Ep. 79 Executive Function (Working Memory) Strategies for Autism and ID

Send us a Text or VoicemailA 6 year-old can't hold onto multi-step directions long enough to follow them — not because he isn't listening, but because his working memory drops the information before he can act on it. This week, Michele brings a real case to the table and digs into a 2024 study comparing two cognitive strategies — enactment and visualization — to see which one actually helps kids with autism and intellectual disability with working memory. Spoiler: one of them is the clear winner, and it's not the one you'd expect if you've ever thought about autistic kids as natural visual thinkers.We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too. Xie, T., Ma, H., Wang, L., & Du, Y. (2024). Can enactment and motor imagery improve working memory for instructions in children with autism spectrum disorder and children with intellectual disability? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(1), 131–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05780-z Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.📧  Email us a question or comment at [email protected]👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play