Cogmed Working Memory Training
Working memory training has been shown to significantly benefit children and adults with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Learning Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Stroke, Ageing and Epilepsy.
Working Memory has been called “the search engine of the mind”. An efficient working memory allows you to keep information online, manipulate it and use it in your thinking. It is responsible for delegating the things we encounter to the parts of the brain that can respond and take action. Working memory is therefore necessary for attention, staying focused on a task, blocking out distractions and keeping you updated and aware about what is going on around you in your environment.
It is working memory that helps us to perform efficiently and effectively in academic, professional and social settings. Working memory is required throughout our lives from our preschool days to our senior years. Without an adequate working memory preschoolers and infants school children would have difficulty learning the alphabet, remembering nursery rhymes, completing puzzles and following simple directions. Primary school children require an efficient working memory for reading comprehension, mental arithmetic and working independently in class and at home. High school and university students rely upon an adequate working memory to write notes in lectures, get a driver’s license, follow social conversations and academic discussions, writing reports and adhering to plans and timetables. For adults, working memory is essential for getting to work on time, meeting deadlines, prioritising multiple activities and handling conflicts within the family or social network. Without a functioning working memory to run things, seniors often find they become forgetful, get distracted easily, lose track of the topic of conversation and misplace important items such as glasses, keys, mobile phones.
In short, is it our working memory capacity that determines our cognitive performance and how quickly we learn new tasks.
The good news is that working memory can be trained! Learning Discoveries now offers the Cogmed Working Memory Training program
The Cogmed Working Memory Training Program is based on the work of Dr Torkel Klingberg and his colleagues at the Karolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweeden. The program is based on the neuroplasticity of the brain and several peer reviewed articles have been published in international journals over the past decade. Because Cogmed trains working memory, it changes the way the brain functions so that it can perform at its optimum capacity. This helps to create a platform for vital learning skills to develop.
Cogmed combines cognitive neuroscience with innovative computer games to improve attention problems caused by poor working memory. It consists of 25 training sessions, each 30-45 minutes long, over a five week period. Each session consists of a selection of various tasks that target the different aspects of working memory. The training is systematic and intensive. A qualified coach works with the trainee to provide structure, motivation and feedback on progress.
Research findings indicate that after Cogmed training children show improvements in the following areas: their assessment marks, remembering instructions, finishing assignments, working more independently, using appropriate social skills and the ability to take the initiative. For adults, results indicate improvements in focus, the ability to ignore distractions, remembering instructions, starting and finishing tasks, and improved planning.
Cogmed has been shown to significantly benefit children and adults with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), Learning Disabilities, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Stroke, Ageing and Epilepsy.
To begin a Cogmed Working Memory Training Program, please contact us during business hours on (02) 9639 7778.
References
Klingberg et al (2002): “Training of Working Memory in Children with ADHD”. J of Clinical & Experimental Neuropsychology. Vol 24. No. 6, pp 781-791.
Klingberg et al (2005): “Computerised training of working memory in children with ADHD”. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. February, Vol 44, No.2 pp177-185.
Thorell et al (2008): “Training and transfer effects of executive functions in preschoolers. Developmental Science. Vol 12, No.1, pp. 1060-113.
Dahlin (2010): “Efects of working memory training on reading in children with special needs”. Reading and Writing. Vol24, No.4, pp.479-491.
Beck et al (2010): “A controlled trial of working memory training for children and adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. Vol 39, No 6, pp. 825-836.
Lundquist et al (2010): “Computerised training of working memory in a group of patients suffering from acquired brain injury”. Brain Injury. Vol 24, No. 10. pp. 117-183.
Johansson & Tornmalm (2011): “A controlled trial of working memory for patients with acquired brain injury: effects in daily life.” Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy. August 15.
Diamond & Lee (2011): “Intervention shown to aid executive function development in children 4-12 years old.” Science. August 19. Vol 333, No.6045. pp.959-964.
