Essentials of Planning, Selecting, and Tailoring Interventions for Unique Learners

ElevenInterventions for Students with Memory Difficulties

Milton J. Dehn

Students with memory difficulties are an under-identified and underserved population. Alloway and Gathercole (2006), who have investigated the prevalence of childhood memory difficulties in the United Kingdom (UK), reported that 10% of children have working memory deficits. In another UK study by Temple and Richardson (2006), approximately 6% of students without disabilities were found to have long-term memory difficulties. Most children with memory impairments remain unidentified, primarily because in-depth memory testing is seldom conducted during cognitive assessment and because memory impairments are not recognized as a type of educational disability. Despite the absence of data on how many children and adolescents with memory difficulties (identified or unidentified) receive school-based interventions specifically for memory difficulties, it can be safely assumed that the majority do not.

The strong connection between memory and learning is evident in students with specific learning disabilities (SLD). In a study by Gathercole and Pickering (2001), the working memory performance of 4-year-olds was an accurate predictor of who would need special education in early elementary school. Alloway (2011) contends that working memory is the best predictor of academic learning, even better than IQ. Dehn (2010) estimates that approximately half of students with SLD have a memory impairment. Given that academic ...