WRAML-3 Assessment Guide

Understanding Visual & Verbal Memory Skills

Learn about the WRAML-3 assessment and discover practical ways to practice visual and verbal memory skills at home

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What is the WRAML-3?

The Wide Range Assessment of Memory and Learning, Third Edition (WRAML-3) is a comprehensive memory assessment for children and adults ages 5-90. It evaluates different types of memory and learning abilities that are crucial for academic success:

Verbal Memory: The ability to remember and recall spoken information
Visual Memory: The ability to remember and recall visual information
Working Memory: The ability to hold and manipulate information in mind
Learning Rate: How quickly new information is acquired and retained

These memory skills are essential for reading because they help children remember what they've read, connect ideas across sentences and paragraphs, and build upon previously learned information.

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Key WRAML-3 Subtests

Verbal Memory Index

Story Memory: Child listens to stories and recalls details immediately and after delay

Verbal Learning: Child learns a list of words over multiple trials

Number-Letter: Child remembers sequences of numbers and letters

Visual Memory Index

Design Memory: Child copies geometric designs from memory

Picture Memory: Child remembers details from pictures shown briefly

Symbolic Working Memory: Child remembers and manipulates visual symbols

Attention/Concentration Index

Verbal Working Memory: Child holds and manipulates verbal information

Sound Symbol: Child learns associations between sounds and symbols

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Types of Memory Tested

Immediate Memory

Remembering information right after it's presented

Delayed Memory

Remembering information after a time delay

Working Memory

Holding and manipulating information in mind

Learning Rate

How quickly new information is acquired

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DIY WRAML-3 Activities at Home

These playful adaptations help you understand what your child experiences during testing:

Verbal Memory Activities

Story Recall: Read a short story, ask child to retell it immediately and after 10 minutes
Word List Learning: Say "cat, dog, ball, tree." Child repeats. Add more words each round.
Number-Letter Sequences: Say "A-3-B-7." Child repeats. Try longer sequences.
Sentence Memory: "The big red car drove fast." Child repeats word-for-word.
Alphabetical Ordering: Say "banana, cat, apple." Child reorders: "apple, banana, cat."

🖊 Materials: short stories, word lists, timer

📏 Scoring: track how many details/words remembered correctly

Visual Memory Activities

Design Copying: Draw simple shapes, show for 5 seconds, hide, ask child to redraw
Picture Memory: Show a picture for 10 seconds, ask specific questions about details
Card Memory: Lay out 6 playing cards, cover them, ask child to remember which cards and their order
Pattern Memory: Create a pattern with colored blocks, hide it, ask child to recreate
Visual Sequencing: Show 4 pictures in order, mix them up, ask child to put them back in order

🖊 Materials: index cards, markers, colored blocks, playing cards

📏 Scoring: count correct details, shapes, or sequences

Working Memory Activities

Backward Counting: Count backwards from 20, then from 30, etc.
Mental Math: "What's 5 + 3 + 2?" (holding numbers in mind while calculating)
Category Sorting: "Name animals that start with 'B'" while remembering the category
Dual Task: Count while tapping a rhythm, or name colors while remembering a number

🖊 Materials: timer, simple math problems

📏 Scoring: track accuracy and how long they can maintain focus

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What Weak Scores Mean for Reading

When children struggle with WRAML-3 memory skills, it often shows up in reading as:

Poor comprehension: Forgetting what they read at the beginning of a paragraph
Difficulty with complex texts: Struggling to follow multi-part stories or instructions
Slow learning: Needing many repetitions to learn new vocabulary or concepts
Poor retention: Forgetting previously learned reading skills
Difficulty with inference: Struggling to connect ideas across different parts of text
Poor study skills: Difficulty remembering information for tests or assignments

How Readle Builds WRAML-3 Skills

Readle directly targets the same memory skills measured by WRAML-3:

Verbal Memory: Story mode builds recall and comprehension skills
Visual Memory: Mixed font displays strengthen visual memory for letters and words
Working Memory: Sentence recall requires holding information in mind while processing
Learning Rate: Adaptive difficulty helps children learn at their optimal pace

Instead of creating homemade memory games, Readle provides structured practice that automatically adjusts to your child's level and tracks improvement over time.

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Related Tests

WRAML-3 often appears alongside other assessments. Here's how they connect:

Building WRAML-3 Skills at Home

Daily Practice Strategy:

Morning (5 min): Visual memory with Readle's mixed font displays
After School (5 min): Verbal memory with story recall and comprehension
Evening (5 min): Working memory with sentence building and manipulation

Memory-Building Tips:

Use visualization techniques to help remember information
Break complex information into smaller chunks
Practice retrieval - ask questions about previously learned material
Make connections between new and old information
Use multiple senses when learning (visual, auditory, kinesthetic)

Start Building WRAML-3 Skills with Readle