Intervention

“Education is not the learning of facts but the training of the mind to think.”

–Albert Einstein

Cogmed Working Memory

Working memory is the number one predictor of academic success for people of all ages.

Students with learning difficulties experience mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety, at a much higher rate than their typically developing peers. Addressing working memory issues in school age children can make a life-long difference in their mental health/wellness as well as academic and vocational success. Occasionally Cogmed working memory trainings will be offered in the community. (National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Contact Amy for a consult to discuss if Cogmed is the right intervention to address your child’s needs.

What is working memory?

Working memory is the ability to keep information in your mind for a short period of time (seconds) and be able to use this information in your thinking. Studies show that people with attention deficits also commonly have a working memory deficit. Other risk factors associated with working memory impairments include:

  • ADHD
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Anxiety and stress
  • Concussion
  • Depression
  • Diabetes
  • Dyslexia
  • Epilepsy
  • Learning disabilities
  • Oral language impairments
  • Bipolar disorder
  • Obsessive-compulsive disorder
  • Prenatal alcohol exposure

Working memory and learning

  • Children with poor working memory have difficulty with academic progress.
  • 10-15% of all students have working memory deficits.
  • Of 300 children with poor working memory, 83% scored poorly on either reading or math tests. The vast majority of these scored poorly in both areas. (Alloway, 2009).

How are students referred?

In the school setting, students are referred by appropriate school staff and the parent gives permission for the student to participate. Staff is in the role of coach and monitor student participation daily.  Adjustments are made daily by the Cogmed provider to promote student success.

Outside the school setting working memory training is available several times a year. A parent or other adult is in the role of coach and monitors the student’s participation daily. Adjustments are made to the program/ratios daily and check-ins occur weekly to provide program support and success.

How does cogmed working memory training work?

  • Initial interview
  • Start-up session
  • Five weeks of training with weekly coach calls
  • Wrap-up meeting
  • Six-month follow-up interview
  • Access to Cogmed Training Web

The Cogmed program consists of 25 training sessions that are meant to be done five times per week over five weeks. Each training session in the standard training protocol is about 30-40 minutes in total, including time for getting installed, taking breaks, and playing the reward game in the end.

Zones of Regulation

Zones of Regulation provides strategies to teach students to become more aware of and independent in controlling their emotions, impulses and improve their ability to problem solve conflicts. 

  • It works by addressing underlying deficits in emotional and sensory regulation which helps students to develop independent regulation skills.
  • The Zones program works well with individual and groups of students with underlying self-regulation difficulty and can be done virtually.
Everyone experiences moments of frustration, anger, anxiety and depression.  Self-regulation helps teach how to modulate emotions that at times can feel overwhelming and undermine school success. Although this comes naturally for some, others need to be taught and practice the skills to self-regulate their emotions. The Zones program helps by teaching different strategies to cope with and manage emotions based on the color zone they are in.
The Zones of Regulation helps kids recognize their own triggers, learn to read facial expressions, develop problem-solving skills, and become more attuned to how their actions affect other people (Kuypers, L.M, 2011).
Zones of Regulation Glossary