Visual and Verbal Memory and Down Syndrome

Growing Memory Skills in Young Learners with Down Syndrome

Children with Down syndrome are well-know for their relative strengths in visual memory and their deficits in auditory (verbal) processing skills. Auditory processing is a complex issue for our children with Down syndrome. In this post, I’m going to concentrate on the short-term auditory memory aspect of our children’s difficulty in auditory processing. It is something tangible we can work on in our everyday interactions with our children.

Let’s take a moment to define what we are talking about:

Visual Memory refers to remembering what you see

Auditory Memory refers to remembering what you hear.


These activities are actually exercises meant to strengthen memory skills!

Activities to Strengthen Processing Skills

Activities for young children should be fun and engaging. When choosing activities, start with the lowest level of difficulty to gage your child's skill level . We want our children to be successful with the following memory skill builders or “games.”

As you begin memory training, your child may need cues to be successful in completing tasks. They may need to learn the game so give them plenty of practice learning the games. Build to higher levels, increasing in complexity, as your child finds success.

Remember, that sincere appropriate praise is a great motivator!

Visual Memory Activities

Visual Memory is a relative strength in children with Down syndrome. This channel is not completely intact so working to strengthen visual memory is important.

Concentration Games
You will need two sets of color cards: make a sequence of two color cards (red-blue). Have the child look at these for a few seconds. Then turn the cards over. Given some other cards, she must pick out the two that are hidden. Increase to three and more colors as she is ready. Variations: Play with objects, number cards, letter cards, picture cards, or block shapes
Another variation of the above game: Use one set of color cards. Make a sequence of two colors (ie. red-blue). Allow your child to look at these a few seconds. Then turn the cards over. She must then touch each card and tell you orally what the card color is before turning it over to check. Again this can be played with objects, number cards, letter cards, picture cards, or block shapes.

Games marketed under the trade name Memory - or make your own. This games involves pairs of pictures-shapes, letters, colors, animals etc. The cards are placed face down. Pick a card and try to remember where its match is located. Start with just a few pairs and build as skills allow.

What's missing? Place 2-3 objects or pictures in front of your child. Have him/her look at the group and name each object. Have the child close his/her eyes, remove one object. Identify the missing object. Increase the level of difficulty as your child's skill level improves.

Identify what is missing from known objects drawn on paper. For example, draw a face without a nose and ask what is missing.

Sequencing & pattern activities. Reproduce patterns of colors, shapes, pictures. Continue a pattern after several sets are given.

Hide the peanut or some other treat. Hide a peanut under a cup. Use a set of two or three cups and your child must find the peanut after you slowly move them around.

Recreate drawings from memory. At the beach or create your own "sand box" with sand or salt poured into a flat container. Draw a simple picture, letter, shape, wipe it away, and have your child recreate the drawing.

Auditory Memory Activities

Children with Down syndrome have deficits in short-term memory. They have a difficulty remembering what they hear which leads to delays in talking, processing spoken language, for reading and math. (1)

These activities should help to strengthen verbal short-term memory skills.

Repeat a sequence of two numbers given verbally. Have the child repeat what you say. Increase to three and more as he/she is able. Variation this can be played with names of people, animals, toys, verb words, and letters.

Note: When my daughter was young we found repeating numbers to be confusing to her. She had difficulty ordering numbers in the proper sequence for what seemed to be a long time. We only played auditory memory games with the variations found above.

Verbal Commands. Place some toys in another room. Tell the child to get the doll. The child has to hold the command in her memory and bring back the doll. If she can do one toy, tell her two toys to bring back.

Given three pictures, you verbally tell the child what order to put them in.

Tell the child to clap his/her hands. Then give her two commands to do (clap and jump) Work up to giving her a sequence of three things to do.

If the child can draw, tell him/her to draw items. Keep them simple at first: a red ball, a green square and so on. Increase in complexity over time. The child will have to hold the instructions in their memory as they complete the task.

Repeat a series of sounds: Clap, Clap increasing in number with success, ie. Clap, Clap.....Clap

Create an obstacle course in your house or outside! Describe the way you want your child to go through the course in 1, 2, or 3 parts depending on his/her developmental level. For example, go around the chair, jump over the pillow, crawl under the table.

Act out simple stories/nursery rhymes. Read a simple story or nursery rhyme and act it out or have him/her tell it back to you sequentially. You may have to break the story down after reading it to your child until his skills increase.

Play the shopping game. Ask the shopkeeper (your child) for a series of food items. Begin with one or two and work higher as he/she progresses. Let them help you remember your list when you visit the grocery store.

Treasure Hunt. Have your child retrieve a series of "treasures" from another room.

Sequence activities of daily living. Repeat the activities of the day or an activity with several parts and have your child "help" you with what comes next. This will seem quite natural when relaying the days events to daddy over dinner.

Helping around the house. When preparing dinner have your child get a list of needed items i.e. salt, pepper, napkins, for the table. Repeat the series as needed to encourage success.

Repeating sentences. Start with simple phrases and increase length of utterances. For example, red ball or brown chair. As skills improve-The big ball is red. The brown chair is hard. If your child hears well, make it fun and whisper.

Teaching organizational skills will also help with memory skills. In the early years teach sorting by color, shape, & size. As they sort according to classification i.e. food groups, function, etc. Don't forget oddity tasks...what doesn't belong to a certain group.

For more information:

1. Down Syndrome Issues and Information, Memory Development for Individuals with Down Syndrome by Sue Buckley and Gillian Bird

2. Early Communication Skills for Children with Down Syndrome by Libby Kumin

3. Earobics Software to improve processing deficits