Working Memory Training for ADHD? Any experience?

[Aufilia]

My 6-year-old was recently diagnosed with ADHD (combined type), which isn't at all surprising. Testing also showed she has deficits in working memory (which seems pretty normal for ADHD).  I recently ran into a website about working memory training, and have since looked up some journal articles that suggest that intensive working memory training shows good long-term results for kids with ADHD.  However, while I've seen websites made up by people selling products, and journal articles, I've never met anyone who's used or recommended working memory training. 

Does anybody know anything about it? 

Has anyone tried it?

I see one software package that specifically claims to enhance working memory training and markets itself for ADHD, among other things.  It's only available to psychologists and costs a whole lot of money out-of-pocket, which makes me wary.  I don't have a lot of money (in fact, I'm not really sure how I can fit an ADHD therapist into our lives since we're already paying for occupational and physical therapy).

I see other similar-sounding software packages that are much cheaper but are they legit?  How would I know? (And how would I convince my very stubborn, very low-tolerance-for-frustration ADHD child to actually use them enough to benefit??)

[Emmeline II]

I don't have info on those programs but I have sent you some other links.

This seems like something he could get help with at school. My ds (8 next month) is considered OHI under IDEA and receives speech therapy at school for some articulation issues and pragmatics. We do have a social skills game at home (You Are a Social Detective) that was a bit pricey ($90) but he has gotten some benefit out of it; doing a lesson (and getting a mini mun score) once a week on Sunday is a condition of his playing his games on the X-Box; sometimes school resource teachers/counselors have games like this that students can use at school.

Ds (who does take medication) tends to be stubborn and have a lower tolerance for frustration also, and the first few times of something new are a struggle, but once it becomes part of his routine he does better with it; if it is part of a written schedule that's even better.

I recommended reading "Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy"; the information from the book can be found on their site as well (Table of Contents). Reading "Wrightslaw: Special Education Law, 2nd Edition," would be a good idea as well).

Under IDEA/IEP, if your child has a disability that adversely affects educational performance, your child is entitled to an education that is designed to meet the child's unique needs and from which your child receives educational benefit.

A 504 is helping your child get the same education that everyone else is getting--more for a student that needs accommodations to help them learn (like sitting next to the teacher) or for behavior, and that they are not punished for things that they cannot control due to the ADHD (like needing to work standing up or not sit inside a group).

[A IEP or 504 is not an escalation or punishment for the teacher/school. It's more about getting all appropriate parties involved and on the same page. The student, parent/legal guardian, teachers, principals, Pupil Services administrators, support staff (i.e. nurse, counselor, psychologist, language/speech pathologist) as well as the student's physician or therapist may be involved in the placement process including the 504 meeting.]

Eligibility under IDEA for Other Health Impaired Children

Key Differences Between Section 504, the ADA, and the IDEA.

If you decide to request the school do an evaluation, you need to "start the clock" in your letter of request; the school has 60 days from the date they received parental consent for evaluation to do the evaluation; your written request should note that this letter is the consent for evaluation. (And, if you did not do it in writing, it never happened!).

Determining Eligibility: How Many Days is 60 Days? - Wrightslaw

The Art of Writing Letters by Pam and Pete Wright - Advocacy ...
 

Independent Education Evaluations: What? How? Why? Who Pays?

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[Aufilia]

Emmeline, thanks for the links. You are always a wealth of information. DD has an IEP already though I understand it may need to be changed again since she now has an actual medical diagnosis, whereas before it was all behavior-based. However, we can't cross that bridge until we get the official report sometime near the end of February. She currently attends social skills group at school twice per week, and a "friendship group" for Kindergarteners once per week, OT every other week at school, and sees the special ed teacher for 15 minutes every morning for SPD. As far as academics, she has learned exactly nothing at school, although yesterday she was all fired up to learn how to subtract with regrouping so she could "know more math" than her buddy S. (That lasted though about 20 math problems, at which point she knew enough about the concept to lose interest.)

The working memory programs seem to be oriented toward memory games (ie, remember a string of numbers, input them back) but of course, it's hard to tell what they really do without access to the programs. The school district has not provide any resource like this so far (and in fact, they thought her working memory was ok... I'm not sure how they got that idea, and questioned it at the last IEP meeting but what do I really know, I'm just the parent who read some books....).