A LITERATURE REVIEW ON EFFECTIVENESS OF COMPUTERIZED TRAINING PROGRAMS ON WORKING MEMORY CAPACITY AND READING ABILITY OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

In this paper, a literature review is conducted to discuss the effectiveness of computerized training programs in improving Working Memory (WM) capacity and reading ability of students with disabilities. The methodology used in conducting this review is to systematically search internet resources and databases. This review examines mainly empirical studies published over the last 10 years. These studies focused on the effect of computerized training programs on working memory and reading in students with disabilities. Six selection criteria are used for the inclusion decisions. Twenty articles are included in the final review. This literature review indicates that working memory training can improve WM capacity among students with different types of disorders including learning disabilities, ADHD, intellectual disability, and low WM. Moreover, after WM training, improvements in reading skills are noted across some groups. It is noteworthy that among previous studies there are inconsistent findings regarding the far transfer effect of working memory training on other untrained executive functions. Also, the underlying mechanism of memory improvement following training is not always clear in the research reviewed. Further research is needed to determine the principles governing the type and amount of WM computerized training