Examining potential predictors of attention training outcomes in children with intellectual and developmental disorders

ABSTRACT

Background: Responses to digital cognitive training interventions vary greatly among children with intellectual and developmental disorders (IDD). Investigating possible predictors of improvements following training is vital in ascertaining which individuals benefit from these interventions.

Methods: Seventy-three children (4–11 years) with IDD completed attention training or a placebo program for 5 weeks. The effects of autistic symptomatology, adaptive functioning and pre-intervention attention abilities on improvements in attention (selective and sustained) post-intervention were examined.

Results: Autistic symptomatology did not predict any training improvement. However, lower adaptive functioning predicted greater gains in selective attention post-intervention in children who received training compared to placebo. Further, better pre-intervention selective attention performance was associated with greater improvements in selective attention post-intervention.

Conclusions: Although these findings are exploratory, attention training may be beneficial for children with IDD with lower adaptive functioning and higher pre-intervention attention abilities.

KEYWORDS:

• Cognitive training
• attention
• intervention
• individual differences
• intellectual disability
• adaptive functioning

Acknowledgements

This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP120200015). The authors thank the children, parents, teachers and organisations involved in the study. The funding body imposes no restrictions on free access to or publication of the research data. This research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationship that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest. All authors have contributed to, seen and approved of the manuscript and agree to the order of authors as listed on the title page.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant (LP120200015).