SOME children labelled unintelligent or inattentive at school may in fact have poor memories, new research suggests. We look at how parents can tell if their child has a memory problem, and what they can do about it.

By Lisa Salmon

CHILDREN who get poor grades in reading and maths, who are easily distracted and have problems finishing schoolwork are often labelled "thick" by parents and teachers.

But, for some of them at least, the problem may not actually be a lack of intelligence, or even a lack of commitment, but simply a poor memory.

And the good news for such children - and parents and teachers - is that there's something that can be done about it.

Research from Durham University suggests that 10 per cent of children , or almost 500,000 primary school-aged children nationally, may have a working memory problem that causes them to do worse than expected at school.

The scientists there have designed the world's first tools - in the shape of a checklist and computer programme - to help teachers identify and assess children's memory capacity in the classroom. There is also an online Working Memory Tester & Trainer for parents to use at home.

Dr Tracy Alloway, who led the research, says: "Working memory is the single most important predictor of learning, much more so than IQ.

"So, when a teacher's making comments like a child's a daydreamer or lazy, it could be because the child doesn't have a big enough working memory - they forget what they need to do, so they're not able to build up on learning."

The tools are designed to assess the Working Memory Quotient (WMQ) of children aged from four upwards and the researchers suggest that parents get their kids to take the £19.99 online WMQ test if they:

Get poor grades in reading and maths

Are easily distracted

Have problems finishing classroom assignments

Have trouble following directions from teachers

Are reluctant to answer questions in class.

The results of the test give parents and teachers a profile of the child's verbal and visual working memory, which is what enables us to complete tasks such as mental arithmetic, or memorise directions.

"The tools provide a unique profile for the child that will help their teachers build up the best strategies to help them," says Alloway.

Tackling a poor memory is harder for older children because their learning is much further behind, she says, adding: "On the other hand, older children tend to be aware that they struggle with memory and they might have come up with strategies to improve it on their own."

The memory-boosting program the researchers have devised, a version of which is being used in more than 50 schools nationwide, includes advice on building up routines and making sure items are kept in the same location and consistency when it comes to schedules.

These strategies allow the child to absorb more from lessons instead of worrying about which books to take where and so on.

There are also tips on how parents can help children remember numbers and words through various games, such as giving the child one word made of two, like mailbox, and asking them to reverse the two parts, so it becomes boxmail. This encourages them to think about how the words they hear are made and so better commit them to memory.

Alloway stresses: "The value of working memory is that it actually measures a child's potential to learn, not what they've already learned. It's a pure measure of what they're capable of, whereas a test like IQ measures what a child has already learned.

"It's saying that the child has the potential to learn, so lets provide the appropriate support."

The WMQ test is available at www.memoryandlearning.com.