If you’ve been around here for a while, you know I’m an action girl. I love good research — but only if it helps us do something today, at home, right now.
So let’s talk honestly about working memory and what this means for autistic drivers and individuals with cognitive challenges.
First: What the Research Actually Says
The science is clear on a few important points:
- Working memory differences in autism are real — but not universal and not fixed.
- Improvements are strongest when training is embedded in real-life tasks.
- Gains tend to show up in daily functioning, not necessarily as dramatic jumps on lab tests.
In other words, the goal isn’t a higher score. The goal is smoother mornings, safer driving, better follow-through, and less overwhelm.
That’s good news. Because those are things we can work on.
1. Strategy Training (This Is the Power Move)
Research shows that practicing specific memory exercises alone—like repeating sequences of numbers or using brain-training games—usually helps you get better at that exact task. However, these improvements don’t often carry over to real-life skills, like schoolwork, problem-solving, or daily decision-making. This is true for both people without cognitive challenges and those with clinical conditions: while you might improve on the exercises themselves, it rarely boosts your memory or thinking in other areas.
In contrast, teaching strategies to manage information—like breaking information into chunks, using checklists, taking notes, or organizing tasks—works much better in daily life. People, including autistic adults, can use these strategies to handle information more effectively, even if their memory capacity hasn’t changed.
Research also shows that executive skills, like planning, organizing, and deciding what to focus on, play a big role in how well working memory works. Learning to use these skills and strategies together gives far more practical results than trying to make your memory “bigger.”
In short: It’s usually more helpful to teach people how to handle and organize information than to try to increase the amount they can hold in memory.
Try this at home:
- Chunking: Group information. Instead of remembering 7 separate items, group them into 2–3 categories.
- Rehearsal: Say steps quietly out loud while doing them.
- Visualization: Turn instructions into mental pictures.
- External sequencing: Use “First → Then → Next” language consistently.
Autistic brains often thrive on explicit structure. And especially in autism, explicit structure reduces cognitive load — which often produces immediate functional improvement.
2. External Supports (Smart!)
“Offloading memory” simply means using tools or strategies to take some of the burden off your brain so you don’t have to remember everything, and that doing this is actually smart and helpful rather than a weakness.
In other words, instead of trying to hold all the information in your head, you “offload” it onto something external, like:
- Writing notes or lists
- Using a calendar or planner
- Setting phone reminders or alarms
- Keeping sticky notes or charts
This is a healthy, efficient way for your brain to work. It frees up your mental resources so you can focus on problem-solving, decision-making, and other tasks, instead of struggling to remember everything.
High-impact tools you can use today:
- Visual schedules
- Written checklists
- Step cards for multi-step tasks
- Phone timers and reminders
- Printed driving cue cards (e.g., “Mirror → Signal → Check blind spot”)
Research consistently shows that external supports improve performance more than internal “brain training” alone — especially in autism.
If it works, it works.
3. Practice Inside Real Life
Working memory improves most when it’s trained inside meaningful activities.
At home, that might look like:
- Cooking from a recipe
- Following a morning routine checklist
- Practicing driving routes with structured cueing
- Breaking homework into sequenced steps
- Creating a consistent note-taking system
4. Cognitive Training Programs (The Nuanced Truth)
Programs like working-memory apps often improve performance on the tasks you practice. But on their own, they don’t consistently transfer to daily life.
They work best when paired with:
- Coaching
- Strategy instruction
- Real-world application
So they’re not useless. They’re just not magic.
5. Executive-Function Coaching (Especially for Teens & Adults)
For older learners, coaching around:
- Planning systems
- Task initiation
- Breaking goals into steps
- Error recovery
is often more impactful than pure memory training.
Again — we’re improving function, not chasing perfection.
6. Don’t Ignore Regulation
Working memory collapses under:
- Anxiety
- Sensory overload
- Time pressure
- Sleep deprivation
Reducing cognitive noise often improves working memory more than training it.
Add predictability. Reduce multitasking. Allow processing time.
What Doesn’t Work
- Random brain games without context
- Removing supports to “force independence”
- Treating working memory as an effort issue
The Bottom Line
Working memory in autistic individuals is plastic.
Improvement happens when supports are explicit, functional, and embedded in real life.
And remember: the goal is successful functioning — not normalization.
Now here’s my action challenge for you:
Pick one routine today and add structure to it. One checklist. One visual. One sequencing cue.
Small structure. Big impact.
That’s how we build change.
Want to See the Research? (Conflicting evidence here…)
- Adaptive training leads to sustained enhancement of poor working memory in children.
Developmental Science.
Holmes, J., Gathercole, S. E., & Dunning, D. L. (2009). 12(4), F9–F15. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-7687.2009.00848.x
This study randomized children with low working memory to adaptive versus non-adaptive training and found that adaptive training produced substantial and sustained gains in working memory performance.
- Is working memory training effective? A meta-analytic review.
Dev Psychol.
Melby-Lervåg M, Hulme C. (2013) Feb;49(2):270-91. doi: 10.1037/a0028228. Epub 2012 May 21. PMID: 22612437.