title: Working memory in children with developmental disorders.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to directly compare working memory skills across students with different developmental disorders to investigate whether the uniqueness of their diagnosis would impact memory skills. The authors report findings confirming differential memory profiles on the basis of the following developmental disorders: Specific Language Impairment, Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and Asperger syndrome (AS). Specifically, language impairments were associated with selective deficits in verbal short-term and working memory, whereas motor impairments (DCD) were associated with selective deficits in visuospatial short-term and working memory. Children with attention problems were impaired in working memory in both verbal and visuospatial domains, whereas the children with AS had deficits in verbal short-term memory but not in any other memory component. The implications of these findings are discussed in light of support for learning.
authors.affiliation: University of Stirling, United Kingdom. t.p.alloway@durham.ac.uk
authors.forename: Tracy Packiam
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Alloway
authors.forename: Gnanathusharan
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Rajendran
authors.forename: Lisa M D
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Archibald
mesh_terms: D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008570:Memory, Short-Term; D019957:Motor Skills Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D012691:Serial Learning; D013067:Speech Perception; D014706:Verbal Learning