Frustrated by Wasted Time? Try This Strategy for Working Memory
Do you or your child get off track before a task is complete? Do you waste time trying to remember what you were doing? Working memory is what helps us hold on to our plans. Use this strategy to stay on track.
Try mentally rehearsing the process before getting started on a task. Use more than one of your senses. This increases the likelihood of remembering the steps long enough to complete them.
- Visualize the steps.
- Say the steps mentally or aloud to add an auditory cue.
- Add something tactile to the process (eg., hold a different finger for each rehearsed step, and repeat the finger holding through the actual process).
Your Child’s Success with Working Memory
For children, front load the mental rehearsal strategy with the following phases. You will lay a foundation for when they need to rely solely on their working memory.
- Provide a set of visuals for each of the main steps.
- Model the steps for child as they help you.
- Coach them as they go through each step of the process on their own.
- Walk through mental rehearsals with your child a couple of times to help grow their self-reliance and ‘exercise’ their working memory.
- Let them try mental rehearsals on their own but remind them to come back to the visuals if they get off task. This gives them an independent strategy to use for getting back on track.
- Provide specific feedback as encouragement, but also as reinforcement for how helpful it is to use strategies with ADHD:
- “The dogs are happy you fed them so quickly tonight.”
- “Thank you for getting that chore done before school.”
- “When you couldn’t remember the next step, you went back to the visuals to remind you. You made it work!”
- “You followed the plan, so now we have time for a game of cards before bed.”
Following through to the completion of a task is almost as hard as getting it started. A mental rehearsal is one strategy that can support your (your child’s) distractible brain.
Remember this the next time you’re wondering, “Why did I come in here?”
This is such helpful information. I’m going to try this with my granddaughter at our next sleepover.
I look forward to hearing how it goes!