{"id":47,"date":"2026-05-04T08:55:52","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T08:55:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coachingwithadifference.com\/?p=47"},"modified":"2026-05-04T08:57:20","modified_gmt":"2026-05-04T08:57:20","slug":"remembering-to-remember-easing-the-working-memory-strain-on-students-with-learning-differences","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coachingwithadifference.com\/?p=47","title":{"rendered":"\u201cRemembering to Remember: Easing the Working-Memory Strain on Students with Learning Differences\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cThe amount that students \u2013 from elementary-age to the college years \u2013 have to remember and recall at any moment is staggering. It is even more startling when we factor in working memory deficits that are common among students with learning differences.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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We are inundated with apps and digital tools designed to help us remember, organize, and streamline every moment of our lives. You would think, with all this technology at our fingertips, that we would never worry about forgetting anything ever again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet, for students with learning differences<\/a> and ADHD, the vast array of digital memory aids can actually add to the overwhelm rather than ease the load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Digital Overload<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

James*, a student with dyslexia<\/a> and ADHD, describes the digital onslaught that greets him every day: \u201cI wake up to one of the multiple alarms on my phone. Because I\u2019ve got so many alarms now, my mind has started to ignore them. When I eventually get out of bed, I switch on my laptop, and the same thing always happens: I\u2019m hit by an onslaught of emails from my college and tutors reminding me of assignments to hand in (or in my case, overdue assignments), changes to my timetable, updates to the college website \u2013 the list is endless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He continues: \u201cWhen one tutor sends an email, they think they are being helpful. But when I get 10 \u2018helpful\u2019 emails a day, my brain is set to explode. To be honest, I just ignore them all now because it\u2019s too much for me to process. Having to remember everything is a form of torture.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The amount that students \u2013 from elementary-age to the college years \u2013 have to remember and recall at any moment is staggering. It is even more startling when we factor in working memory deficits<\/a> that are common among students with learning differences.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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As a learning support teacher, I have lost count of the number of neurodivergent high school and college students who, even weeks into the academic semester, tell me that they still forget the times and rooms of their classes. There are so many reasons for this, ranging from digital overload<\/a> to distraction and time blindness, but the consequences are always damaging. Students may be summoned to meetings with the school, where it can be almost impossible to explain why they can\u2019t just remember to follow a schedule that seems easy to do from a neurotypical perspective. These same students often struggle with low self-esteem and feeling like they\u2019ve failed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unhelpful Teaching Styles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Certain teaching styles also add to the overwhelm. Some students are lucky enough to have the rare instructor who centers inclusivity and teaches at a pace that helps with processing information. Many students, however, tell me that their professors \u201cjust talk at the class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s so demotivating\u201d says James. \u201cI try really hard to stay focused, but I relent. The teacher\u2019s words sort of dance in and out of my mind and eventually become meaningless.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Memory Aids and Classroom Strategies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Educators must do more to support students with learning differences<\/a> for whom working memory is an area of need. The following are a few strategies and pointers for educators. Share them with your teacher to start off the school year right:<\/p>\n\n\n\n