The Efficacy of Cognitive Videogame Training for ADHD and What FDA Clearance Means for Clinicians
Abstract
News of a videogame that received FDA clearance to treat youth with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) garnered a great deal of media attention and raised questions about the role of digital cognitive training programs for treatment. In order for clinicians and clients to understand this news for the purposes of making treatment decisions one must have an understanding of what it means for a treatment to be considered evidence-based and an understanding of what is required to obtain FDA clearance. Finally, in order to fully inform decisions about treatment, clinicians and parents must be able to consider the evidence supporting cognitive training programs in relation to other treatments available for children with ADHD. A review of these standards and the evidence supporting cognitive training in general, and the new videogame that received recent FDA clearance (EndeavorRXTM) specifically, revealed an overall lack of support for this approach to treatment. There are multiple psychosocial and pharmacological treatment options with much more evidence supporting their effectiveness than any commercially available cognitive training program. The contrast between receiving FDA clearance without evidence of any observable benefits to the child is explained within a description of the FDA process for clearance and approval. Finally, these conclusions are described in the context of clinicians’ decisions regarding services offered and procedures for explaining this to fa…
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It is unlikely that minor enhancement effects on objective tasks would translate into improved real-world academic performance.
“Further, although some studies found small enhancement effects on these tasks for some NPDs (e.g., response time variability measured by a computer task; Weyandt et al. 2018), it is unlikely that such a minor enhancement would translate into improved real-world academic performance (Evans et al., 2021).”
From Effects of stimulant medication on neuropsychological functioning in college students without ADHD. (2026) · cites this paper as Evans et al., 2021
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Effects of stimulant medication on neuropsychological functioning in college students without ADHD.
Vasko, J. M., Looby, A., Serrano, J. W., Abu-Ramadan, T. M., Miller, E. A., McGee, N., Smith, D. T., & Hartung, C. M. (2026) · Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology · doi:10.1037/pha0000853
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- Authors
- Evans, S. W., Beauchaine, T. P., Chronis-Tuscano, A., Becker, S. P., Chacko, A., Gallagher, R., Hartung, C. M., Kofler, M. J., Schultz, B. K., Tamm, L., & Youngstrom, E. A.
- Affiliations
- Ohio University (US)
- The Ohio State University (US)
- University of Maryland, College Park (US)
- Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
- New York University (US)
- University of Wyoming (US)
- Florida State University (US)
- East Carolina University (US)
- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (US)
- Corresponding author
- Evans, Steven W.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Published
- 2021-01-02
- Volume
- 6
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 116-130
- ISSN
- 2379-4925 (ISSN-L)
- 2379-4933
- OpenAlex
- W3119530698
- Cited by
- 32
- References
- 22
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 1
- FWCI
- 3.21
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology › Developmental and Educational Neuropsychology
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Developmental and Educational Psychology › Behavioral and Psychological Studies
- Keywords
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, cognitive training, FDA clearance, computerized cognitive training, evidence-based treatment, children, treatment decision-making, psychosocial interventions, pharmacotherapy
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