Impact of Attention Training on Academic Achievement, Executive Functioning, and Behavior: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) experience significant difficulties in attention, learning, executive functions, and behavioral regulation. Emerging evidence suggests that computerized cognitive training may remediate these impairments. In a double blind controlled trial, 76 children with IDD (4-11 years) were randomized to either an attention training (n = 38) or control program (n = 38). Both programs were completed at home over a 5-week period. Outcome measures assessed literacy, numeracy, executive functioning, and behavioral/emotional problems, and were conducted at baseline, post-training, and 3-month follow-up. No training effects were observed at post-training; however, children in the training group showed greater improvements in numeracy skills at the 3-month follow-up. These results suggest that attention training may be beneficial for children with IDD; however, the modest nature of the intervention effects indicate that caution should be taken when interpreting clinical significance.

Brain Training in Children and Adolescents: Is It Scientifically Valid?

“…This program which aims to train attention is supported by a recent study on program efficacy in children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (Kirk et al, 2017 ). The children were randomly assigned to a training group or to a placebo control.…”

“…Finally, we have included two touchscreen intervention products: SIGUEME has shown positive results regarding NT with autistic children (Vélez-Coto et al, 2017 ). In contrast, for the TALI attention training program, another touchscreen intervention, the research provided only non-significant improvement in children with intellectual and developmental disability (Kirk et al, 2017 ).…”

Relationships Between Reaction Time, Selective Attention, Physical Activity, and Physical Fitness in Children

“…Although the groups have not been divided according to the type of physical activity or sports performed, these results would support the idea that physical practice could be a useful activity to develop RT. When doing physical exercise, it is necessary to act effectively in a series of events, so this type of practice could have favored an increase in the capacity to act with greater speed and effectiveness in similar tasks (Nuri et al, 2013; van de Water et al, 2017; Lynall et al, 2018; Walton et al, 2018), transferring this ability to others such as those evaluated in this work (Rabiner et al, 2010; Kirk et al, 2017).…”

“…It has been highlighted that physical activity and sports would be related to improvement in RT (Jain et al, 2015; Okubo et al, 2017; van de Water et al, 2017; Walton et al, 2018). The RT can be deliberately trained (Rabiner et al, 2010; Kirk et al, 2017), and physical activity and sports allow development of a wide variety of actions that would influence its development (Lynall et al, 2018; Walton et al, 2018). It is relevant in individual sports such as swimming or athletics, because it is necessary to respond quickly to start a movement (Nuri et al, 2013; Tønnessen et al, 2013).…”

Opportunities, barriers, and recommendations in Down syndrome research

“…Given a pattern of findings linking cognitive skills to fine and gross motor control [36][37][38][39][40][41], preliminary small pilot trials to improve cognitive outcomes have more recently focused on the impact of physical activity interventions [42][43][44]. Both behavioral and pharmaceutical interventions are also being piloted to improve cognitive outcomes in individuals with DS [44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51]. Research on individuals with DS has frequently focused on between-group differences in comparison to other individuals with intellectual disability [52][53][54][55][56][57].…”