An integral part of teaching kids is capturing their attention. Teach them something interesting, and even if it is does not fall under the typical definition of interesting, the subject can be spun in a captivating way. With that being said, there is a new program that has been making strides to help cure ADHD. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 11% of kids from ages 4-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD at some point in their lives. This program, called Project:EVO, is a video game app, usually enjoyed on a tablet or smartphone. The game is the perfect combination of entertainment and cognitive aspects that positively affect the player’s attention span.
Edward Martucci, PhD, who is CEO and co-founder of Akili Interactive - the company behind Project: EVO - explains, "Every second of game play is forcing an individual to process two streams of information at an ever-increasing high level." The game consists of driving a character down a pathway that becomes increasingly complex. During the trek, different objects are set in the pathway of the user, forcing the user to make split decisions to stay alive.
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“We want kids to view this as a game; they can immediately sniff out educational software.” Martucci and team have found the perfect balance between learning and entertainment. The specific sequence of information, the required input, and the "adaptivity" involved with the technology activates a neural network – something missing from traditional software - and differentiates Project: EVO from the average video game.
The Science of Playing Games
So of course the software had to be tested out on a group of kids. The test group consisted of 80 kids from ages 8 to 12 from two states: Florida and North Carolina. Half of the kids were diagnosed with ADHD while the other half had no psychiatric diagnosis. During the 4 week test period, the children were directed to play the action video game on a tablet device at home for 30 minutes a day, five times a week. "The big finding in that realm was that it was overwhelmingly acceptable," said Dr. Martucci. "We got on average 9 hours of game play in these kids, so they were really interacting on the device."When it came time to rate the software, the average rating was 7 out of 10. In response to the rating, Dr. Martucci humbly said, "It wasn't the best game they've ever seen in the world, but that's okay; I'm pretty sure it's the best medical device they've ever seen.” According to Dr. Martucci, ADHD drug studies typically have a “10% or 15% dropout rate."
According to the Project: EVO study, there were zero dropouts. This is exciting for the study because the aim is for long-term use; interest is king in learning. The feedback was not exclusive to the kids, either. Parents were asked to rate their child's experience. Seventy-seven percent reported that it was very worthwhile or somewhat worthwhile.
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What did the game measure to track the childrens’ improvement? Their improvement in cognitive skills. Researchers determined that the “most critical” categories for improvement were working memory, attention, and impulsivity. "We saw meaningful improvements in all of those domains," said Dr Martucci. "This totally at-home interaction with a game-based therapy, so not with a doctor and not at a center, actually seems to be having some solid effects on domains that are pretty critical to ADHD function, like attention and impulsivity."
The plan, according to Dr Martucci, is to seek approval from the FDA for the device. "We think the technology is powerful, and if the technology is powerful, we can actually bring this into a mainstream medical path, meaning doctor-approved and reimbursed."
No Video Game, No Problem!
Try any of the fun games below to help improve your child's focus:
- Play catch: While playing a simple game of tossing a ball back and forth, give directions to your child and ask them to repeat the directions back to you each time they throw the ball. The child can later associate the directions with playing the game and fun to help him/her recall.
- Do puzzles: Whether it's 1000 pieces or just 10, putting a puzzle together help boost concentration and motor skills. Word games and word search puzzles also work.
- Freeze & Focus: Ever been put on the spot before? One of the best ways to improve focus is when you're asked to concentrate unexpectedly. Randomly throughout the day, ask your child to "Freeze! Focus!" and have them freeze for a minimum of 10 seconds (you can increase the time gradually). When the freeze is over, ask them to name three things the remember seeing while frozen.
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