Document Type
Preprint
Publication Date
3-28-2022
Journal / Book Title
Neuropsychology
Abstract
Objective: Central executive training (CET) is a “Level 2” evidence-based treatment for improving ADHD-related executive dysfunction and behavioral symptoms, but the extent to which these gains extend to the disorder’s well-documented academic difficulties is unknown. Method: Across two clinical trials, 108 children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) 8–13 years old (M = 10.29, SD = 1.50; 32 girls; 75% White/Non-Hispanic) were treated with CET (n = 52), inhibitory control training (ICT; n = 29), or gold-standard behavioral parent training (BPT; n = 27). Results: CET was superior to BPT and ICT (d = 0.62–0.88) for improving masked teacher perceptions of academic success, impulse control, and academic productivity at 1–2 months posttreatment. At 2–4-month follow-up, CET (d = 0.76) and ICT (d = 0.54) were superior to BPT for improving objectively-tested academic achievement overall (reading comprehension, math problem-solving, language comprehension), and CET was superior to ICT (d = 0.56) for improving math problem-solving. The significant benefits of CET on academic success, academic productivity, reading comprehension, and math problem-solving replicated across both trials and were clinically significant as evidenced by low number needed to treat estimates (Needed to Treat; NNT = 3–7) and significantly higher proportions of individual cases demonstrating reliable improvements in academic success/productivity (33%–36% vs. 0%–18%) and achievement (38%–72% vs. 18%–54%) across outcomes (all p ≤.01). Conclusions: Results across the two trials provide strong support for the efficacy of CET for ADHD, and are consistent with model-driven hypotheses that academic difficulties in ADHD are due, in part, to these children’s underdeveloped executive functioning abilities
DOI
10.1037/neu0000798
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Singh, Leah J.; Gaye, Fatou; Cole, Alissa M.; Chan, Elizabeth S.M.; and Kofler, Michael J., "Central Executive Training for ADHD: Effects on Academic Achievement, Productivity, and Success in the Classroom" (2022). Department of Psychology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 634.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/psychology-facpubs/634
Rights
HHS Public Access Author manuscript; available in PMC 2023 May 01. Published in final edited form as: Neuropsychology. 2022 May ; 36(4): 330–345. doi:10.1037/neu0000798.