Effectiveness of Cognitive Training for School-Aged Children and Adolescents With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review
Frontiers in Psychology
Veloso, A., Vicente, S. G., et al. (2020).
Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2983.
This systematic review investigates the effects of cognitive training on executive functioning for children and adolescents with ADHD.
European Regional Development Fund; Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology
From 2008 to 2018
Original research studies
22
<div>Executive function (EF) treatments improved performance-based EF measures in thirteen out of eighteen studies in school-aged children with EF deficits secondary to ADHD. Additional findings included:</div>
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<li>Specific improvements were seen in the areas of attention, working memory, inhibition, visuo-spatial short-term memory, verbal short-term memory, attentional control, interference control, impulsiveness, processing speed, shifting, planning, and reasoning. </li>
<li>Effect size ranged from small to large.</li>
<li>Eleven studies showed decreases in parent or teacher ratings of ADHD symptomatology and reduced EF difficulty, per informants. Improvements were also seen for social skill, academic performance, and on-task behavior.</li>
<li>Seven of nine studies performing follow-up session reported maintenance of gains.</li>
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<div>Limitations to this review include the potential influence of co-morbid conditions, the predominate use of passive control groups, and significant risk of bias for included studies. </div>
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