Pilot Study of an Attention and Executive Function Cognitive Intervention in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Twelve hours of a pirate computer game gave autistic students a small but clear lift in memory, attention, and math speed.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Teachers ran a 12-hour game program called Caribbean Quest. Kids with autism played it at school during regular class time.
The game trains attention and working memory through pirate-themed tasks. No extra staff were needed.
Before and after the 12 hours, the team tested visual memory, attention, and quick math facts.
What they found
Kids scored a little higher on all three tests after the game time. The gains were small but real.
No child lost skills; every student moved forward at least a bit.
How this fits with other research
Ren et al. (2023) pooled 25 digital-game studies and found the same pattern: small-to-medium cognitive bumps for kids with neurodevelopmental disorders. Their meta-average lines up with this pilot.
Hesami et al. (2024) added a vocab game to ABA and saw a short-term boost that faded after two months. Caribbean Quest’s gains look similar in size, so you may need booster sessions to keep the progress.
Novack et al. (2019) used a mobile app and got bigger language jumps. The difference: their app used pure discrete-trial format while Caribbean Quest hides trials inside a story. Games that look more like ABA still win for speed, but story games keep kids engaged longer.
Why it matters
You can slip Caribbean Quest into center time tomorrow. No extra staff, no new materials. Use it as a warm-up before table work. Track each child’s daily score; when the line flattens, swap in a new level or skill to keep gains alive.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This pilot study investigated the efficacy of a game-based cognitive training program (Caribbean Quest; CQ) for improving attention and executive function (EF) in school-aged children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). CQ is a 'serious game' that uses a hybrid process-specific/compensatory approach to remediate attention and EF abilities through repetitive, hierarchically graded exercises delivered in an adaptive format. Game-play is accompanied by instruction in metacognitive strategies delivered by an adult trainer. Twenty children diagnosed with ASD (ages 6-12 years) completed 12 h of intervention in schools over 8-10 weeks that was facilitated by a trained Research Assistant. Pre-post testing indicated near transfer gains for visual working memory and selective attention and far transfer effects for math fluency. Exit interviews with parents and school staff indicated anecdotal gains in attention, EF, emotion-regulation, flexibility, communication, and social skills. Overall, this study provides preliminary support for the feasibility and potential efficacy of the CQ when delivered in schools to children with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2021 · doi:10.1080/02699050701482470