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

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Abstract
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.