Post by Amtram on Feb 14, 2014 20:04:27 GMT -5
A University of Virginia study looked at computer brain training and working memory improvements in children with ADHD.
This is not really a surprise for many of us, but it's good to have further research that supports it. Let's stick with behavioral interventions that focus on helping with the symptoms rather than these for-profit games programs that are actually aimed at performance. (Studies show they don't do a good job at that, either.)
Popular computer-based training programs designed to improve behavior or academic performance in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, do not deliver on their intent, according to research findings published this month in Clinical Psychology Review.
Michael Kofler, assistant professor and director of the University of Virginia Curry School of Education’s Children’s Learning Clinic, and colleagues at the University of Central Florida took a critical look at 25 studies evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive training programs. These programs use computer-aided activities that are designed to help children improve brain functions thought to be underdeveloped in children with ADHD.
“We found that these treatments are not effective for treating children with ADHD,” Kofler said. “They don’t improve ADHD symptoms or behavior, they don’t improve academic achievement, and in many cases do not improve the cognitive functions they claim to target.”
According to Kofler, many of these programs are intended to target working memory, which is an area of difficulty for many children with ADHD. Working memory plays a key role in children’s learning, and affects reading, math performance, writing and note-taking, interpreting social cues and preventing minds from wandering. Previous research by Kofler and colleagues also indicates that working memory plays a key role in core ADHD symptoms including the lack of attentive behavior, excess gross motor activity (hyperactivity) and impulsivity.
Michael Kofler, assistant professor and director of the University of Virginia Curry School of Education’s Children’s Learning Clinic, and colleagues at the University of Central Florida took a critical look at 25 studies evaluating the effectiveness of cognitive training programs. These programs use computer-aided activities that are designed to help children improve brain functions thought to be underdeveloped in children with ADHD.
“We found that these treatments are not effective for treating children with ADHD,” Kofler said. “They don’t improve ADHD symptoms or behavior, they don’t improve academic achievement, and in many cases do not improve the cognitive functions they claim to target.”
According to Kofler, many of these programs are intended to target working memory, which is an area of difficulty for many children with ADHD. Working memory plays a key role in children’s learning, and affects reading, math performance, writing and note-taking, interpreting social cues and preventing minds from wandering. Previous research by Kofler and colleagues also indicates that working memory plays a key role in core ADHD symptoms including the lack of attentive behavior, excess gross motor activity (hyperactivity) and impulsivity.
This is not really a surprise for many of us, but it's good to have further research that supports it. Let's stick with behavioral interventions that focus on helping with the symptoms rather than these for-profit games programs that are actually aimed at performance. (Studies show they don't do a good job at that, either.)