When you or your child is assessed as having dyslexia, working memory is one of the factors taken into consideration. Working memory is our brain’s system for retrieving information from our long term memory and the part of the brain we use to manipulate information we want to use at that moment. Part of being dyslexic is having a weak working memory.
In my opinion, it is one of the least understood components of dyslexia, so I’ve listed my top 5 things that I think you should know about working memory.
- Short term memory.
Working memory is not the same as short term memory. This is a common misconception, but it is entirely different. You may have a good short term memory and be able to remember names of people at a party, but you can still have a weak working memory.
2. Manipulating information.
Having a weak working memory means that manipulating information and data to use in the here and now is difficult. If you liken it to a juggler, someone who is a weak juggler can keep 2 balls in the air, whereas a strong juggler may be able to keep 5 or 6 balls in the air. The reading and writing process requires us to keep many ‘balls’ in the air ie to manipulate lots of information at the same time. For example, reading means you have to recognise the shape and name of the letters, remember the sounds which those letters make, put them all together to remember the word, retrieve what that word means, put it all into the sentence and retrieve what that means too. A weak working memory will make this difficult and is the same as being the ‘weak juggler’.
3. Difficulties accessing long term memory.
A weak working memory means that the system for accessing or storing information in long term memory doesn’t work very well. This is extremely frustrating because the dyslexic learner will often know they have a particular piece of knowledge, but they can’t get to it – just like when you have a word on the ‘tip of your tongue’. This is one of the reasons why a dyslexic learner doesn’t do as well as they should in examinations – put a bit of stress on top of dyslexia and the access to long term memory works even less well than usual! It is also why they have to over learn and repeat information ( including things like learning phonics) that they want to store for future use – it is the only way to get it into long term memory.
- Focus and Concentration.
A weak working memory affects our focus and concentration on the task at hand. A lot of parents report that their dyslexic children have trouble concentrating, especially if they don’t really have an interest in what they are being asked to do. They may also get fairly distracted in the classroom by other noises or activities going on around them.
- Learning Styles
Working memory allows us to adapt our learning style to suit the task we are faced with – so we tend to learn cookery by doing it ( kinaesthetic style) and we learn a foreign language often by listening and talking to a native of that country ( auditory style). A weak working memory means that it is difficult to switch and adapt different learning styles to the task. This is why a dyslexic learner often needs to stick with their preferred one. If they don’t have one, then they need to learn the same information using all 3 learning styles ( visual, auditory and kinaesthetic) so that the information is stored in a few different places in the brain which makes it more likely that they will be able to retrieve the information again.
The key points to take away are that working memory is different to short term memory; it is the part of the brain which facilitates putting learning into long term memory and retrieves information back from there; it is the place where we manipulate information we are using at that moment; it helps us to focus and concentrate and finally it allows us to adapt our learning style to the task. When you have a weak working memory, your ability to do these things is affected in some degree and you may be dismissed as being ‘lazy’ or not ‘trying hard enough’. Let me know if this has happened to you or your child.
Debbie Abraham Owner of Dyslexia Deb.
Email: Debbie@dyslexiadeb.co.uk
Facebook: @dyslexiadeb
Twitter:@DyslexiaDeb1
