A Preliminary Examination of the Impact of Working Memory Training on Syntax and Processing Speed in Children with ASD.
Hélène Delage, Inge-Marie Eigsti, Emily Stanford and 1 others
PMID 34724165WHAT IT FOUND
Children with autism who completed eight weeks of home-based working memory training improved on memory tasks and showed gains in complex sentence repetition and comprehension.
These language improvements persisted three months later, though the study lacked a control group.
Key findings
01Participants showed significant improvements in working memory, complex sentence repetition, and attention speed after the training.
02Gains in syntax and attention were maintained three months after the training ended.
03Individual responses varied widely, with some children showing no improvement on any task.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study did not include an active control group, so it is unclear how much of the improvement was due to the training versus natural development or practice effects. The sample size was small (30 children), and results were highly variable between individuals. The training was delivered at home by caregivers, which may affect fidelity compared to clinical settings. Four children did not complete the three-month follow-up due to the pandemic.
Declared interests
Funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Université de Genève. No commercial conflicts of interest were reported.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume this training works for every child with autism. The study showed no control group, and individual responses varied greatly, with some children showing no improvement on any measure.