Working Memory Intervention Programs

As research continues to evolve, several emerging programs and clinical frameworks aim to strengthen working memory (WM) and executive skills using structured practice, explicit strategy instruction, and engaging, child-friendly activities. This article provides an overview of evidence-based and developing interventions including computerized training programs, executive-function models, and classroom-based approaches that show promise in supporting children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD).

Cogmed for Cognitive Memory Training Program

The Cogmed program is a computerized training program for ages 4+ that uses game-like exercises to build WM and attention (Cogmed, 2020). There are variable protocols used with this training, from 25-50 minutes per day, 3-5 days per week for 5 weeks. It has been backed by research that children in the treatment group outperformed the control group 3 months later (Boudreau & Costanza-Smith, 2011). However, it should be noted that most data comes from children with ADHD, so generalizing to DLD should be approached cautiously. Cogmed includes many different activities such as visuospatial grid tasks, rotating object tasks, span tasks, spatial span tasks, follow the instructions, n-back tasks, odd-one-out tasks, and sorting tasks. There has been some critiques of computerized training in general, with some research indicating it may lack generalizability and durability (Senter et al., 2022).

Get Ready, Do, Done Model

The Get Ready, Do, Done (GDD) Model is a clinical model used to help students build executive function skills through rehearsal of future events, situational awareness, temporal sequences, and higher order thinking. (Ward & Jacobsen, 2014). This model includes 5 executive function goals for the child that are relevant to classroom tasks:

1. Use situation awareness to imagine the future.

2. Strengthen nonverbal WM, and then verbal.

3. Use if-then reasoning for future thinking.

4. Develop a sense of time.

5. Increase self-monitoring and task adjustment.

The model uses coloured mats to visualize each step the child must take. This model is taught to parents and educators who are encouraged to use it for activities within a given time frame. The framework starts with Task Planning working backwards from Done to Get Ready, then repeats with Task Execution.

	Task Planning	Task Execution
Done	Imagine the completed task by drawing, describing, or finding a picture. Students are directed to put on their "future glasses".	Students find materials themselves. Depending on ability, some are only given the needed items, while others have irrelevant or missing materials.
Do	Students work backwards from the final image to break the project into smaller steps. Students will estimate how long each step will take and record it on a clock or timeline.	The students use the clock or timeline to visualize time passing and check their progress halfway through. Students reflect on any "time robbers" (distractions) and adjust plans as needed.
Get Ready	The students list and gather the materials needed for each step.	The students compare the final product to the plan. Then, they clean up, organize materials, and reflect.

https://inthebagkidscrafts.com/easy-telling-time-craft-for-kids/

https://www.efpractice.com/

Magic Memory

Magic memory is a game-based WM training program tailored for children with neurodevelopmental language disorders, particularly DLD. Although this program is not yet widely available for clinical use and is only available in French, it shows promising effects on WM and transfer effects to grammar and syntax skills (Stanford et al., 2019). The program includes five tasks (Delage et al., 2023):

1. Simple spans: child listens to familiar monosyllabic words and places the corresponding images in the order they are presented.

2. Complex spans: child hears everyday sound and places the corresponding images in the order they are presented.

3. Updating of WM: child sees a series of images and must click when the identical item has been presented in the previous one or two items.

4. & 5: Adapted from classic digit span but with colours

Recall to Enhance Children's Attention Language and Learning (RECALL)

RECALL is a 6-week classroom-based program for 4-5 year olds with group and whole class activities to improve WM attention, and language (Rowe et al., 2021). First, a theme is introduced with a puppet (e.g., space) . Then, the class is divided into three groups that rotate through listening recall, odd one out, and phoneme awareness stations. RECALL is not available in a "ready-to-use" program, but it is showing good feasibility within preliminary trials. Some note that this program may be more effective in a small-group therapy setting.

Short & Adaptive WM Intervention for DLD (Henry et al., 2022)

This face-to-face intervention program is aimed at improving language comprehension and WM in children with DLD using verbal (Listening Recall) and nonverbal (Odd One Out Span) WM tasks. Pre- and post-assessment was measured with nonverbal IQ and several CELF-4 subtests.

Intervention Tasks:

1. Listening Recall: children listened to sentences, judged them true/false, then recalled the final words of each sentence after a certain number of trials.

2. Odd One Out Span: children viewed sets of shapes, identified the "odd one out", and later recalled its spatial position.

Direct effects were seen by increased performance on both of the intervention tasks (Henry et al., 2022). Near transfer on untrained WM tasks was also seen with gains in digit recall, word list recall, block recall, counting recall, and backward digit span. Finally, far transfer was observed on language outcomes within sentence comprehension tasks, but not on receptive grammar tasks.

SMARTS Program for Educators

The SMARTS (Strategies, Motivation, Awareness, Resilience, Talents, Success) Program empowers grades 2-12 students to understand how they learn by teaching critically important executive function strategies (Meltzer & Logan, 2025). This program is offered as a yearly licenced curriculum for elementary, middle, and high schools. There are 50 modular lessons split between each age-specific program and within are further divided into goal setting, cognitive flexibility, organizing and prioritizing, remembering (working memory), and self monitoring & checking.

Although this program is rooted in Dr. Meltzer's work and published journals regarding executive functioning spanning 40+ years (Meltzer & Logan, 2025), there is a limited number of empirical studies. Two case studies on the SMARTS program showed positive outcomes for students’ metacognitive and cognitive skills (Kovalčíková & Martinková, 2022; Curry, 2024). Participants demonstrated improvements in strategy use, enjoyed the curriculum, and applied skills both at school and home, though some areas like pacing, differentiation, and perspective-shifting tasks could be refined.

References

Boudreau, D., & Costanza-Smith, A. (2011). Assessment and Treatment of Working Memory Deficits in School-Age Children: The Role of the Speech-Language Pathologist. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 42(2), 152–166. https://web-s-ebscohost-com.proxy1.lib.uwo.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=0&sid=6042988f-2152-4c44-9798-285dbbe3f07e%40redis

Cogmed. (2020). https://www.cogmed.com/

Curry, R. (2024). A Study on the SMARTS Executive Functioning Curriculum: Explicitly Teaching Executive Functioning Skills in a Fourth-Grade Classroom. Digital Commons. https://digitalcommons.acu.edu/metl/78 

Delage, H., Stanford, E., Baratti, C., & Durrleman, S. (2023). Working memory training in children with developmental language disorder: Effects on complex syntax in narratives. Frontiers in Rehabilitation Sciences, 3, 1068959. https://doi.org/10.3389/fresc.2022.1068959

Henry, L. A., Christopher, E., Chiat, S., & Messer, D. J. (2022). A Short and Engaging Adaptive Working-Memory Intervention for Children with Developmental Language Disorder: Effects on Language and Working Memory. Brain Sciences, 12(5), 642. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12050642

Kovalčíková, I., & Martinková, I. (2022). SMARTS programme and pupils’ Metacognitive abilities - a pilot study. The New Educational Review, 2022(Vol. 67), 17–29. https://doi.org/10.15804/tner.22.67.1.01

Meltzer, L., & Logan, M. (2025). SMARTS Program. https://smarts-ef.org/

Rowe, A., Titterington, J., Holmes, J., Henry, L., & Taggart, L. (2021). A classroom intervention targeting working memory, attention and language skills: a cluster randomised feasibility trial. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 7(1), 45. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-021-00771-w

Senter, R., Chow, J. C., & Willis, E. C. (2022). Speech-Language Pathology Interventions for Children with Executive Function Deficits: A Systematic Literature review. Language Speech and Hearing Services in Schools, 54(1), 336–354. https://doi.org/10.1044/2022_lshss-22-00013

Stanford, E., Durrleman, S., & Delage, H. (2019). The effect of working memory training on a clinical marker of French-Speaking children with Developmental Language Disorder. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 28(4), 1388–1410. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_ajslp-18-0238

Ward, S., & Jacobsen, K. (2014). A clinical model for developing executive function skills. Perspectives on Language Learning and Education, 21(2), 72–84. https://doi.org/10.1044/lle21.2.72