Effectiveness of executive functioning training among heterogeneous adolescent samples: A systematic review

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Executive functions are crucial cognitive processes supporting goal-directed behavior.
• Adolescence is a critical period for executive function development.
• Understanding the efficacy of interventions for executive functions is important for this age group.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the efficacy of executive functioning training techniques in adolescents.
• To consolidate findings from studies evaluating these interventions across various populations.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature review was conducted.
• 26 articles evaluating executive functioning training in adolescents (ages 10-19) were analyzed.
• Studies included typically developing adolescents and those with psychiatric/medical diagnoses.

Main Results:

• Executive functioning training yielded non-significant or small effect sizes in typically developing adolescents (62.5% of studies).
• In contrast, adolescents with ADHD, ASD, and medical conditions showed medium to large effect sizes, indicating effectiveness.
• Two studies in this group did not support effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Executive functioning training is effective for adolescents with specific conditions like ADHD and ASD.
• Further research is required to assess long-term efficacy and real-world generalizability of these training techniques.