Understanding Working Memory and Dyslexia
@TeacherToolkit
Ross Morrison McGill founded @TeacherToolkit in 2007, and today, he is one of the ‘most followed educators’on social media in the world. In 2015, he was nominated as one of the ‘500 Most Influential People in Britain’ by The Sunday Times as a result of…
Read more about @TeacherToolkit
Are dyslexic students struggling in your classroom?
Dyslexic students often face challenges beyond phonological deficits, with working memory impairments playing a critical role in their struggles. When we start to unpack what working memory looks like for a neurotypical people, we should also ask what recommendations we can use for neurodivergent students …
‘How does working memory impact dyslexic students in our classrooms?’
This is a question I am increasingly asking myself as I explore research on working memory, providing recommendations and sharing them with teachers. The more more I dig deeper, the more I want to learn what tips I can pass on to all teachers working with neurodivergent students.
As a teacher, I’ve worked with countless dyslexic students. Some of my family members are dyslexic, yet, I am only now realising how many of the ways I live and work in and outside the classroom hasn’t fully considered how working memory deficits impact learning. It has made me rethink how we, as teachers, need to adapt our strategies to truly meet the needs of neurodiverse students.
Dyslexic students are affected by deficits in working memory
This research, Executive working memory processes in dyslexia: Behavioural and fMRI evidence (Beneventi et al., 2010), explores how dyslexic students are affected by deficits in working memory, especially in tasks requiring verbal processing.
The study suggests that beyond phonological issues, working memory deficits significantly hinder learning, particularly as cognitive load increases.
In essence, dyslexic students face more than reading challenges than others, and working memory plays a key role.
As I get to grips with more research about the brain, I’m increasingly fascinated by MRI scans. Thanks to this technology, we’ve learnt more about the brain in the last 40 years and we have across the last 4,000. This graphic shows the differences in neural activity in dyslexia participants ((left) compared to age-matched participants (right).
Working memory deficits in dyslexic students affect their ability to process and retain verbal information, which can undermine their reading and writing skills. Research highlights that while phonological processing difficulties are widely recognised as a core feature of dyslexia, working memory plays an equally significant role in hindering learning.
This research suggests that dyslexic students had weaker performance in tasks that involved holding and manipulating phonemes in their memory. This difficulty becomes even more pronounced when the memory load increases, such as in multi-step tasks or complex problem-solving activities.
This reveals that dyslexia is not just about struggling to decode words—it’s about how the brain manages and stores verbal information.
Understanding the role of working memory
Understanding the role of working memory is critical for teachers because it directly affects students’ ability to follow instructions, engage in classroom discussions, and retain new information. When a student’s working memory is overloaded, it can result in slower processing, forgetfulness, and mistakes in their work, all of which can be misinterpreted as carelessness or lack of effort.
The Beneventi study highlights that dyslexic students show less brain activation in areas responsible for executive functioning, meaning they struggle to juggle multiple pieces of information. Teachers need to be aware of this because these deficits can also affect maths problem-solving, science experiments, or any task requiring reasoning.
What can teachers do?
To support dyslexic students with working memory deficits, teachers can make several practical adjustments:
- First, break down instructions into smaller, manageable steps
- Provide visual aids or written copies to reinforce verbal directions.
- Chunk information to help students retain what’s needed without overwhelming their working memory.
- Use technology such as speech-to-text software, which allows students to focus on expressing their ideas without the cognitive load of writing.
- Regular retrieval practice—asking students to repeat or summarise what they’ve just learned—can also strengthen working memory over time.
Importantly, dyslexic students will need extra moments to organise their thoughts, particularly when responding to complex questions or solving multi-step problems. Differentiated instruction that recognises these needs can make a significant difference to their engagement and success.
Reflection questions for teachers
- How do working memory demands impact dyslexic students during your whole-class instruction?
- Are your instructions broken down into clear, manageable chunks for students ?
- What visual aids can be used to reduce cognitive load for dyslexic students?
- How can speech-to-text software support students in focusing on content rather than the mechanics of writing?
- Do dyslexic students have enough time to process multi-step questions?
- Can retrieval practice better support students with memory challenges?
- What strategies help your dyslexic students with problem-solving?
- How often do you check for understanding to prevent overload?
- Is your feedback adapted to the memory limits of dyslexic students?
- Are you collaborating with SENCOs to personalise learning plans?
Teachers who understand the link between dyslexia and working memory deficits can make a significant difference in how students learn. Start by reducing cognitive load and offering more targeted support.
The research concludes:
“These findings provide support for a specific working memory deficit in dyslexic individuals” (Beneventi et al., 2010).
Download the read the full paper.
