Memory Deficits and Interventions in ADHD: What Works, What Doesn’t and What Did You Say?

There is ample evidence for compromised working memory in ADHD. But an almost exclusive focus on working memory limits our understanding of various memory systems that can be affected by weak sustained attention. Students with ADHD, for example, often complain of "blanking out" during tests and exams. Remembering facts over time requires good focus and efficient working memory while studying. When both systems are compromised, the consolidation and retrieval of information becomes less likely. Forgetting to perform chores, misremembering assignment deadlines and exam dates, and forgetting to answer texts—even immediately after receiving them—are also common complaints. In this seminar, we will discuss current memory models and different memory subtypes: working memory, short-term and long-term memory, semantic and episodic memory, as well as prospective memory (i.e., remembering to do things in future). Research on memory in ADHD will be reviewed, including interventions targeted at different memory systems. The importance of sleep in memory consolidation, as well as the efficacy of psychopharmacological interventions in enhancing memory functioning, will also be discussed. Finally, we will share strategies for supporting memory from our work with clients enrolled in a Memory Strategies and Study Skills intervention at our clinic.

1. Participants will review current conceptualizations of memory models and subtypes.
2. Participants will review research evidence for differences in memory systems in ADHD and their associated functional impairments.
3. Participants will review evidence for psychopharmacological and non-psychopharmacological interventions to support memory in ADHD, and mnemonic strategies to support memory encoding and retrieval.