| Individuals with predominantly inattentive ADHD | | | | cognitive functioning including; attention, executive |
| often respond poorly or not at all to stimulant | | | | function, visual memory, field of view training, and |
| medication. Medications such as Stratterra do not | | | | visuomotor coordination. This program should be |
| help all inattentive ADHD patients either so other | | | | on the market by the end of 2010. |
| non-medication treatment approaches are needed | | | | A preschool program called 'Tools of the Mind' |
| to address the symptoms of ADHD inattentive. | | | | uses several games to improve executive |
| There are several cognitive training programs on | | | | function. These include regulatory speech where a |
| the market that have been shown to improved | | | | child is forced to publicly speak his actions or is |
| working memory and executive function. These | | | | required to check that a spoken task such as |
| two problems are at the core of the symptoms | | | | counting is done correctly, dramatic play, and |
| of ADHD and they offer a solution for patients | | | | props for aiding memory and attention. Children |
| who cannot take medication or in patients where | | | | trained with "Tools of the Mind" showed an |
| medication is of limited benefit. | | | | executive function advantage on nearly every |
| Cogmed is a program developed by Torkel | | | | measure tested. Long-term outcome measures |
| Klingberg, a neuroscientist at the Karolinska | | | | are now being evaluated to determine if these |
| Institute in Sweden. They have found that | | | | executive function advantages persist as the child |
| improving working memory skills may reduce | | | | ages. |
| ADHD symptoms and may cause permanent | | | | Not all executive function training is done with |
| changes in brain growth that enhance the | | | | mind exercising. A new study published in 2010 |
| individual's ability to learn. Dr Klingberg has been | | | | has demonstrated that resistance training with |
| able to demonstrate changes in the density of | | | | weights, twice a week, improved the executive |
| cortical dopamine receptors after fourteen hours | | | | cognitive functioning in elderly women. There is |
| of working memory training. This is the first | | | | reason to believe that these exercises would help |
| human study to show a change in the dopamine | | | | children with ADHD as well. |
| receptor system as a result of cognitive training. | | | | Cognitive training is a huge growth industry. |
| The Cogmed program involves twenty-five, 40 | | | | Cognitive development programs are being |
| minute, computer sessions completed over a | | | | marketed not only to the ADHD community but |
| period of 5 weeks. The child plays computer | | | | also to our aging population. As our huge cohort |
| memory games and is rewarded at the end of a | | | | of baby boomers ages, more companies will be |
| session with a Gameboy type robot game. I have | | | | studying executive functioning and developing |
| a friend whose son used this program. His mother | | | | interventions to improve memory, cognitive |
| has told me that the child was very resistant to | | | | flexibility, the prioritization of information, time |
| completing the 40 minute sessions but that she | | | | awareness skills, and the organization of |
| feels that it helped him. | | | | information. This is exciting as these are the very |
| A program out of Austria called CogniPlus | | | | cognitive functions that are problematic in |
| promises to provide training to all aspects of | | | | individuals with ADHD. |