Workplace
Some dyslexic people have working memory challenges. This can—
Hold up, hold up! Working memory?
Working memory is the small amount of information that can be ‘held in your head’, and used in the execution of cognitive tasks. It allows you to draw conclusions, solve problems, and make connections. Think of your brain as a juggler: the beanbags are the different pieces of information you’re trying to keep in your mind. Like a juggler, the amount of information (or beanbags) you can juggle is finite—too many enter the rotation, and you’ll likely end up dropping a few. For folks with dyslexia, they may find themselves able to juggle fewer beanbags than their peers.
Why?
Dyslexic brains can have neurobiological differences in how they do what they do. We could discuss this here, but we’d have to start using words like ‘temporoparietal’, ‘corticothalamic’, and nobody has time for that.
But it’s just about the little things, right?
No. Working memory is used to retrieve previously-learned information and transfer new skills to long-term memory, too. So the differences can go deep, and impact skill growth in a long-term way. Have you ever learned something new on a Monday, got good at it, felt confident, then forgot how to do half of it by Tuesday?
That may be a working memory hiccup.
…Do I have working memory challenges?
Not everyone with dyslexia does (and you can have them without having dyslexia). But you may, and they’re hard to spot, even if they’re impacting us at work. Most of us just assume we have the same working memory capacity as other people until we’re faced with a direct comparison.
Think of it as identifying your dyslexic workplace challenges… but on stealth mode. Done any of these, recently?🥷
· Forgetting instructions. But you just had the meeting..?
· Losing your train of thought when presenting
· Meandering off-topic in conversations
· You had to ask the new hire to remind you of his name… again.
· Slipping on workplace admin. You’ve been meaning to update your bank details with HR for weeks now…
· Struggling to keep track of competing projects and deadlines, or mixing them up
· Flicking between browser tabs and forgetting what you’re doing. We call this ‘doorway effect’.
· Finding it challenging to get to grips with new software or processes
· Finding any of these get more prevalent when environments are distracting!
· And stress or anxiety, due to any of the above.
So what can I do about it?
We didn’t write this article just to point out that some dyslexic folks have working memory challenges. Loads of you already know that— but what you might not know is that you can ask for reasonable adjustments for them, just the same as you can for reading and writing support.
This might look like…
· Follow-up emails after meetings, going over the key points and your tasks.
· Extra monitors, to avoid doorway effect.
· Project management tools, especially those that can send you task reminders or distil tasks into kanban boards.
· Using graphics and diagrams in presentations. Many dyslexic folks with working memory issues find visually-presented information way easier to hold onto.
· Keeping your workplace free of distractions and excess noise.
· Extended periods for training and onboarding when you start a new job.
…Or anything else, too— if it helps you and it’s reasonable to expect your employer to provide it, then go ahead and start the conversation.
Dyslexia doesn’t look the same for everyone, and needs can go beyond reading and writing support. Sometimes, people just need a little extra to thrive in their role, and to get that all-important work-life balance back on track. 💙