Studies show ADHD affects short term memory

[Bynddrvn]

From watching videos from Thomas E Brown Ph.D. and Russell Barkley Ph.D. working memory seems to be an issue for those with ADHD. I remember when I was in college; I didn’t get a high enough score on the entrance exam for mathematics. At the same time I was taking a class on Excel spreadsheets, so I put some of the math problems into the spreadsheet and it allowed for me to visualize the problems. By using a graphing calculator and spreadsheets I quickly advanced through my math classes until three years later I received an “A” in a very difficult Stochastic Calculus/Financial Derivatives class.

Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D. mentioned issues with working memory and how externalizing stimulus seems to help with these issues.

youtube.com/watch?v=1qxUU8L...(Not working as expected?)

I would be interested to know if others have found similar work around solutions to the short term memory issue.

[Eclecticentric77]

Hi there, I'm a big admirer and fan of Dr. Russell Barkley's work. Glad everything turned out well for you in your math pursuits. As you've stated external stimuli is of major help for those of us with ADHD.

I have found multiple ways to help out the short term memory issue by:

1. When having to memorize large bits of information, do not memorize all the information, rather memorize certain key words after making sure to thoroughly understand the information. That way when a specific word pops up, you'll be able to recall the information

2. Using mnemonic devices. Take an idea you're you are learning about or a chunk of information, and correlate that with something you are extremely familiar with or something outlandish/humorous that has a correlation or is similar to what you are learning.

For example: When learning about the hippocampus in my undergrad, I used the mnemonic device of visualizing a big emotional hippo in the center of a campus (ie. the brain) reminiscing of past memories.

3. Take the previous tactic of using mnemonic devices and use it to memorize long steps, processes, or stories. Make the mnemonic devices be familiar to you, but small. Every mnemonic device will stand for a step in the process or in the story. I had been using this for years and learned recently that the ancient Greeks and Romans used this tactic as well, it was called the "Method of Loci. People with ADHD have a difficult time with short term memory but our long term memory is profound.

[Bynddrvn in reply to Eclecticentric77]

Love mnemonic devices and similar techniques. I remember for my Derivatives class I remembered that Call options start with "C" and this is closer in the alphabet to "B" for Buy and Put options are "P" and this is closer to "S" for sell. Not sure why that helped me to remember which Derivatives Option was buy or sell but hey I got an "A" on the final so it worked

[kami73]

I’m going back to college and I having a horrible time too. The stress of it is enormous and you know how stress makes it worse.

[Bynddrvn in reply to kami73]

No doubt. I wonder if there have been any studies on why those with ADHD sometimes have issues with anxiety. I think some of it is situational as I remember time being called on a test and I was busy daydreaming. Not a good situation. They tried to all kinds of techniques but what is really weird is that my fastest time was on the untimed test.

[kami73 in reply to Bynddrvn]

Pressure is a hard thing for adhd people. I think if I didn't have a time limit on tests, I would do better.

[Bynddrvn in reply to kami73]

Agree. My mom saved all of the numerous tests I was given through out my schooling when I first started to have issues in elementary school. In one instance they ran me through several tests and one of the administrators just happen to notice that my fastest time was on the untimed test. The test administrator wrote on my test evaluation, "Even though this was an untimed test, we were keeping track of time. The student performed almost all calculations correctly and completed the test several minutes earlier than in all other testing situations. When the error was pointed out, the student correctly identified the error in calculation. Thoughts?"

Too bad I don't have the follow up discussion as I bet that would be interesting to know what they thought of the fastest test time being the untimed test. I think I just didn't feel pressure and without the anxiety I was able to focus on just answering the questions.

[ignisalamort in reply to Bynddrvn]

So I'm not aware of any currently aware of any studies, but it is mentioned in the book Driven to Distraction by Edward Hallowell. He states that anxiety and stress is very often seen in those of us with ADHD and quite often stems as a secondary disorder, coming from our many previous failures, or falling short of our goals due to ADHD before being diagnosed. The constant build up of personal let downs and potential abuse or critique from others slowly builds up until internalized to the degree of becoming anxiety/crippling stress.

[HadEnuf]

Certainly not news to those of us who forget, continually, why the hell we're doing what we're doing.

However, working memory is quite distinct from short-term memory (and even less durative, for that matter).

[Bynddrvn in reply to HadEnuf]

Agree, working memory is probably a better description as my short term memory is actually quite good.

[Hidden]

I, too, love math! ^5 especially game theory, which I study independently with series from all of the top tier open university libraries. I love the local library because it's awesome as well. I'm back in college for financial modeling, which also makes me very happy and comes naturally (hooray). I'm so glad you're able to find ways to have those ah-hah moments. I love when things click into place.

The only things that drive me crazy in college and with which I struggle to this day are the electives that I'm supposed to take and choosing things that I think may be remotely useful... oh, the humanities... there are so many... do they think anyone wants to pay thousands for 3 credits of Japanese Basket Weaving and the Sexual Symbolism Behind It...?

I have more trouble with distraction than retaining things, but if I find it to be boring, I definitely have more memory issues. I have to amp it up for myself. I wish I had the key to unlock those moments so I could give you the answer. If I ever find a universal answer, it's yours!

[Bynddrvn in reply to Hidden]

I had to laugh, my lowest grade for my BS in Finance was in "Dance Appreciation." That class was absolute hell for me as I could care less about most of the dancing but when there was an interesting group - my teacher always thought they were "selling out."

For tests I am getting better but I still have a ways to go. One coach told me that you should start out studying the material and answer a few questions. As you get closer to the test, you should be doing more questions and less studying until you are pretty much just trying to figure out why you missed some questions.

What I find frustrating is that some of the questions are written in a way that really is difficult for those of us who don't dismiss ideas quickly. I noticed this when I studied with another person. He drove me nuts he was SUCH a ridged thinker! In practice tests we were getting almost identical scores but on the real test he did much better than me. Kind of odd that tests reward those with no creativity but the work place needs creative thinkers.

[emisme]

Congratulations on finding a solution to your problem and succeeding in math!

I find the short-term memory thing about ADHD perplexing. I have had the symptoms for years, yet when I had a psych assessment done in my early 20s, I scored in the 98th percentile for short-term memory. This seems to be totally incompatible with ADHD. In fact, the psychologist who oversaw the evaluation told me that based on the assessment, she didn't think I suffer from ADHD. I have nearly all the symptoms, except for hyperactivity and making mistakes (I've always had great attention to detail). Those symptoms are finally creeping in too, but they seem to be associated with chronic stress/anxiety. I'd love to know what others her make of this.

[Bynddrvn in reply to emisme]

Short term memory is probably the wrong term, maybe working memory is a better fit? My largest issues are not fully understanding a question before I start working on it and inattention. If I am interested in a subject, I am the annoying person who points out the errors if there are any. If I am not terribly interested, I will miss glaring errors.

I think the point Russell A. Barkley, Ph.D. was trying to make is that ADHD individuals aren't terribly good at doing math problems in our head, we need to externalize it by using some method.

[emisme in reply to Bynddrvn]

Sorry, I was just responding to your message. I didn't watch the video.

I'm not actually sure whether my score was for short-term memory or working memory, but it was a comprehensive, 2-day psych assessment. Oddly, I just tried to search for specific info on the name of the specific test administered, and I can't find it.

I'm similar to you. I also annoy people by pointing out errors. Perhaps the making errors aspect wasn't as obvious because nearly everything can capture my interest if presented in a way that I like it and usually did in the past. However, after living with problems like this for years in addition to the various traumas I've experienced, I think stress/anxiety/depression has blunted my faculties. Perhaps diet, too, as I don't always eat well.