Effectiveness of digital game-based trainings in children with neurodevelopmental disorders: A meta-analysis.

The team pooled 28 studies on computer games that train memory, attention, or planning for kids with autism, ADHD, or intellectual disability.

All games ran on tablets or laptops. Kids played 3-5 times a week for 2-12 weeks.

The review asked two questions: do these games raise cognitive scores, and do the gains stick after play stops?

Across the children, game training lifted cognitive test scores by a medium amount (g = 0.54).

Benefits stayed medium at follow-up, but only six studies checked later.

Games that matched the trained task to the game mechanic worked best—for example, memory games that really taxed memory, not just looked fun.

Han et al. (2025) found small gains from full ABA programs; Xiaoyu shows digital mini-lessons can give faster, cheaper cognitive boosts.

Gordon et al. (2014) used one short FaceMaze game to lift facial expression skills; the new meta says many brief game sessions can widen multiple cognitive skills.

Xie et al. (2024) saw enactment help memory less for autistic kids than typical peers; Xiaoyu’s games still helped NDD kids, hinting that digital formats may level the field better than enactment alone.

Frank-Crawford et al. (2024) warned that DTT studies rarely check if skills last; Xiaoyu found the same gap—only six of 28 studies tracked maintenance.

You can add game time to any session without extra staff. Pick programs where the skill and the game action line up—memory maze for working memory, not just any cartoon. Track the score weekly and probe the same skill with non-game materials to be sure it transfers. If the app gives built-in data, graph it beside your regular probe sheets; kids love seeing both charts climb.