Working Memory and Dyslexia

Children with dyslexia or other reading difficulties often have deficits in working memory. Any dyslexia evaluation will include a working memory component. Working memory helps children retrieve, recall and remember information. Let’s examine the way working memory can affect dyslexic learners. 

Reading:

Working memory allows us to hold and manipulate information, such as letter sounds, word meanings, and sentence structures. It helps us keep track of the words we’ve read and connect them to the larger context. Decoding new words is a working memory task. Children must break the word into individual pieces, remember the sound for each letter, hold those sounds in memory long enough to finish the word, and then blend all the sounds together. Students with dyslexia often struggle with reading words accurately and fluently, in part, due to poor working memory.

Spelling:

Working memory aids in retrieving and manipulating letter patterns. It enables us to remember the spelling patterns and rules, apply them accurately, and monitor our spelling as we write. Deficits in working memory make spelling one of the most exhausting tasks for dyslexic learners. 

Writing:

When we write, our working memory helps us maintain focus on the task at hand, organize our thoughts, and retrieve relevant information from our long-term memory. It allows us to hold multiple ideas in mind simultaneously, arrange them coherently, and make connections between different concepts. Dyslexic learners may struggle with generating ideas, organizing their thoughts, and maintaining the flow of their writing. 

Comprehension: 

Think about a student who is reading a sentence. They decode every word but forgot the first few words of the sentence by the time they finished reading it. They were successful in decoding every word but unfortunately, cannot comprehend what they just read. Working memory helps us keep track of the words we’ve read and connect them to the larger context. Individuals with stronger working memory capabilities often demonstrate better reading comprehension and faster word recognition, as they can efficiently process and retain information while navigating through text.

Vocabulary: 

When it comes to vocabulary, working memory plays a crucial role in expanding and retrieving new words. As we encounter new words, our working memory helps us store and process their meanings, making connections with existing knowledge. It’s like a mental filing system that allows us to retrieve and use words in different contexts. A student with dyslexia might face hurdles when it comes to remembering and using a wide range of vocabulary. They might struggle to grasp new words, recall them when needed, or connect them with the right meanings.