Program of arithmetic improvement by means of cognitive enhancement: an intervention in children with special educational needs.

Deaño and colleagues ran a small classroom program for kids with special needs. They used PREP, a set of games that train planning, attention, and memory. Kids worked twice a week for eight weeks while a control group kept normal math lessons.

The team gave both groups the same tests before and after. They looked at thinking skills and real math tasks.

The PREP group beat the control group on both thinking tests and math tasks. Gains showed up right after the eight-week block.

The study says the program is cheap, quick, and fits inside normal class time.

Spaniol et al. (2021) and Spaniol et al. (2018) ran almost the same plan: twice-weekly attention games for eight weeks. They also saw better math scores, but their kids had autism and used a computer program called CPAT. The match gives confidence that attention-first training can lift academics across diagnoses.

Kirk et al. (2017) looks like a contradiction. They tested attention games too, yet found only a tiny math gain months later. The gap is explained by the kids: Hannah’s group was younger, had intellectual delays, and worked at home without a teacher. Classroom support seems key.

Tamm et al. (2024) extend the idea to middle-schoolers with autism. Their group program targeted planning and organization and still raised academic skills, showing the approach scales up.

You can copy this model tomorrow: pick two days a week, run 20-minute PREP or CPAT games before math class, then teach your regular lesson. The studies say you will strengthen both thinking skills and math scores without extra staff or fancy gear. Start with late-elementary special-ed students for the fastest payoff.