the meantime, learn all about how kids use working memory to learn and ways to help build those skills at home. Amanda Morin is an education and parenting writer who uses her experience as an early interventionist and teacher to inform her writing. Her work appears on many parenting websites and she is the author of two books, including The Everything Parent’s Guide to Special Education. 133
Posted on: Sat, 04 Oct 2014 09:56:14 +0000
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