Imagine if you were in a classroom and the teacher was explaining a new topic, but all you could think about was the ice cream truck you heard outside, or the bird you saw in the tree outside the window.
This might give you an idea of what it feels like for someone who has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, or ADHD for short.
People with ADHD find it very difficult to focus and pay attention. But don’t worry, scientists are working on some pretty cool things to help.
The Challenge of ADHD
One of the biggest challenges of having ADHD is keeping focus, like when you’re reading a book or listening to the teacher.
People with ADHD often have to read the same sentence over and over again to understand it.
It’s like trying to watch a movie with someone constantly changing the channel. This makes learning and studying very hard for them.
A Computer Game for Attention: CPAT
Now, let’s talk about something exciting that scientists from Tel Aviv University have created. They have made a special computer game called Computerized Progressive Attention Training, or CPAT for short.
This game is not just for fun, it’s like a workout for your brain to help you pay better attention. Just like how exercise makes your muscles stronger, this game is designed to strengthen your attention.
Comparing CPAT and Mindfulness
The scientists wanted to see how good this game was at helping students with ADHD. So, they had some students play this game, and some do something called mindfulness training.
Mindfulness is like a calm moment, where you try to focus only on the present moment, like listening to your own breath. It has helped some people with ADHD in the past.
The Experiment
They found 54 students with ADHD and divided them into three groups. One group got to play the CPAT game, the second group did mindfulness training, and the third group didn’t get any special training.
They were like the control group. The students in the CPAT and mindfulness groups had meetings once a week to do their training.
How They Checked the Results
To find out if the training helped, the scientists asked the students to take several tests.
They had to read scientific articles while their eye movements were tracked to see how well they could focus on reading.
They also had to answer questions about their feelings, like stress and anxiety, and their academic difficulties.
The Exciting Results
After the experiment, the scientists found that the students who played the CPAT game showed more improvement in their attention and daily activities than the students who did mindfulness training.
About 33% of the students who played the CPAT game showed a big improvement in their ADHD symptoms.
In comparison, only 11% of the students who did mindfulness training showed similar improvement.
What’s even cooler is that the improvement stayed even four months after they stopped playing the game.
The Future of CPAT
These results are very exciting because they offer a new way to help students with ADHD improve their focus without taking medication.
The medication for ADHD, like Ritalin, usually works only for a short time and stops working once the person stops taking it.
But the CPAT game seems to make a long-lasting improvement in the students’ attention. The scientists hope that this could be a new tool to help students with ADHD in the future.
The study was published in Journal of Attention Disorders.
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