Working memory is a central cognitive system that plays key role in development, with increases in working memory capacity and speed of processing as children move from infancy through adolescence. Here, I focus on two questions: what neural processes underlie working memory and how do these processes change over development? Answers to these questions lie in computer simulations of artificial neural network models that shed light on how development happens. These models open up new avenues for optimizing clinical interventions aimed at boosting the working memory abilities of at-risk infants.