As the analysis of several studies has shown, the specialized computer program Cogmed that allows you to exercise attention can help both children and adults with ADHD, informs PLOS ONE.
Megan Spencer-Smith of Monash University in Melbourne and Torkel Klingberg of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm analyzed 12 studies to date regarding the Cogmed program that Klingberg has helped to develop. Studies have assessed attention deficit in children and adults with ADHD, or those born extremely premature (who also often have attention deficit disorder). One study also looked at healthy children and adults.
Cogmed was designed to improve the amount of time remembered visual and verbal information. Although it was originally intended for children, it is now used by people of all ages. The program presents the user with tasks adapted to his level, in the form of video games – for example, it shows a series of words that should be recalled in reverse order. You should spend five weeks training daily – five days a week, for 35 to 45 minutes a day. Every week, the person using the program is contacted by a specialist – consultant who monitors their progress.
The analysis of the research results showed that Cogmed improved attention for at least four months after the end of training (a special scale was used to measure the level of attention in everyday life). The effect size was 0,47, so it seemed relatively significant. For educational interventions, an effect size of 0,25 is often regarded as valuable, and many antidepressants have been approved at an effect size of around 0,3. (PAP)