Abstract
Cognitive training is emerging as a viable intervention for remediating cognitive skill deficits and associated academic struggles. This study investigated whether trainer-delivered cognitive training reduced parent-reported academic difficulties and oppositional behavior for school-age children with learning struggles compared to a no-contact control group. Three groups were surveyed using a standardized rating scale: parents of clients ages 5-18 who had completed the 60-hour ThinkRx cognitive training program (n = 67), parents of clients ages 5-18 who had completed the 120-hour ReadRx cognitive training with reading program (n = 53), and parents of clients ages 5-18 who completed initial testing but did not enroll in a training program (n = 58). Results indicated there were statistically significant differences overall between the intervention groups and the control group on all measures of academic difficulties. Both intervention groups saw a reduction in academic difficulty ratings following training while the control group saw an increase in academic difficulty during a comparable time interval. Differences between groups on ratings of oppositional behavior were not significant. Both intervention groups achieved statistically significant changes on objective cognitive test measures as well. Although the study is limited by lack of randomization in the sampling, the results and transfer effects are encouraging for evaluating the use of one-on-one cognitive training to enhance academic skills and behavior.
Highlights
Among American students with learning disabilities in 2014, nearly 70% had failed at least one course and 50% had received a disciplinary suspension or expulsion from school (Cortiella and Horowitz, 2014)
Visual inspection of the data revealed that symptom ratings of overall academic difficulty and behavior decreased for both the ReadRx and ThinkRx intervention groups, and difficulty ratings increased for the control group
Results of parent-reported ratings on the individual academic skills and oppositional behavior for all three groups are detailed followed by results of cognitive testing for the intervention groups which show statistically significant changes from pre-test to post-test with large to very large effect sizes across all cognitive skills
Summary
Among American students with learning disabilities in 2014, nearly 70% had failed at least one course and 50% had received a disciplinary suspension or expulsion from school (Cortiella and Horowitz, 2014). To facilitate learning for academically challenged clients, many school districts are seeking research-based interventions to use in the classroom or on an individual basis (Fuchs et al, 2008). Cognitive training is a rapidly growing intervention for improving cognitive function for many populations including the elderly, survivors of traumatic brain injury, and clients with learning disabilities. There is a glaring gap in the literature on how cognitive training transfers to real-life functioning, and evidence of parentreported changes in behavior following cognitive training is sparse. In response to the question of whether outcomes following cognitive training include functional benefits, the current study’s primary aim was to examine the real-life benefits of clinician-delivered cognitive training on academic skills and oppositional behavior among school-age clients. A secondary aim of the study was to examine objectively measured cognitive outcomes for children who completed cognitive training
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