Features and Effects of Computer-Based Games on Cognitive Impairments in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Evidence-Based Systematic Literature Review
BMC Psychiatry
Rezayi, S., Tehrani-Doost, M., et al. (2023).
BMC Psychiatry, 23(1), 2.
This systematic review investigates the effect of computer-based game interventions on a variety of cognitive functions (i.e., executive function, social cognition, language, attention/concentration, and learning and memory) in children, younger than 13 years old, on the autism spectrum.
No funding received
From database inception to May 17, 2022
Published, English-language studies. Excludes book chapters, reviews, dissertations, meta-analyses, letters to editors, short briefs, short papers, and commentaries.
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The majority of studies (9/10) investigating the effects of cognitive games on executive function reported positive effects for children on the autism spectrum. For executive function subdomains, four studies showed improvements in imitation skills, three studies found partial effects in working memory, and one study reported statistically significant effects on all evaluation scales. The authors noted study limitations including inclusion of only English-language research and heterogeneity of results across studies.
Overall, studies investigating the effects of cognitive games demonstrated positive outcomes for children on the autism spectrum. The majority of studies (9/12) investigating social cognition outcomes reported a mix of statistically significant and statistically insignificant positive effects, while the remaining three studies reported found no effect on social cognition. Eleven studies investigating the effects on attention and concentration showed a mix of statistically significant (8/11) and partially significant (3/11) positive outcomes. The majority of studies (7/8) investigating learning skills, memory, and language skills reported positive effects. The review authors noted study limitations including inclusion of only English-language research and heterogeneity of results across studies.
