Kim Sohyun An, Kasari Connie
University of California, Los Angeles, USA.
Autism. 2023 Apr 21;27(8):13623613231165599. doi: 10.1177/13623613231165599.
Working memory is an important skill for school success, and it involves holding information in our memory while using it to solve complex problems at the same time. Autistic children often have difficulty with working memory. Because working memory development can be easily influenced by many factors from a young age, it is important to find factors that help with autistic children's development. This study tested the factors that are related to autistic children's working memory when they start kindergarten and the factors that can help with rapid improvement throughout their elementary school. We used a nationally representative data set that followed the same group of children from kindergarten to fifth grade. We found that autistic students from backgrounds with more resources and students with advanced learning approaches such as being organized, being excited to learn, and paying careful attention to their work, started school with strong working memory. Autistic students with advanced learning approaches continued to make rapid improvements during the first 3 years, and then their growth slowed down during the last 3 years. Autistic students who had a good relationship with their teachers made rapid improvements during the last 3 years of their elementary school. In addition, autistic children who struggled with working memory upon school entry were more likely to receive special education services at school. These findings suggest that we need effective ways to teach young autistic children important learning-related behaviors from a very young age through the school system, and teachers must prioritize building positive relationships with their students.
工作记忆是学业成功的一项重要技能，它涉及在我们的记忆中保留信息，同时利用这些信息来解决复杂问题。自闭症儿童在工作记忆方面往往存在困难。由于工作记忆的发展从幼年起就很容易受到多种因素的影响，因此找到有助于自闭症儿童发展的因素非常重要。本研究测试了自闭症儿童进入幼儿园时与他们工作记忆相关的因素，以及在整个小学阶段有助于快速提升的因素。我们使用了一个具有全国代表性的数据集，该数据集跟踪了同一组儿童从幼儿园到五年级的情况。我们发现，来自资源更丰富背景的自闭症学生以及采用先进学习方法（如有条理、对学习充满热情并认真对待作业）的学生，入学时工作记忆较强。采用先进学习方法的自闭症学生在最初3年持续快速进步，然后在最后3年增长放缓。与老师关系良好的自闭症学生在小学的最后3年进步迅速。此外，入学时在工作记忆方面存在困难的自闭症儿童在学校更有可能接受特殊教育服务。这些发现表明，我们需要有效的方法，通过学校系统从很小的时候就教年幼的自闭症儿童重要的与学习相关的行为，而且教师必须优先与学生建立积极的关系。
