Video game technology is perhaps not what immediately springs to mind when it comes to helping children who suffer from attention/deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but researchers from the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) believe it could be an effective intervention.

Their work, which was chronicled in a recently published paper, saw sensory and motor stimuli offered via an action video game style interface.

It’s believed that around 50% of children on the autism spectrum have some form of ADHD, but it’s also the case that treatments for ADHD are less effective in children also diagnosed as autistic.  This is leading researchers to explore a number of alternative treatments.

Overcoming cognitive impairment

Children with both autistic and ADHD symptoms are also at risk of developing impaired cognitive function, which is due in large part because they struggle to maintain attention and focus on the task at hand.  This can especially difficult when the child enters school.

“Our study showed that children engaged with the Project: EVO treatment for the recommended amount of time, and that parents and children reported high rates of satisfaction with the treatment,” the researchers say. “Based on the promising study results, we look forward to continuing to evaluate the potential for Project: EVO as a new treatment option for children with ASD and ADHD.”

Suffice to say, the study was conducted on a relatively small sample, so it would be unwise to read too much into the findings, but the team plan on pursuing this line of inquiry with a larger follow-up study to put the game to a more rigorous analysis.