Dive Brief:
- New research shows that a neuroscience-based cognition intervention and assessment called ACTIVATE may help students with ADHD succeed in the classroom.
- The rate of diagnosis for ADHD has risen 5% per year since 2003, and helping ADHD children in the classroom remains a challenge for many schools.
- Research on the ACTIVATE program shows children with ADHD made significant improvements in cognitive skills like sustained attention, self-control, speed of information processing and working memory.
Dive Insight:
An increasing number of behavioral and cognitive approaches to ADHD serve as powerful alternatives to medication, which can have undetermined longterm effects. According to the U.S. Center for Disease Control, 11% of students in the U.S. have ADHD, and 25% of parents of ADHD children also suffer from the disorder. A cognitive approach like ACTIVATE's may come as a welcome breakthrough for families who don't want to medicate young children diagnosed with the condition.
Recently, international studies conducted in Iceland, Canada, Israel, Sweden and Taiwan found the youngest students in each grade level are 20% to 100% more likely to be diagnosed or medicated for the ailment than their older peers. Doctors and experts attribute the disparity up to emotional and social maturity differences that naturally occur across the span of one developmental year. Brili Inc. and other ed-tech companies have looked to cash in on ADHD, launching apps aimed at helping families "manage the challenges of ADHD."
