Beneficial effect from a cognitive training programme on children with acquired brain injuries demonstrated in a controlled study

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of a cognitive training programme in children and adolescents with attention and memory deficits after acquired brain injury (ABI). RESEARCH DESIGN: Randomized controlled study. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-eight children with ABI, 9-16 years of age. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The treatment group trained with the cognitive programme for 30 minutes per day interactively with a teacher or parent for a period of 17 weeks. Children in the control group had a freely chosen interactive activity 30 minutes daily for 17 weeks. Pre- and post-training assessments were made using a neuropsychological test battery. MAIN OUTCOME AND RESULTS: Significant improvements in the majority of neuropsychological tests of sustained and selective attention as well as in memory performance were shown in the treatment group as compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: The immediate effect of the training programme improved complex attention and memory functions, indicating that this method may be a valuable treatment option for improving cognitive efficiency in children after ABI. On the basis of these results, the next step will be to evaluate long-term effects and further ecological validity.