TRAINING MEMORY ABILITY FOR CHILDREN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES AT THE AGE OF 5-6 YEARS OLD THROUGH LEARNING GAMES IN SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTINGS: CURRENT SITUATION AND LESSONS LEARNED

Abstract

Memory ability is a core cognitive component that directly affects how children with intellectual disabilities receive instructions, sustain attention, retain and recall information. This article analyses the current situation of memory ability and memory training through learning games for 5-6-year-old children with intellectual disabilities in special education settings in Quang Ninh province, Viet Nam. The survey involved 45 teachers, 40 parents and 30 children. Data were collected through questionnaires, observation, interviews and descriptive statistics. The findings show that children's memory ability was generally low to moderate: visual memory obtained the highest mean score (M = 2.07), followed by auditory memory (M = 1.87), whereas semantic memory (M = 1.33) and spatial memory (M = 1.40) were the weakest domains. Teachers and parents showed positive awareness of memory-training goals and contents; however, current practices still rely mainly on verbal instruction, repetition and individual teaching, while individualisation, experiential contexts, assessment in practical situations and family-school collaboration remain insufficient. Based on the interpretation of each group of survey data, the article draws lessons learned for improving memory training through learning games, highlighting the need to assess individual memory profiles, design games with explicit cognitive goals, move from visual memory to sequential and meaningful memory, and strengthen collaboration with parents.