Use of a computer-assisted program to improve metacognition in persons with severe intellectual disabilities

Metacognition and self-regulation are processes extremely relevant to education of persons with intellectual disabilities. They play a central role in specific limitations, such as outer-directedness and lack of strategy transfer, and are related to desirable educational objectives such as self-determination. Although computer-assisted training has shown to be successful in training specific abilities and general cognitive processes, interventions of this nature centering on metacognitive development are rare. A computer-assisted program aimed in this direction is presented. It was applied to 21 adolescents and young adults with a mean IQ of 36. Metacognitive scores improved for this group at posttest relative to pretest to a degree significantly different from gains found in an equivalent control group. Improvement was clear from the first sessions of the intervention and was maintained at a 6-month follow-up.