Working Memory: Beyond Assessment to Intervention

1
Working MemoryBeyond Assessment
toIntervention

• Gail C. Rodin, Ph.D.
• Assessment Consultant, Pearson
• Charles Shinaver, Ph.D.
• Cogmed Consultant, Pearson

2
Contact Information

• Gail C. Rodin, Ph.D.
• Assessment Consultant, Pearson
• 919-285-3652
• gail.rodin_at_pearson.com
• Charles Shinaver, Ph.D.
• Cogmed Consultant, Pearson
• 317-641-7794
• charles.shinaver_at_pearson.com

3
Agenda

• What is working memory (WM) and why is it
  important?
• WM and academic learning
• Assessment of WM
• Can WM be improved?
• Survey of WM interventions
• Improving WM with Cogmed
• Peer-reviewed research studies
• How Cogmed works
• Demonstration
• Q A

4
What is WMand Why is it Important?
5
What is Working Memory?

• A system for temporary storage and manipulation
  of information,necessary for a wide rangeof
  cognitive tasks
• The ability to keep information in your mind for
  a short period of time (seconds), and be able
  to use the information in your thinking

6
Characteristics of Working Memory

• WM is where learning takes place
• Problem solving and trying to comprehend text
  are WM in action
• WM is the interface between input and output
• WM
• Uses information available from STM
• -or-
• Retrieves information from LTM
• Performs some action on these two stores of
  information
• Then stores the new product in LTM
• -or-
• Uses it to construct an expression or response

-or- both
7
(No Transcript)
8
Theories of WM

• Most widely accepted theory is Baddeleys
  multi-component model (Baddeley, 1986)
• Defines four aspects of WM
• Phonological loop
• Stores and rehearses speech-based information
• Visual spatial sketchpad
• Encodes, stores, organizes, and manipulates
  visual images and visual-sensory information
• Central executive
• Attentional controlling system
• Maintains task activities and blocks task
  interference
• Episodic buffer
• Links visual/verbal information to LTM

9
Why is WM Important?

• Working memory is used for
• Controlling attention
• Resisting distraction
• Complex thinking
• Organization
• Problem solving
• Remembering tasks

10
WM is an Essential Function in Everyday Life

• Processes all stimuli we encounter
• Delegates it to the different parts of our brain
  that can take action
• Allows us to block out unnecessary information
• Keeps us updated on whats happening and keeps
  us focused on what matters

11
Working Memory Processes and Organizes Your Life
The search engine of your brain
12
Working Memory

• Plays a critical role in cognitive processing and
  learning
• WM integrates and manipulates information as it
  processes
• Input from the environment that has entered
  through the brains sensory and perceptual areas
• -and-
• Information retrieved from long-term stores of
  knowledge

13
Why Is Working Memory Important?

• Essential for most academic areas, including
• Reading (especially comprehension)
• Math (especially problem solving)
• Written expression
• Test taking
• WM predicts academic learning
• 10 15 of children have a WM deficit
• WM deficits found in many disability profiles
• Early identification through efficient assessment
  is imperative to identify at-risk students

14
WM and Academic Learning
15
WM Capacity in School-Age Children

• Supports learning
• Associated with reading (Gathercole Pickering,
  2000) and math ability (Geary et al., 2004)
• Useful prospective indicator of academic
  performance
• Predicts attainment on national assessments at
  ages 7, 11, 14 (e.g. Gathercole, et al., 2004
  St-Clair Thompson Gathercole, 2006)
• Adds unique variance above and beyond measures of
  IQ (Gathercole, Alloway, Willis Adams, 2006)
• Unlike IQ, free from SES and other crystallized
  knowledgethat has been built from home, school
  and social experiences (e.g. Engel, Santos
  Gathercole, 2008)

16
WM Capacity in School-Age Children

• Children with poor working memory make poor
  academic progress (Gathercole Alloway, 2008)
• Of 300 children with poor WM
• 83 scored poorly on either reading or math tests
• The vast majority scored poorly in both areas

17
WM Capacity in School-Age Children

• Important for successful learning in individual
  classroom activities (Gathercole Alloway, 2008)
  
• WM loads of many classroom activities are high,
  so children with poor WM
• Forget crucial information
• Fail to successfully complete tasks
• This leads to frequent lost learning
  opportunities,and consequently slow rates of
  learning

18
WM and Academic Skills
Age WM is Crucial for Indicators that WMNeeds Improvement
Pre-school Learning the alphabet Completing a puzzle independently Unwillingness to learn
Elementary School Understanding textual content (reading comprehension) Mental arithmetic Inability to understand what is read Problems memorizing the multiplication table
Middle School Completing homework independently Complex math problems, especially word problems Cant complete homework without parental supervision and direction Inability to grasp/break down word problems
High School Writing essays Difficulty writing neat, coherent essays
College Studying for an exam Participation in group projects Keeping focus/interest during a lecture Constantly procrastinates panics the night before the exam Doesnt listen or participate during a group project Difficulty remaining attentive during lectures
19
Multiple Failure Pointsin the Lives of the WM
Deprived
Age
Problem
Weakness
Challenge
20
Why is WM Important to School Psychologists?

• WM deficits identify LD more appropriately than
  IQ
• RTI calls for early
• Assessment of academic difficulties
• Identification of why child is struggling
• Implementation of targeted interventions
• Evidence-based interventions available for WM

21
Cognitive Processes Academic Learning
Reading Decoding Reading Comprehension Written Language Mathematics
Phonological processing STM Visual processing Sequential processing WM LTM WM LTM Executive processing Fluid reasoning WM Executive processing Processing speed Planning WM Fluid reasoning Visual processing Processing speed Planning
Dehn, 2008
22
Working Memory Academic Learning

• WM required whenever anything must be
  learned,because learning requires
• Manipulation of information
• Interaction with LTM
• Simultaneous storage and processing of
  information
• The capacity and effective functioning of WM
  determines the extent of learning
• WM capacity predicts performance on a wide
  rangeof real-world cognitive tasks (Engle, 2002)

23
Working Memory and Academic Learning

• WM has documented significant relationships with
• Reading decoding
• Reading comprehension
• Language comprehension
• Spelling
• Following directions
• Vocabulary development
• Note-taking
• Written expression
• Reasoning
• Complex learning
• Correlations range from
• .38 (Oral expression)
• -to-
• .59 (Math reasoning)

24
Classroom Learning Demands on WM

• Common classroom activities that impose
  simultaneous demands on storage and processing
• Listening to a speaker while trying to take notes
• Following complex instructions
• Decoding unfamiliar words
• Writing sentences from memory
• Mental arithmetic
• Student must process new information and
  integrate it with previously stored knowledge or
  information that was just recently encountered
• Learning is reduced or slowed when available WM
  capacity is reduced through overloading of WM or
  by requiring divided attention

25
WM Components Academic Learning
Reading Decoding Reading Comprehension Written Language Mathematics
Phonological STM Verbal WM Executive WM Executive WM Verbal WM Executive WM Verbal WM Phonological STM Visuospatial WM Executive WM
Dehn, 2008
26
Working Memory Learning Disability

• 2.9 million children (5.5 of school-age
  population) have LD
• Research has consistently found children with all
  types of LD have poor WM performance (Swanson,
  1990)
• Especially in Verbal WM and Executive WM
• LD in Reading Impairments in Phonological STM
  and Verbal WM
• LD in Math Impairments in Visuospatial WM and
  Executive WM

27
Working Memory Learning Disability

• Executive WM serves a governing function
• Controls and regulates memory subsystems
• Executive-loaded WM tasks provide the best
  discrimination between children with and without
  LD
• For example
• Students with LD have more difficulty with
  reverse digit span tasks than their non-LD peers
• Individuals with limited executive processing
  often fail to spontaneously use rehearsal,
  organization, and other executive dependent
  strategies that allow effective and efficient use
  of WM resources
• WM span of students with LD is significantly
  lower than non-LD peers
• E.g., students with moderate LD could retain
  verbal instructions that contained up to 3 units
  of information, while non-LD peers can manage 5
  units of information

28
WM and Learning Disability

• Empirical evidence indicates that WM performance
  is one source of data that can reliably
  differentiate between students with a LD and
  those who are slow learners(Swanson et al.,
  1990)
• Typically, another deficit in cognitive
  processing constructs exists in addition to the
  WM deficit
• E.g., student with LD in Basic Reading Skills
  might have coexisting deficits in phonological
  processing and/or LTM
• What sets those with LD apart is that WM tends to
  be one of their intra-individual weaknesses
• Best Practice Whenever a LD is suspected, WM
  should be assessed as part of the comprehensive
  evaluation

29
Working Memory Reading

• Decades of research show a strong relationship
  between WM and reading skills
• Basic Reading Skills (Reading Decoding)
• Phonological STM and Verbal WM
• Phonological Processing and Visual Processing
• Reading Comprehension
• Verbal WM, Executive WM, and LTM

30
Working Memory Reading Decoding

• Decoding involves
• WM
• STM
• Other cognitive processes (e.g., phonological
  processing)
• Retrieval from LTM (rapid automatic naming)
• Phonological processing forms the foundation of
  reading decoding (Kamhi Pollock, 2005)
• Requires
• Temporary storage of phonemes in phonological STM
• Simultaneous manipulation of those phonemes (WM)
• E.g., segmenting, blending
• Visual processing also important
• Visual stimuli must be processed and recoded
  (grapheme-phoneme conversion)

31
Working Memory Reading Comprehension

• Decoding individual words and accessing their
  meanings
• Assembling word meanings into larger meaning
  units
• Constructing representations of sentences
• Linking information across sentences
• Detecting inconsistencies between parts of the
  text
• Focusing attention on main idea
• Creating visual images
• Drawing plausible inferences on the basis of
  prior knowledge
• Monitoring the understanding of text as reading
  progresses

32
Verbal Working Memory Reading

• Necessary for successful reading comprehension
• Short-term memory for words and sentences
• Verbal WM facilitates reading comprehension by
  holding words and sentences in consciousness
  until there is enough information to complete an
  idea
• Holding process appears to be subvocalization
  (inner speech in reading)

33
Executive Working Memory Reading Comprehension

• Executive WM necessary for high-level processing
  demands of reading comprehension
• Coordinates many diverse processes that culminate
  in integration of new information with an
  existing mental model
• Inhibition - Discarding no longer relevant
  information and preventing entry of unnecessary
  or irrelevant information
• Affects ability to engage in processes that are
  crucial to good comprehension
• Inefficient inhibitory control during reading
  overloads the WM system, causing comprehension
  problems

34
Working Memory Mathematics

• Strong relationship between WM and math
  performance
• WM and STM components utilized at varying degrees
  depending on the task
• Basic arithmetic calculation
• Mathematics problem solving

35
Working Memory Math Calculation

• Simplest math calculation tasks require three WM
  processes
• Temporary storage to hold problem information
• Retrieval that accesses relevant procedures
• Processing operations that convert the
  information into numerical output
• Complex arithmetic calculation involves all WM
  and STM components to varying degrees (Tronsky,
  2005)
• WM resources needed most during initial phases of
  math skill acquisition
• Fewer necessary as knowledge and skills build
• Processes become automatized (automatic)

36
Working Memory Math Word Problems

• Strategy-based problem solving places a greater
  load on WM than does calculation
• When solving math word problems, individuals must
  mentally construct an adequate problem
  representation
• This process that depends heavily on WM
• Initial stages of solving word problem involve
  verbal comprehension and temporary storage of
  words, phrases and sentences

37
WM Requirementsfor Completion of Math Word
Problem

• Keeping track of incoming information
• Integrating information
• Retrieving math facts and procedures from LT
  storage
• Matching the correct algorithm to the problem at
  hand
• Updating the contents of WM
• Making on-line mathematical calculations
• Monitoring the computation process
• Evaluating the solution
• Dependence of problem solving on WM is especially
  evident when the task is novel

(Swanson, 2006)
38
Visuospatial WM and Mathematics

• Changes significantly during childhood
  development
• Visuospatial WM plays a prominent role during
  preschool years
• As young childs arithmetic mental model is
  primarily visuospatial, rather than verbal and
  abstract
• By the end of first grade, verbal WM has become
  the best predictor of arithmetic performance

39
Working Memory Written Language

• Written expression is a complex activity that
  requires integration of several cognitive
  processes and memory components
• Heavy emphasis on WM, especially
• Executive WM
• Verbal WM
• Visual WM
• Emphasis on phonological STM

40
Assessment of Working Memory
41
Working Memory Measures

• Chances are you already have several WM measures
  in house
• DAS-II
• KABC-2
• WISC-IV/WISC-IV Integrated, WAIS-IV
• WPPSI-IV (2012)
• WMS-IV
• CMS
• NEPSY-II
• UNIT
• SB-5

42
Differential Ability Scales-II (DAS-II)

• Working Memory Composite
• 2 Executive WM subtests
• Recall of Digits Backward
• Recall of Sequential Order
• Several subtests that tap various components of
  STM
• Recall of Digits Forward (Phonological STM)
• Recall of Designs (Visuospatial STM)
• Recognition of Pictures (Visuospatial STM)

43
Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children-II(KABC-I
I)

• Executive WM subtest
• Word Order
• Additional memory composites
• Sequential Processing/STM
• Learning Ability/LTR
• Several subtests that tap various components of
  STM
• Number Recall (Phonological STM)
• Hand Movements (Visuospatial STM)
• Face Recognition (Visuospatial STM)

44
Universal Nonverbal Intelligence Test (UNIT)

• Executive WM subtest (as well as visuospatial
  STM)
• Object Memory
• Additional subtests that assess visuospatial STM
• Symbolic Memory
• Spatial Memory

45
Wechsler Scales (WISC-IV, WAIS-IV)

• Working Memory Index
• 4 Executive/Verbal WM subtests
• Digit Span Backward
• Digit Span Sequencing (WAIS-IV only)
• Letter-Number Sequencing
• Arithmetic
• 1 phonological STM subtest
• Digit Span Forward

46
Wechsler Scales (WISC-IV Integrated)

• Additional measures of WM
• Letter-Number Sequencing PA (Verbal Executive
  WM)
• Arithmetic PA Part A (Executive WM)
• Arithmetic PA Part B (Executive WM)
• Additional measures of STM
• Visual Digit Span (Visuospatial STM)
• Spatial Span Forward (Visuospatial STM)
• Spatial Span Backward (Visuospatial STM)
• Letter Span Non-rhyming (Phonological STM)
• Letter Span Rhyming (Phonological STM)

47
NEPSY-II

• Verbal WM subtests
• Narrative Memory
• Sentence Repetition
• Word List Interference (also Executive WM)
• Several subtests that tap various components of
  STM
• Memory for Faces (Visuospatial STM)
• Memory for Designs (Visuospatial STM)
• Repetition of Nonsense Words (Phonological STM)

48
Wechsler Memory Scale-IV (WMS-IV)

• Visual Working Memory Composite
• Spatial Addition
• Symbol Span

49
Childrens Memory Scale (CMS)

• No factor labeled Working Memory
• But has useful subtests
• Numbers (Executive WM Phonological STM)
• Sequences (Executive WM)
• Stories (Verbal WM)
• Picture Locations (Visuospatial STM)
• Faces (Visuospatial STM)
• Family Pictures (Visuospatial STM)

50
Other WM Assessment Options(Present and Future)

• Tasks of Executive Control (TEC) (PAR)
• From authors of the BRIEF
• Computer-administered measure of WM and
  inhibitory control
• Ages 5 18
• Includes regression-based change scores

51
Other WM Assessment Options(Present and Future)

• Automated Working Memory Assessment (AWMA)
  (Pearson)
• Created by Tracy Alloway
• Completely automated administration and scoring
• Ages 4 22
• Includes Screener, Short Form, and Long Form
• Normed in UK US-normed version available in 2012
• Working Memory Rating Scale (WMRS)
• Authors include Susan Gathercole Tracy Alloway
• Ages 5 11
• 22-item teacher rating scale
• Co-normed with AWMA

52
Other WM Assessment Options(Present and Future)

• WPPSI-IV (September 2012)
• New subtests to assess
• Working Memory
• Zoo Trip
• Picture Recognition
• Inhibitory Control
• Feed the Dog

53
WPPSI-IV WM Subtests
Zoo Trip New subtest designed to measure
visuospatial working memory
Task Description Child views animal cards placed
on a zoo layout for a specified time limit, then
places each card in the previously viewed
location.
The animals live here. Remember where each
animal lives.
54
WPPSI-IV WM Subtests
Zoo Trip New subtest designed to measure
visuospatial working memory
55
WPPSI-IV WM Subtests
Picture Recognition New subtest designed to
measure visuospatial working memory
Task Description Child views a page of pictures
for a specified time limit, then selects the
pictures from a number of response options.
Point to the picture(s) I just showed you.
56
WPPSI-IV Inhibitory Control Subtest
Feed the Dog A good predictor of school
readiness(See work of Adele Diamond, Clancy
Blair, etc.)
Task Description Children point to the dog that
goes with the bowl. Part A Target dog same size
as bowl Part B Target dog opposite size of bowl
57
Can WM Be Improved?
58
Remedial vs. Compensatory Interventions

• Remedial interventions
• Have the expressed goal of correcting a working
  memory deficit by directly addressing the area of
  weakness
• Compensatory interventions
• Emphasize using the individuals cognitive or
  memory strengths and assets in an effort to
  bypass the deficit, thereby reducing its impact
  on learning and performance
• Strategy training

59
Frequently Used WM Interventions

• Metacognitive training
• Extended to memory as metamemory training
• Rote and relational memory strategies
• Examples
• Rote Basic rehearsal strategies
• Relational Mnemonics, visual imagery
• Verbal WM interventions
• Elaborative rehearsal
• Semantic rehearsal
• Visuospatial WM interventions
• Recoding verbal information to visual information
• Executive WM interventions
• Dual visual-verbal encoding
• Organizational strategies

60
Remedial vs. Compensatory Interventions

• All these interventions are primarily
  compensatory in nature
• But can we truly improve (remediate) WM?
• Cutting-edge research demonstrates that we can .
  . .

61
Improving WM with CogmedResearch
62
Cogmed Studies Published in Leading
Peer-Reviewed Journals
For the entire list of published, presented, and
ongoing studies, visit www.cogmed.com/research
63
Academic Institutions Conducting Research with
Cogmed
64
Key Research Findings
65
Summary of Key Research
Study Key Findings
Klingberg, 2002 (J. of Clinical Experimental Neuropsychology) Children with AD/HD improve on neuropsych tests after WM training
Westerberg, 2004 (Child Neuropsychology) Working memory core deficit in AD/HD
Olesen, 2004(Nature Neuroscience) Increased activity in brain following training (instead of less)
Klingberg, 2005(JAACAP) 2002 data validated in larger, multi-site study adding 3-month follow-up and rating scale data
Westerberg, 2007(Brain Injury) Adult victims of stroke improve in daily life and show far transfer after working memory training
Thorell, 2008(Developmental Science) Pre-schoolers improve working memory with near and far transfer to better attention inhibitory control training shows no result transfer
McNab, 2009(Science) Healthy adults show that training changes dopamine D1 binding
Holmes, 2009(Developmental Science) Children with low working memory improve attention and math performance, six months after training
66
Summary of Key Research (cont.)
Study Key Findings
Holmes, 2009 (Applied Cognitive Psychology) Six months lasting effects on working memory in children with AD/HD, wider effect on EF than stimulant medication
Mezzacappa, 2010 (School Mental Health) Children in low SES school setting improve working memory and AD/HD symptoms
Dahlin 2010 (Reading and Writing) Special needs children improve reading comprehension
Lundqvist, 2010(Brain Injury) TBI/Stroke adults improve working memory and performance at work in pre-defined areas of struggle
Beck, 2010(Journal of Clinical Child Adolescent Psychology) AD/HD children improve working memory, EF, and AD/HD symptoms in parent and teacher rating scales
Løhaugen, 2010(The Journal of Pediatrics) Children born at extremely low birth weight improve working memory with transfer to verbal learning ability
Kronenberger, 2010 (Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research) Children with cochlear implants improve working memory, sentence repetition
67
Research Discovers WM Can Be Improved
Klingberg et al., 2002(J. of Clinical
Experimental Neuropsychology)
68
Research Discovers WM Can Be Improved
Klingberg et al., 2002(J. of Clinical
Experimental Neuropsychology)

• Study led by neuroscientist Torkel Klingberg,
  M.D., Ph.D.
• Findings challenged for the first time the
  long-held assumption that working memory is a
  fixed characteristic, unable to be changed
• Study results Intensive and adaptive
  computerized cognitive training (Cogmed)
  gradually increased the amount of information
  subjects could keep in WM

69
Brain Scans Show Increased Activity After Cogmed
WM Training
Olesen et al., 2004(Nature Neuroscience)

• First study using functional MRI scans to examine
  brain changes following Cogmed WM training

70
Brain Scans Show Increased Activity After Cogmed
WM Training
Olesen et al., 2004(Nature Neuroscience)
71
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
72
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)

• 42 children, ages 8 11, with low Verbal WM
  scores
• Otherwise typically developing
• Randomly assigned to one of two groups
• Adaptive (standard) version of Cogmed
• Training at maximum span level
• Non-adaptive version of Cogmed (control
  condition)
• Training at fixed span level of 2

73
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
74
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
75
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
76
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
77
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
78
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
79
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
80
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)

• Take-away points
• Fully independent study (no Cogmed author
  involvement)
• Carried out by team at The Working Memory
  Research Centre
• Leading WM institution, founded by Baddeley
• Launched study fully convinced WM could not be
  trained
• Participants selected by WM alone (not AD/HD or
  other dx)
• Training took place in school
• Tests for and finds academic improvements
• Shows academic effect not immediate emerges
  gradually
• Demonstrates impact of training is specific

81
Adaptive Training with Cogmed Produces Sustained
Improvement in WM and Math
Holmes et al., 2009(Developmental Science)
. . . This study provides the first
demonstration that these commonplace deficits and
associated learning difficulties can be
ameliorated, and possibly even overcome, by
intensive adaptive training over a relatively
short period just 6 weeks, typically . . .
82
Improving WM with CogmedHow it Works
83
Cogmed Working Memory Training
An evidence-based intervention for working memory
Research-based - Backed by peer- reviewed,
published, fully independent studies Highly
supported structure Training and support for
coaches, who support students through the
program Fits with RTI framework - Can be used as
a Tier 2 or 3 intervention Proven track record -
Cogmed training has over a 90 completion rate
along with proven results
84
Cogmed

• Currently being used in 20 countries
• Hundreds of private practice clinical
  psychologists are Cogmed providers in the US
• Now also used in US schools in multiple states

85
Three Products for Cogmed Training
All 3 products share the same underlying design
only difference is in the user interface
86
Working Memory TrainingActs on Underlying Levels
87
Who is a Cogmed Candidate?

• Is easily distracted
• Has trouble waiting his/her turn
• Struggles with comprehending what he/she reads
• Struggles with problem solving that requires
  holding information in mind
• E.g. math calculations
• Struggles with completing tasks, especially
  multiple-step tasks
• Has difficulty integrating new information with
  prior knowledge
• Has difficulty taking notes and listening at the
  same time

Cogmed can be used Pre-K adulthood by
individuals with poor working memory
88
Cogmed is Not Just for Students with AD/HD

• Tested and used with various groups with working
  memory constraints
• Possible candidates include students identified
  with
• AD/HD
• Learning disabilities
• TBI
• Underperformance vs. grade-level expectations

89
The Student (User) Experience

• Five weeks of training
• Five times per week(25 sessions)
• Each session is 30-40 minutes
• Training catered to fit students schedule
• Weekly rewards recommended
• Supported by a Coach supervised by training aide
  or Coach
• Student goes through exercises in a quiet space
• Separated from students and distractions

90
The Educator Experience

• Complete Cogmed professional development
• Online or onsite
• Screen students to identify suitable candidates
• Identify quiet space
• Separated from students and distractions
• Headphones and mouse recommended
• School personnel (Cogmed training aides or
  coaches) supervise daily training sessions
• Track progress on Cogmed Training Web

91
Cogmed Program Implementation
92
Cogmed Implementation Process
93
Identifying Cogmed Candidates
Consider using BASC-2 POP (Portable Observation
Program) or AIMSweb Behavior moduleto graph
behavior changes
94
Improving WM with CogmedDemo
95
What Makes Cogmed Work?
96
What Makes Cogmed Work?
97
Makes Working Memory Training Possible
Neuroplasticity

• The brain can physically change in response to
  focused, repeated, intensive activity
• I.e., training
• Improved working memory generalizes to other
  cognitive abilities and behavior