Working memory training
Training the part of memory you use in the moment.
Cogmed is a coached, structured working memory training program, offered at The Brain and Mind Clinic as one option after we understand your situation.
When holding a few things in mind at once is hard work, everyday tasks like following a set of instructions, doing mental arithmetic, or keeping your place in a conversation can take real effort.
Cogmed is a structured program that gives this part of memory regular, carefully pitched practice, with a coach alongside you. We offer it at our Gold Coast clinic as one option, chosen after we understand what is going on for you, and we are clear from the start about what it can and cannot do.
What it is
Working memory, and how Cogmed trains it
Working memory is the small amount of information you can hold in mind and work with for a few seconds, such as keeping a phone number in your head while you dial it, or holding the start of a sentence in mind while you reach its end. It is doing quiet work behind reading, problem-solving, organising and staying on task.
A simple way to picture it: information comes in, you hold and work with it for a short time, then you put it to use. Cogmed gives that holding-and-working step repeated, structured practice.
Cogmed Working Memory Training was developed by researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and is published by Pearson. It is a set of exercises, done on a computer or tablet, that ask you to hold and work with information that adjusts to become a little harder as you improve. A trained coach from our clinic sets it up with you, checks in each week, and helps you keep it on track.
What is involved
How the program runs
Cogmed is a short, intensive program with a clear shape. It asks for real commitment over a few weeks, and the regular practice is the part that matters most.
- We check it is a good fit. Before anything starts, we talk through your situation, and where helpful, assessment, so we can say honestly whether this is a sensible option for you and what to expect.
- Set-up with your coach. A trained coach helps you set up the program, explains how it works, and agrees a routine that fits around your week.
- Short daily sessions. You complete the exercises at home over about five weeks, with around 25 sessions in total, each taking roughly 30 to 45 minutes. The exercises adjust to your performance as you go.
- A weekly catch-up. Each week your coach reviews how it is going, troubleshoots, and helps you stay motivated through the harder stretches.
- Wrap-up and follow-up. At the end we look back over how it went together, and we check in again later on.
The program is demanding, and doing the sessions consistently is what gives it the best chance of being worthwhile. People differ in how they find it and what they get from it. The program is open to children, teenagers and adults. If you would like to try structured work on working memory, ask us and we will talk through whether it is a good fit for your situation.
Adaptive by design
The exercises adjust to you
The central idea is that the training stays at the edge of what you can manage. When a task starts to feel easy, it asks a little more of you. When it is too hard, it eases back. The aim is to keep the work challenging but possible, session after session.
This shows how the exercises adjust to you, trial by trial. It is a picture of how the program is designed to work, not a prediction of anyone's results.
Who it may suit
When people consider it
People look into working memory training for different reasons. It is something we might discuss when:
- Holding instructions, steps or numbers in mind is a day-to-day struggle, at school, at work or at home
- Concentration and keeping track have changed after an illness, a brain injury or a period of poor health, and you want something structured to work on
- A child or student often loses the thread of multi-step instructions, or their place in a task
- Working memory has come up as a relative difficulty in an assessment, and you want a practical way to put time into it
- You would like a clear, time-limited program with a coach, rather than something open-ended
Cogmed is not a treatment for ADHD, autism or any condition, and it is not a substitute for assessment, therapy or medical care. Where attention or memory difficulties are getting in the way, understanding the fuller picture usually comes first, and training may or may not be part of the plan. If it is not the right starting point for you, we will say so, and help you find what is.
What the evidence shows
Honest about what it can and cannot do
We think it is important to be straight about the research, because this is an area where careful claims matter. Studies consistently show that this kind of training improves how people perform on the working memory tasks they practise, and on closely similar tasks. The evidence that those gains carry over to broader, everyday outcomes, such as school results, general attention, or the core features of ADHD, is mixed, and researchers do not all agree. Some early trials reported wider benefits, while later reviews that pooled many studies found these harder to demonstrate.
Because of this, we offer Cogmed as one option with realistic expectations, never as a cure, and we talk through what is reasonable to expect in your situation before you decide whether to start.
What it is designed to do
- Give the working memory system regular, structured practice
- Improve performance on the trained tasks and closely similar ones
- Provide a clear, time-limited routine with a coach alongside you
- Be one practical part of a wider plan, where it fits
What it does not claim to do
- Treat or cure ADHD, autism or any other condition
- Raise intelligence, or guarantee better grades or work performance
- Replace assessment, therapy, medication or medical care
- Work the same way, or to the same degree, for everyone
“We offer it as one option, with realistic expectations, and we will tell you honestly if it is not the right fit.”
Cost & funding
Clear on cost before you decide
Fees for the program are quoted before you start, and we confirm them with you so there are no surprises. Working memory training is most often funded privately, and in some cases it may be supported through the NDIS where it is a reasonable and necessary part of a participant's plan. We confirm the fee and any funding pathway before anything is booked. See our Fees and Policies page.
Wondering whether it could help?
The best place to start is a conversation about what is going on, so we can give you an honest view. Request an appointment or call 0452 452 262. GPs and other professionals can refer through our referrer page. You do not need a referral for a private appointment.
Request an appointmentSources: Klingberg T, Fernell E, Olesen PJ, et al. Computerized training of working memory in children with ADHD, a randomized, controlled trial. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2005. Cortese S, Ferrin M, Brandeis D, et al. Cognitive training for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, meta-analysis of clinical and neuropsychological outcomes from randomized controlled trials. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 2015. Melby-Lervag M, Redick TS, Hulme C. Working memory training does not improve performance on measures of intelligence or other measures of far transfer. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 2016. Simons DJ, Boot WR, Charness N, et al. Do brain-training programs work? Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 2016. Cogmed is published by Pearson. General information only, not a substitute for individual clinical advice.