Life long problem with short term memory.

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I think here are discussed more than one kind of memories.

Yes, I have short-term memory difficulties as well. Especially when watching movies. It works out though, I can watch the same movie a year later and it is almost like I'm watching it for the first time. When re-watching, I seem to notice alot of things that weren't previously in my memory. Unless, it is something important, then I usually seem to remember it completely. My brain sometime has a "brain" of its own. Kinda like Xmen. Pretty cool.

I've done the writing thing, and co-workers either think I'm "slow" or puzzled at why I'm doing it. I used to joke that my writing pad was my 'external memory', but that never got a laugh.

Memory or lack of it seems to be one of my most crippling intellectual deficits. My long term memory isn't great, I tend to have random recall in that respect. Sometimes it will come but sometimes not. Short term memory is pretty poor unless I concentrate on committing it to memory and then it seems quite good. My working memory I think is quite good. I can do fairly large calculations in my head, that I find most people can't do by storing parts of the calculation for later use.

Curiously I remember as a child up until my teens having a very good short term memory for card games like pairs. That one where you place the pack face down and reveal two cards at a time trying to match the values. I was pretty hard to beat at that. But now I am useless at it. Too many mind altering substances perhaps?

Wow, every message I read here puts me closer to goal.

My short term memory is a complete waste of time. Like a lot of people here, if I don't write it down or put it into longterm memory right away I lose it. I use Google Calendar and Notebook through my cell phone to help me remember things. Like if someone tells me a birthday I have to text Google calendar with it. My problem is that I usually forget to text it.

If I've driven somewhere once thought, no matter how complex. I always seem to remember how to get there. Even if it's months later.

-Craig

I like the working memory thing..... my working memory is crap... i can remember strings of words and numbers...so short-term is fine.... but give me a list of things i have to do and you will find me wandering around wal-mart going "what did i come in here for?".... My long term memory is ok....

oh and i have lost 3 cell phones in the past year and broken 2 more (why i have insurance) so it would be a waste for me to put anything on a pda, i'd just lose it.... i am waiting for the implanted chip in the brain.....cause my mother says my head is screwed on my body so i won't lose it.

I have plenty hard drive space, but I need more RAM.

i didnt realise memory problems were a feature of aspergers. i have an awefull memory. i cant write down a phone number all in one go i have to do it 2 digits at a time, same with putting a web adress in the bar.

Sincerely speaking not only is my short term memory not very good but so is my long term memory but, such is not completely dependent upon Aspergers though more along the lines of having a coma from many years ago.Still, I've learned a couple of techniques to deal with all of this though therefore, I remain positive..

ProfessorX

My short term memory is so bad, I'll forget what I'm saying mid-sentence...

My short term memory is ok (unless I'm in a period of emotional stress or topic fixation), and my long-term memory is fantastic. I didn't think I had a memory problem until I had educational testing a couple of years ago and . . . surprise . . . my lowest scores were in WORKING MEMORY. The tester didn't tell me what that meant so I researched and found that working memory deficiency explained a lot.

Working memory is necessary for many things that Aspies can have trouble developing. Learning language, for instance, requires the coordination of complex brain and body systems. Not being able to hold information effectively while you work on learning something can create delays, at the least. For instance:

You use working memory to learn to speak.
(I didn't learn to speak until I was two and then I made up my own words. As a comparison, my sister began speaking when she was nine months old.)

You use working memory to learn to read.
(I could read words but couldn't comprehend sentences until the middle of the 3rd grade.)

You use working memory to learn math.
(I failed math at the beginning of the 3rd grade because I couldn't comprehend story problems. After failing I thought I was stupid and gave up on math even though recent tests revealed a natural math ability.)

You use working memory to learn to write.
(My high school history teacher, to this day, reminds me what a terrible writer I was. Until a mentor hammered me after I was 30, I didn't really comprehend how to write a good paper. Up until that point my writing was like a list of unrelated sentences with no consistent thesis statement, progression, or ending.)

So you see, s**t for working memory affects ones ability to learn Reading, wRiting, and aRithmatic. When you add speaking, that seems to cover it all.

Z

Once I started speaking my vocabulary was great. Once I started reading that was all that I did.

The higher functioning ability was there, it just took slightly longer for me to be able to access it because of the memory deficit.

Z

Mercury is a known cause of poor short-term memory. A therapeutic trial of chelation therapy should help get rid of excess mercury and may improve short-term memory. I'd search for a good integrative doctor who has experience with successfully using chelation to treat various health problems.

Note: One autistic child was alleged to have died from chelation. This is incorrect and nothing more than fearmongering to scare people away from alternative treatments that hurt the profits of the big drug companies. The child was given the wrong drug. Blaming his death on chelation would be the same as if someone bought Tylenol and died due to receiving arsenic instead and you concluded that Tylenol is dangerous and deadly. I think chelation is much safer than Tylenol.