Attention training may help attention a little, and maybe school and thinking skills.

The review

1. 01

   Who took part

   630 people took part in 15 studies. Some had ADHD, some had learning difficulties, and others had no known learning or attention problems. They were aged from about 4 to 85.

2. 02

   What they did

   People did exercises that train attention, such as tasks that practise focus and memory. Some studies compared them with people who got no training, and others with people who did different training. The training took about 16 hours on average.

3. 03

   What happened

   Attention training helped attention more than the other group did, though only a little. It also gave better school and thinking test scores, which the authors call early evidence. The authors think some studies with weak results may be missing from the analysis.

What the review found

1. HelpedFocus

   People who did attention training improved their attention more than the other group did.

   • Action: Train attention and memory with exercisestested

   Pooled analysis of 15 studies with 630 people · vs people who got no training or different training · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

2. HelpedOther outcomes

   People who did attention training also got better scores on school and thinking tests than the other group did.

   • Action: Train attention and memory with exercisestested

   Pooled analysis of 15 studies with 630 people · vs people who got no training or different training · ⚠ whole programmes were tested, so no single part can be credited

Source