The effect of memory training on children with learning difficulty

Is Training Working Memory in Children with Learning Disabilities a Viable Solution? A Systematic Review

Background

Working memory (WM) is one of the most influential cognitive functions in encoding, registering, and retrieving information. It influences the learning process in children. Its role becomes essential, especially in a child with a learning disability (LD). Researchers worldwide are giving much prominence to WM, especially in devising cognitive retraining strategies for better cognitive functioning and academic attainment in these children. This current study aims to explore globally used instruments to measure this construct and review effective WM training models in the cognitive rehabilitation of children with LD. This study used a systematic review, availing the elaborate "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA)" guidelines.

Summary

The databases of Google Scholar, PubMed, and Web of Science were searched thoroughly, and those studies, which met the inclusion criteria, were considered for this review. Out of 770 studies found with keywords, only six met the inclusion criteria and were selected for a detailed analysis. The outcome of the current review provides trustworthy evidence of poor performance, especially in tasks involving verbal and executive WM in children with all types of learning disabilities (LD) and difficulties. The studies reviewed support the hypothesis that WM can improve with training and significantly improve children's academic attainment.

Key Message

Further this review recommends that research and efforts must go into devising these cognitive training techniques. Children have high cerebral plasticity; hence, using cognitive training (emphasizing WM training and other cognitive functions) with them would enhance their cognitive functioning and capacity, improving their academic performance.

Executive Functions Training for 7- to 10-Year-Old Students With Mathematics Difficulty: Instant Effects and 6-Month Sustained Effects

Executive function (EF) training has shown promise for remedying general EF deficiencies faced by students with mathematics difficulty (MD) and for improving their performance. However, latest research also suggests that the instant and sustained effects of EF training remain inconsistent. In this study, 32 Chinese students with MD, age 7 to 10 years, were recruited and randomly divided into two groups: the training group (n = 16, 25 training sessions) and the control group (n = 16). Both groups took a pretest, a posttest, and a follow-up test (after 6 months) on EF, fluid intelligence, and mathematics skills. In the posttest, the training group's performance significantly improved in 2-back, number shifting, letter shifting, calculation fluency, and mathematics problem-solving tasks, but not in Stroop, Flanker, 1-back, numerical operations, and colored progressive matrices tasks. In the follow-up test after 6 months, the effects of training only on the 2-back and letter shifting tasks were sustained. The effect on the numerical operations task appeared; however, the effects on number shifting, calculation fluency, and mathematics problem-solving tasks disappeared. The results of this study show that EF training has instant effects of improving EF and mathematics skills of students with MD, and 6-month sustained effects on some of the improved skills. However, for fluid intelligence, the effects may be very limited.