It may be strange to answer my own question,  but I just found this great chapter by Lisa Thorell and Corinne Catale about the freely available! CHEXI (see link below). This CHEXI seems to be more suited for children with ADHD than the BRIEF, has less items, and focuses on working memory. 

http://chexi.se/onewebmedia/Thorell_Catale_CHEXI_Bookchapter_2014.pdf

In addition, the BDEFS-CA from Russel Barkley is also discussed in the chapter of Thorell and Catale. The BDEFS-CA might also be interesting (although the short-form seems less suited as measure of parent-rated working memory), but is not freely available (although a 'free' copy of the long form can be found via the link below ;-)).

http://www.npcu.net/uploads/1/7/2/5/17254980/bdefs.pdf

Thanks so much Sebastiaan for answering this question. I was also looking for other tools to evaluate working memory in kids at higher risk of attentional/hyperactivity problems. 

My pleasure Johanna. If you have additional comments regarding this issue please let me know.

A much shorter version of the BRIEF will soon be available (BRIEF2).  Contact Peter Isquith at Yale University for more information.

thanks

See www.tovatest.com for computer-based non-language dependent performance measures of attention and impulsivity validated with children and adults globally.  They provide questionnaire-based measures for caregivers regarding their children, with good correspondence validity to the computerized performance-based measure.  We have used the TOVA all over Africa in pediatric HIV and cerebral malaria research.

Thank you for your suggestion Michael. Nonetheless, the TOVA does not seem to address WM (besides maybe the central executive), does it?

For a short computerized test of working memory, consider the cogstate test at www.cogstate.com. Especially the one-back card memory task and the one-card learning task and the paired association task (with colorful balls).

There is also the Brown Attention-Deficit Disorder Scale (BADDS) http://www.pearsonclinical.com/psychology/products/100000456/brown-attention-deficit-disorder-scales-brownaddscales.html which includes a working memory subscale

Thank you Thomas. I would like to see the items of the BADDS, do you have a sample of the questionnaire?

I can email it to you privately. [email protected]

Consider the  Comprehensive Executive Function Inventory (CEFI) http://www.mhs.com/product.aspx?gr=cli&id=overview&prod=cefi CEFI Inlcudes a scale of Working Memory . It is available in English and has only Spanish translation, but is a great measure for assessing executive functioning. 

Thanks!

 Sebastiaan, given your excellent work with laboratory measures of working memory, I'm wondering what you think of the validity data for parent measures of executive function as distinct from symptom report measures.  I realize this may be a question to for which there is no short answer.  Perhaps others who have recommended particular measures can provide some bits of data/evidence.  Or perhaps there is a strong review paper on this topic.  

Best,

Larry

Dear Larry,

Thank you for the compliment (and sorry for my late reply). My thoughts on this issue are best explained by a quotation of Lisa Thorell and Corinne Catale:

“The BRIEF has been found to be very useful in distinguishing between, for example, children with ADHD and normally developing controls….. However, one potential limitation of the BRIEF is that in addition to measuring executive functioning, this scale also directly measures ADHD symptoms in that items such as “is impulsive” and “has a short attention span” are included, and these are almost identical to the symptom criteria of ADHD……..[T]he semantic overlap between the items included in the BRIEF and the symptom list for ADHD means that erroneous conclusions about EF deficits in children can be drawn….[N]ot all children with ADHD have EF deficits and vice versa. It may therefore be valuable to be able to distinguish between EF deficits and ADHD symptoms. This may be especially important in relation to functional impairments, as different combinations of ADHD and/or EF deficits may be differentially related to, for example, poor academic achievement” (for more info see link below).

But I really like to know what you (and others) think of this issue. Given the relevance of this issue it might be nice to post it as a new question?

All the best,

Sebastiaan

...., and here's the link I was referring to

http://chexi.se/onewebmedia/Thorell_Catale_CHEXI_Bookchapter_2014.pdf

There is a potential problem in the interpretation of the overlap of symptoms between ADHD and the BRIEF. The symptoms of ADHD are not specific to the disorder, but rather are potentially observable in a normal population. ADHD is diagnosed based, in part, by the number of co-occurring symptoms. Some, e.g. Tom Brown and Russell Barkley, have described ADHD as a disorder either entirely, or in part, of executive functioning. In that case, the overlap would be expected, and the BRIEF would provide a fuller picture of the extent of dysfunctioning. Someone exhibiting the EF symptoms consistent with ADHD, but without ADHD, should provide additional clinical or historical information that would account for the "ADHD symptoms" but would provide the alternative explanation.