Effectiveness of an attention-training program

TLDR

Attention Process Training (APT) is a hierarchical, multilevel program developed to remediate attention deficits in brain‑injured individuals, drawing on contemporary experimental attention theories. Four brain‑injured participants, differing in injury type and chronicity, received 5–10 weeks of intensive attention training within a single‑subject multiple‑baseline design. All participants exhibited significant attention improvements, while visual‑processing remediation did not affect attention, underscoring the value of a process‑specific rehabilitation approach.

Abstract

Abstract Attention Process Training (APT), a hierarchical, multilevel treatment program, was designed to remediate attention deficits in brain-injured persons. The program incorporates current theories in the experimental attention literature. Four brain-injured subjects, varying widely in both etiology of injury and time post onset, underwent intensive cognitive remediation including 5 to 10 weeks of specific attention training. Results are displayed using a single subject multiple baseline across behaviors design. All four subjects demonstrated significant gains in attention following the initiation of attention training. Remediation of another cognitive function (visual processing) was not associated with alterations in attention behavior. The merits of a process-specific approach to cognitive rehabilitation are discussed.