Executive Functioning Skills: Working Memory Explained

Working Memory

What challenges are you observing in your child related to working memory?

Working memory allows us to hold on to new information in order to complete a task or follow or instructions. Our ability to hold onto information for the short term is the memory function and our ability to effectively use it is and when needed transfer it into the long term is the working function. This skill plays a major role in how we process, use and remember information. It requires attention and focus.

Examples of Poor Working Memory:

-Remembering Instructions: If you give an instruction to grab your science book and open it up to page 73 and begin working on the chapter questions, an individual with poor working memory might remember to grab their science book but they can’t recall the page number or what they need to do.

-Math: Solving math problems- especially ones with multiple steps or word problems- require us to access information from the long term memory while simultaneously remembering the steps that have just been completed and the steps that follow. An individual with poor working memory often have trouble with math because they struggle to hold onto all of this information in a way that allows them to solve the problem.