ADHD can have a great impact on the lives of children and adults who experience it. It can also be difficult to treat because many caregivers are resistant to medications. Not to mention that it can be hard to find clinicians trained in effective behavioral approaches to ADHD in many locations.
Researchers have developed treatments for ADHD in the form of video games to help address barriers to care. Akili Interactive Labs has developed a video game found in initial research to be particularly effective for alleviating ADHD symptoms.
Akili’s game uses an iPad to have participants complete a multitasking game as well as a moving target task. These tasks are designed to practice attentional control and selective shifting of attention from one task to another. Practicing these tasks appears to strengthen attention, inhibition, and working memory and builds connections in regions of the brain associated with these processes. The games also includes forms of reward for task completion.
Pros: With further research-support, this could be extremely promising as an alternative to medication approaches. These games can improve access to effective treatments as they are playable from anywhere. A win-win!
Limits: Identified mild downsides included mild headache and temporary frustration. That fleeting frustration could pale in comparison to the constant frustration that so many with ADHD experience in everyday life. How effects of the game compare to treatment with a trained clinician is now unclear.
A video game that helps improve cognitive functioning for those with ADHD could be a game-changing technology. Time needed for further research and the game’s eventual cost will tell. For now, let’s at least hope it’s fun to play!
