The Effectiveness of Computer -Based Training of Progressive Cognition on Audio -Visual Working Memory in Children Aged 8 -12 Years With Attention -Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention –deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by three main characteristics: attention deficit, hyperactivity disorder, and impulsivity. It is one of the most common neurobehavioral disorders in childhood, affecting a large part of the population. People with ADHD have problems with executive functions. Active memory is one of the most important executable functions. Nowadays active memory is considered one of the important subjects in neuroscience and has attracted the attention of many researchers. Therefore, recent research has focused more on working memory as one of the memory constructs. The aim of this study was the investigation of the effectiveness of computer –based training of progressive cognition on audio –visual working memory in children 8 –12 years old with ADHD.

The present study is a pilot study with a pretest –posttest design with a control group. The statistical population was all boys and girls 8 to 12 years old with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder living in Tabriz City, Iran, in 2019. To select the sample, one district multi –stage cluster random sampling was selected from the educational districts of Tabriz City, and then three schools were randomly selected from the primary schools of this area using the Child Symptom Inventory (CSI–4) (Gadow & Sprafkin, 1994) run by one of the researchers, children were screened for ADHD symptoms. These students were subsequently diagnosed according to the diagnosis of a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Thirty children with ADHD were screened and diagnosed according to the psychiatrist's choice (targeted or criterion –based) and were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. In addition, simple random sampling was used to select the research samples in both groups (experimental and control). The inclusion criteria for the experimental group included having ADHD, willingness to participate in the study, having moderate and higher intelligence, and lacking other disorders. The exclusion criteria included losing more than one intervention session, co –participation in other intervention programs, and no satisfaction with continuing study co –operation. The experimental group was trained in the computer –based Wechsler Working Memory Test – III (1997) using "working memory improvement software" and "my mind software" for ten 45 –minute sessions, two sessions a week, individually. At the end of the intervention, two training sessions were held for the control group to observe ethics. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics indicators (graph, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multivariate covariance analysis test) in SPSS version 22 software.

The results showed that the computer –based training of progressive cognition on audio working memory (p<0.001) and visual working memory (p<0.001) in children with ADHD had a positive and significant effect on working memory. Based on the eta square, changes in each of the variables of auditory memory (0.856) and visual memory (0.660) are explained according to the intervention of computer –based progressive cognitive training.

Based on the findings of this study, advanced computer –based cognitive training is an effective way to improve the performance of visual/ auditory active memory in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder