Working Memory and Social-emotional Training for Preschoolers at Risk of ADHD

NCT ID: NCT05162729

Last Updated: 2023-03-28

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

79 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2021-09-01

Study Completion Date

2022-04-01

Brief Summary

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The study aims to explore the effectiveness of working memory training and social emotional training for young children with ADHD in Hong Kong. This study will contribute to the current understanding of the alternative treatments for ADHD, and hopefully help to mobilize more resources to be dedicated to the support of children with ADHD. The programme includes the following components:

Children participating in this study will be randomly allocated into experimental group - recieving working memory training, active control group - receiving social-emotional training, and waitlist control group. All participants will complete a 5-week online training using a digital device at home, three times a week, each training session lasts for about 15 minutes.

Moreover, children's cognitive abilities and academic performance will be assessed prior to the intervention, and immediately after the 5-week training. Each assessment session lasts for about 45 minutes. Parents will also be asked to fill out a questionnaire on children's behaviours at home and school prior to and after the 5-week program. It takes about no more than 10 minutes. All assessments will be conducted at the laboratory at the University of Hong Kong.

Children's working memory, time perception, ADHD symptoms, and early academic performance will be measured before and after training, and the between-group performance will be compared to examine the training effects.

Detailed Description

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Conditions

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ADHD Time Perception Altered Working Memory Social Skills

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Intervention group: receive 5 weeks working memory online training, three times per week, each lasts 15 minutes.

Active control group: receive 5 weeks social-emotional online training, three times per week, each lasts 15 minutes.

Control group: no training
Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

DOUBLE

Participants Outcome Assessors
Participants will be randomly allocated into groups. Assessors do not know about which group participants were allocated in

Study Groups

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Working memory intervention group

Receive game-like working memory online training for 5 weeks, 3 times per week, each lasting for15 minutes.

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Game-like online working memory training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the WM group will be receiving two types of WM training tasks (two mini-games) in each session. Half of the training time will be spent on playing a game that requires visual-spatial WM, and the other half of the training time will be spent on playing a game that demands verbal WM. In both the games, the participant is asked to remember the pictures or audios (numbers) presented, and then recall them and select them on the screen.

Social emotional intervention group

Receive game-like social-emotional online training for 5 weeks, 3 times per week, each lasting for 15 minutes.

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Game-like online social emotional training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Participants in the SE group will be also receiving two types of SE training tasks in each session, to match with the ones in the WM training. There are two mini-games for training.

To match with the spatial-visual WM training, participants in the SE group will be asked to first look at a picture that depicts a daily social scenario (i.e., a child who fell down and hurt himself), and then to choose an emotion that the child in the picture may feel from four options of facial emotions displayed on the screen. The other mini-game, with the aim to match with the auditory WM training, will first tell a short story of a social scenario (i.e. "David accidentally fell down and got hurt), and then will ask the child to choose the emotion that the character in the story may feel from the four options displayed on the screen. Each mini game lasts for about 7 minutes in each training session.

Control group

Receive no training

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Interventions

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Game-like online working memory training

Participants in the WM group will be receiving two types of WM training tasks (two mini-games) in each session. Half of the training time will be spent on playing a game that requires visual-spatial WM, and the other half of the training time will be spent on playing a game that demands verbal WM. In both the games, the participant is asked to remember the pictures or audios (numbers) presented, and then recall them and select them on the screen.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Game-like online social emotional training

Participants in the SE group will be also receiving two types of SE training tasks in each session, to match with the ones in the WM training. There are two mini-games for training.

To match with the spatial-visual WM training, participants in the SE group will be asked to first look at a picture that depicts a daily social scenario (i.e., a child who fell down and hurt himself), and then to choose an emotion that the child in the picture may feel from four options of facial emotions displayed on the screen. The other mini-game, with the aim to match with the auditory WM training, will first tell a short story of a social scenario (i.e. "David accidentally fell down and got hurt), and then will ask the child to choose the emotion that the character in the story may feel from the four options displayed on the screen. Each mini game lasts for about 7 minutes in each training session.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* children aged 4-6 years old
* with psychiatrist or psychologist diagnosis of ADHD according to the DSM-5 manual or other clinical diagnosis criteria;
* or as indicated by the ratings of Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Parent Rating Scale (SNAP-IV; Chinese version);
* with normal IQ (above 80), which enable them to understand the materials delivered in the training program;
* children either not taking any medication or taking a stable dosage of medication for ADHD for at least 3 months prior to the study enrollment and will not be taking the medication during the training and post-assessment period.

Exclusion Criteria

* inability to comprehend Cantonese, with comorbid disorders (i.e. autism, conduct/behavioural problems),
* with medical or other mental health condition
* with IQ below 80
* with physical and motor disabilities that restrain them from completing the tasks.
Minimum Eligible Age

4 Years

Maximum Eligible Age

6 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Sponsors

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The University of Hong Kong

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Dr. Kathy Shum

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Locations

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University of Hong Kong

Hong Kong, , Hong Kong

Site Status

Countries

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Hong Kong

Other Identifiers

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EA210224

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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