Cognitive Training Trial

Study Summary

Currently, only two treatment modalities for pediatric attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are considered evidence-based: (1) pharmacological and (2) behavioral treatment. Recently, several studies have shown promising results suggesting efficacy for cognitive training interventions for children with ADHD. These interventions directly train cognitive function (i.e., attention, working memory) by having children practice cognitive skills using computerized tasks. In these studies, improvements related to the cognitive training intervention have been documented on neuropsychological tests, academic tasks, and parent ratings of children's ADHD behavior. Given the ubiquitous finding of increased reaction time (RT) variability among children with ADHD, the candidate worked with a group of developers to modify a cognitive training intervention to target RT variability. That is, train the children to be less variable in their responding. Initial clinical data from this intervention suggest that intervention exposure improves behavioral outcomes. However, an appropriate powered randomized clinical trial is necessary to experimentally demonstrate intervention efficacy.Sixty-four (64) children diagnosed with ADHD (either Predominantly Inattentive Type or Combined Type) will be randomly assigned to intervention or control conditions. Children in the intervention group will receive 8 weeks of the Computerized Progressive Attention Training (CPAT) intervention. Children in the control group will receive the CPAT intervention but there will be no progression in difficulty based on performance as in the intervention group. Children in both groups will be assessed pre-intervention and immediately after the 8-week training on neuropsychological, behavioral, and academic outcome measures. Hypothesis-driven data analyses will assess intervention efficacy. Hypothesis #1: Children in the experimental group exposed to the CPAT intervention will show greater improvement from

Primary Outcome

Total ADHD Symptom Score on the Parent Vanderbilt Rating Scales; range = 0-54; this score is computed by summing the 18 ADHD symptom items which are each rated on a 0-3 Likert scale (0="Never"; 1="Occasionally"; 2="Often"; 3="Very often"); higher scores indicate higher severity of ADHD symptoms.

Interventions

• OTHER Computerized Progressive Attention Training
• OTHER Sham Comparator Cognitive Training