Pull the Andon Rope on Working Memory Capacity Interventions Until We Know More

The purpose of this article is to discuss the current state of interventions for improving working memory (WM) capacity language and academic skills and to provide suggestions for speech-language pathologists working with students who have WM capacity limitations.

Meta-analyses, systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and nonrandomized comparison studies investigating the role of WM interventions for improving WM capacity language and academic skills are reviewed. Strategies for improving WM are discussed.

The use of interventions designed to improve WM capacity and other cognitive skills is currently not supported by the research. Direct WM interventions should be considered to be experimental at this time. Such interventions require further investigation before they are used regularly for children with developmental language disorders.

Clinicians and practitioners should look to already established interventions for improving how students with developmental language disorders utilize organizational strategies and other well-researched methods for improving their cognitive and academic functioning in functional contexts.