PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

ADHD study: Expensive training programs don't help kids' grades, behavior

2013-11-26
(Press-News.org) Contact information: Chad Binette
chad.binette@ucf.edu
407-823-6312
University of Central Florida
ADHD study: Expensive training programs don't help kids' grades, behavior Many parents spend thousands of dollars on computer-based training programs that claim to help children with ADHD succeed in the classroom and in peer relationships while reducing hyperactivity and inattentiveness. But a University of Central Florida researcher says parents are better off saving their hard-earned cash.

Psychology professor Mark Rapport's research team spent two years analyzing the data from 25 studies and found that those programs are not producing significant or clinically meaningful long-term improvements in children's cognitive abilities, academic performance or behavior.

"Parents are desperate for help," said Rapport, who runs the Children's Learning Clinic IV at UCF. "If they can afford it, they are willing to spend the money, and some parents even enroll their children in private schools because they offer these cognitive training programs. But there is no empirical evidence to show those investments are worthwhile."

Rapport initiated the study because many parents of children who have been evaluated at his clinic asked him whether they should invest in the programs. The study is featured in the December issue of Clinical Psychology Review.

His team analyzed published studies sponsored by the companies themselves as well as all independent published studies in the literature – and he drew his conclusions based on analyzing "blinded" studies, meaning studies in which researchers and independent raters used objective measures and did not know which children were assigned to the cognitive training programs as opposed to an inactive placebo condition.

Working memory represents one of the most important core deficits in children with ADHD, and improvements in working memory are associated with improved academic performance, behavior, peer relationships and other intellectual abilities. Surprisingly, although a majority of the cognitive training programs claimed to train this important aspect of brain functioning, closer examination of their training exercises revealed that they actually train short-term memory.

Short-term memory stores information in mind for a brief interval, whereas working memory uses the stored information for accomplishing a wide range of cognitive tasks, such as reading comprehension, mental math, and multitasking.

Rapport said his conclusions do not mean that the computer-based programs cannot become a helpful tool for children with ADHD. If programs can be designed to focus on working memory, it is worth evaluating whether they can help children's cognitive abilities, academic performance and behavior, he said.

Rapport, who is a fellow of the American Psychological Association, began teaching at UCF in 2000. Early in his career, he worked as a school psychologist in Pinellas County. He was often frustrated that many of the techniques that he and schoolteachers tried would fail to help children with ADHD. As a researcher at three universities prior to coming to UCF, Rapport studied behavioral and pharmacological treatments for children with ADHD.

The Children's Learning Clinic offers free assessments for typically developing boys ages 8 to 12, as well as for children who are experiencing difficulties with attention, learning, memory or concentration and those suspected of having ADHD. The clinic's free evaluations include intelligence, academic achievement, activity level and memory assessments.

Co-authors on this study include UCF doctoral students Sarah Orban and Lauren Friedman and Michael J. Kofler, a professor with the University of Virginia's Department of Human Services.

INFORMATION:

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A touch of garlic helps kill contaminants in baby formula

2013-11-26
A touch of garlic helps kill contaminants in baby formula Garlic may be bad for your breath, but it's good for your baby, according to a new study from the University of British Columbia. The study, recently published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, ...

Extrovert and introvert children are not equally influenced by plate size

2013-11-26
Extrovert and introvert children are not equally influenced by plate size Extroverted children are more biased by bowl sizes than introverts As dish size increases, so do portion size and the amount of food actually eaten—but could personality traits play ...

How scavenging fungi became a plant's best friend

2013-11-26
How scavenging fungi became a plant's best friend Glomeromycota is an ancient lineage of fungi that has a symbiotic relationship with roots that goes back nearly 420 million years to the earliest plants. More than two thirds of the world's plants depend ...

Study examines potential evolutionary role of 'sexual regret' in human survival and reproduction

2013-11-26
Study examines potential evolutionary role of 'sexual regret' in human survival and reproduction UT Austin study reveals gender differences in sexual regret AUSTIN, Texas — In the largest, most in-depth study to date on regret surrounding sexual activity, ...

The good news in bad news

2013-11-26
The good news in bad news Tel Aviv University researchers say repeatedly exposing yourself to a negative event may prevent it from affecting you Psychology shows that it doesn't take much to put you in a bad mood. Just reading the morning news can do ...

Graphic warning labels on cigarette packages reduce smoking rates

2013-11-26
Graphic warning labels on cigarette packages reduce smoking rates The U.S. would have several million fewer smokers if graphic warning labels similar to those introduced in Canada nearly a decade ago were required on cigarette packs, according ...

GSA Bulletin posts new studies from China, Egypt and Israel, Argentina, Mexico, California, Appalachia

2013-11-26
GSA Bulletin posts new studies from China, Egypt and Israel, Argentina, Mexico, California, Appalachia Posted online ahead of print Nov. 6-22, 2013 Boulder, Colo., USA – GSA Bulletin articles posted online ahead of print in November cover sedimentology in the Sinai-Negev ...

Swarming insect provides clues to how the brain processes smells

2013-11-26
Swarming insect provides clues to how the brain processes smells Our sense of smell is often the first response to environmental stimuli. Odors trigger neurons in the brain that alert us to take action. However, there is often more than one odor ...

Ancient minerals: Which gave rise to life?

2013-11-26
Ancient minerals: Which gave rise to life? Washington, D.C.— Life originated as a result of natural processes that exploited early Earth's raw materials. Scientific models of life's origins almost always look to minerals for such essential tasks as the synthesis ...

Mach 1000 shock wave lights supernova remnant

2013-11-26
Mach 1000 shock wave lights supernova remnant When a star explodes as a supernova, it shines brightly for a few weeks or months before fading away. Yet the material blasted outward from the explosion still glows hundreds or thousands ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] ADHD study: Expensive training programs don't help kids' grades, behavior