"A home-based computer program is helping children with attention deficits sharpen their working memory, thereby improving problem-solving skills and academic performance...Cogmed Working Memory Training, developed by Swedish brain researcher Dr. Torkel Klingberg, features video game software on an engaging robot interface. The research-validated program has been successful in Europe, and now is being offered in the United States."
The program trains children 30-45 minutes a day, five days a week for five weeks. Parents or personal coaches provide encouragement and help to implement a reward system. "The computer exercises involve recalling number and letter patterns. For example, on the robot's chest may be a grid of 25 red lights. The lights blink in a certain order. The child has to replicate the order, with the number of lights blinking increasing over time."
The findings are impressive - though the exact meaning of "significant improvement" is not defined in this article: "More than 1,400 children and adults have completed the training in Europe, with 80 percent achieving significant improvement in attention, impulse control, problem-solving skills and academic performance."
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