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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 15, 2026

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Assessing Working Memory in Children: The Comprehensive Assessment Battery for Children – Working Memory (CABC-WM)

Published on: June 12, 2017

Working memory limitations in children with severe language impairment.

John van Daal¹, Ludo Verhoeven, Jan van Leeuwe

¹Sint Marie Center for Children with Auditory or Communication Problems, Castilielaan 8, 5629 CH Eindhoven, The Netherlands. j.van.daal@sintmarie.nl

Journal of Communication Disorders

|May 8, 2007

Summary

Working memory components significantly predict specific language abilities in children with severe language problems. Phonological memory supports phonological skills, central executive memory aids lexical-semantic skills, and visual memory impacts speech production.

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Last Updated: Jul 15, 2026

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Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Developmental Psychology
Linguistics

Background:

Working memory is crucial for cognitive functions, including language.
Language impairment in children is a complex, multifactorial issue.
Understanding the relationship between working memory and language is vital for clinical intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between distinct working memory components and specific language abilities in children with severe language problems.
To explore how phonological, visual, and central executive memory predict different aspects of language.
To provide insights into the cognitive underpinnings of language impairment.

Main Methods:

A clinical sample of 97 Dutch-speaking 5-year-old children with severe language problems was assessed.
Working memory was evaluated using Baddeley's model, with factor analyses identifying phonological, visual, and central executive components.
Language abilities were assessed across lexical-semantic, phonological, syntactic, and speech production domains, also using factor analysis.

Main Results:

Moderate to high correlations were observed between working memory and language factors.
Phonological memory significantly predicted phonological abilities.
Central executive memory predicted lexical-semantic abilities, and visual memory predicted speech production abilities.
Phonological abilities were also found to predict syntactic abilities.

Conclusions:

Working memory plays a predictive role in specific language skill development in children with language impairments.
The findings highlight the distinct contributions of different working memory components to language processing.
These results have significant theoretical and clinical implications for understanding and addressing language problems.