Working memory of school-aged children on the autism spectrum: Predictors for longitudinal growth

Working memory is an important component of executive functioning, an area of difficulty for many autistic children. However, executive functioning and working memory are highly malleable throughout childhood, and various student-level and environmental factors play important roles in their development. This study used the Early Childhood Longitudinal Studies–Kindergarten Class of 2011. Conditional latent growth models were constructed to identify possible predictors for autistic children’s working memory performance upon entering kindergarten and their relative growth throughout their elementary school years. Study results indicate that socioeconomic status and students’ approaches to learning were positively associated with autistic children’s working memory performance upon school entry. Students’ approaches to learning positively predicted their rate of growth during the first 3 years and negatively predicted their rate of growth during the last 3 years of elementary school. Student–teacher relationship was positively associated with the rate of growth during the last 3 years of their elementary school years. Furthermore, autistic students who started at a lower standing in working memory upon school entry were more likely to receive special education services during their elementary school years. Practical and policy implications as well as future directions are discussed. Lay abstract 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.