We’ve already discussed the symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of ADHD, and today we suggest cognitive rehabilitation activities for children with ADHD.
New neuroimaging techniques used by the Institute of Psychiatry in London (United Kingdom) show that the brains of children with attention deficit disorder and ADHD show delayed maturation in the development of some cognitive functions. These areas are related to attention and to executive functions such as inhibition, which act on self-control, and they could be the origin of this disorder.
According to this study, imaging techniques have shown that some areas are more affected in the connections between the frontal lobe and the basal ganglia. These regions (frontostriatal networks) are important for the performance of some executive functions and attention.
The latest research on the origin of ADHD focuses on the involvement of inhibition and self-control processes through executive functions and on their impact on the impaired neuropsychological processes underlying Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
That’s why the cognitive rehabilitation exercises for children with ADHD below mainly focus on working on executive functions and attention in the therapy the professional designs with NeuronUP.
Cognitive rehabilitation activities for children with ADHD
1. Let the Games Begin!
What does it involve?
The first activity we suggest is a game in which children have to sort the soccer balls on one side and the basketballs on the other, all while the balls keep moving!
What does this activity work on?
It’s an ideal activity for working on planning, selective attention, sustained attention, hemineglect, and processing speed.
2. Hide-and-Seek with Letters
What does it involve?
Children have to find only the indicated letter within a group of letters. They can’t miss a single one!
What does this activity work on?
This cognitive rehabilitation activity for children with ADHD mainly works on selective attention.
3. The Magic Word
What does it involve?
Here we present the children’s word search from NeuronUP, in which the words can be customized for each child. We customized this word search with Pokémon names.
What does this activity work on?
Word searches are a classic in cognitive rehabilitation, since they are ideal for working on selective attention in a dynamic, playful way.
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4. Program the Robot
We continue with a special focus on attention activities. In “Program the Robot,” young users have to mirror the position of the model light bulbs. By practicing this activity, children with ADHD work on sustained attention, selective attention, hemineglect, spatial relations, and processing speed.
5. Moving Drawings
What does it involve?
This activity involves memorizing where several drawings are placed and then reproducing them after moving them according to the instructions given.
What does this activity work on?
It works on working memory and spatial relations.
6. Find the Different Picture
What does it involve?
In this activity, the therapist should encourage the child to point to the picture that is different from the rest. For example, in this exercise you have to pay close attention to the details of each car.
What does this activity work on?
This exercise mainly works on processing speed.
7. Order on the Farm
What does it involve?
In this NeuronUP activity, children have to fill in the empty squares with the missing animals without repeating any in a row, column, or region.
What does this activity work on?
A playful sudoku adapted for young children that exercises working memory, flexibility, planning, and reasoning.
8. Mixing Numbers
What does it involve?
This cognitive rehabilitation activity mainly works on reasoning. Children have to sort a series of numbers by their value.
9. Mixed Images
What does it involve?
This activity consists of scrambled images that children have to move in an orderly way until they get the target image.
What does this activity work on?
The therapist can use it to work on planning and spatial relations with children with ADHD.
10. Step by Step
We’ll finish with a very useful activity for the cognitive rehabilitation of children with ADHD: Order the steps.
What does it involve?
A sequencing exercise aimed at breaking down the everyday actions they face each day into steps. In this case, doing homework.
Format
Step by Step is also available with pictures, and it can be done in digital and paper format. In this case, you have to put the steps in order so that Marta can wash her hands.
Don’t forget: All activities of daily living can be broken down into steps!
Also, remember that all NeuronUP activities are leveled, so they can easily be assigned to patients according to their age or abilities.
“This article has been translated. Link to the original article in Spanish:”
10 Actividades de rehabilitación cognitiva para niños con ADHD
Cognitive Intervention in Children with ADHD
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