Attention training in children with autism spectrum disorder improves academic performance: A double-blind pilot application of the computerized progressive attentional training program.
Eight weeks of computer attention training gave autistic kids lasting boosts in reading, writing, and math.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Spaniol et al. (2021) tested a computer game that trains attention in autistic children. Kids played the game twice a week for two months at a clinic. Half the kids got the real training. The other half played a fake game. Neither the kids nor the testers knew who got what.
The team then checked math, reading, writing, and attention scores three months later.
What they found
The trained group jumped ahead in all three school subjects. Their gains were medium-sized and still there three months after the last session. Attention scores also stayed higher than the control group.
How this fits with other research
Spaniol et al. (2018) ran a similar program in schools and saw small gains. The new study used tighter rules and found bigger gains, so it updates the earlier result.
Sacrey et al. (2025) tried the same idea with toddlers. They saw better attention but did not test school work. Together the studies show the game can help from age two to middle school.
Kirk et al. (2017) looked at kids with intellectual disability, not autism. They found only a tiny math bump. The new study shows autistic children gain across subjects, so the two papers disagree only because the groups are different.
Why it matters
You now have an eight-week tool that lifts reading, writing, and math in autistic students. It needs only two short computer sessions a week and the gains last. If you serve autistic learners who struggle in class, add CPAT to your toolkit.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Schedule two 30-min CPAT sessions this week and track math-fact fluency before and after.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Atypical attention has been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with studies pointing to an increase in attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder-like symptomatology. Individuals with ASD may also present academic difficulties and it is possible that they face a double-barrier for academic attainment from both core ASD symptomatology and from attention atypicalities, which are directly linked to academic performance. This raises the possibility that academic difficulties in ASD may benefit from cognitive training targeting attention. To test this possibility, we used the computerized progressive attentional training (CPAT) intervention in a double-blind, active control with follow-up intervention study in Brazil. The CPAT is a computerized attention training program that was recently piloted with schoolchildren with ASD in the UK. Twenty-six participants (8-14 years) with ASD in the São Paulo's ASD Reference Unit were assigned to either the CPAT (n = 14) or active control group (n = 12), which were matched at baseline. Two 45-min intervention sessions per week were conducted over a 2-month period. School performance, attention, fluid intelligence, and behavior were assessed before, immediately after and 3 months following the intervention. Significant group by time interactions show improvements in math, reading, writing and attention that were maintained at follow-up for the CPAT (but not the active control) group, while parents of children from both groups tended to report behavioral improvements. We conclude that attention training has the potential to reduce obstacles for academic attainment in ASD. Combined with the previous pilot study, the current results point to the generality of the approach, which leads to similar outcomes in different cultural and social contexts. LAY ABSTRACT: Attention difficulties tend to occur in ASD and are linked to academic performance. In this study, we demonstrate that school performance in math, reading and writing in children with ASD can improve following an intervention that trains basic attention skills (the CPAT intervention). The improvements we report are stable and were maintained 3-months following the intervention. This study, which was conducted in a public-health setting in Brazil, extends previous research in schools in the UK pointing to the cross-cultural and cross-settings efficacy of the intervention.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2021 · doi:10.1002/aur.2566