ASHEVILLE, NC – The first randomized, controlled reviews of Play Attention were performed by Tufts University School of Medicine. The reviews were funded by a grant from the US Department of Education to assess the efficacy of brain-training programs. The reviewers found that Play Attention produced significant results in all three of the peer-reviewed studies and that simple brain training games had little to no positive outcomes for the ADHD population.
The authors of this first systematic review asserts that, “Up to 10% of school-aged children are identified with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Therapies for ADHD traditionally focus on: 1) behavioral treatment at school and at home, and/or 2) medication targeted at ADHD symptoms. Several adjunctive methods of “attention training” have been developed, but have been poorly evaluated. This project examines two computer-based methods of attention training: one using feedback technology with cognitive skill training and behavior shaping, and one that only addresses cognitive skills and behavior shaping.
The goal of the feedback approach is to help children develop better attention skills by learning how to control their attention. Attention problems or difficulties are not deficits of attention. They are problems of attentional control or diffused attention. The technology is based on well-established feedback mechanisms by which children can learn to control executive functions including attention and impulsivity. The brain monitoring feedback system consists of a computer video game display with a brain monitoring… Children play the computer games which build cognitive skills and shape behaviors, using brain activity alone, to progress towards the goal of the game. The computer interface provides children with immediate auditory and visual feedback about the degree to which they are paying attention.
The second attention training system is designed to improve core cognitive abilities necessary for sustained concentration through a series of different computer activities. This system does not include an EEG feedback component.
The feedback method utilized has been field tested in public schools since 1996 and is currently used in over 500 school systems in the U.S. The Play Attention company has a 91% satisfaction rating and an 87% retention rate based on a survey of clients over the last 4 years.
This project is designed to address the following hypotheses:
- Computer-assisted attention training will be an effective adjunct to standard educational interventions for ADHD in school children; and
- Brain-based feedback will be more effective than non-brain based attention-training mechanisms.”
The reviews are published in 3 medical journals, Pediatrics, Clinical Pediatrics, Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics.
About Play Attention
Play Attention is the global leader in neurocognitive training having pioneered it in 1994. Play Attention is available online at www.playattention.com. Play Attention has been shown to significantly improve attention, working memory, impulse control, and behavior in studies published in 3 peer reviewed journals and performed in public schools as opposed to artificial clinical settings. Play Attention has been featured twice on Good Morning America, TIME magazine, national and local news broadcasts, the Boston Globe, Huffington Post, Delta Sky Magazine, Washington Post, Home School magazine, and many more media.