Cognitive Outcomes of the At-Home Brain Balance Program

Abstract

AbstractAccessibility to developmental interventions for children and adolescents could be increased through virtual, at-home delivery of home-based training programs incorporating technology. Virtual childhood training programs and their effects on cognitive outcomes in children and adolescents with developmental delays have not been well studied. To that end, this study examined the effects of the virtual at-home Brain Balance®(BB) program on the cognitive task performance of children and adolescents with baseline developmental and attentional difficulties (aged 4-17 years). The at-home BB program is delivered through: (1) a computer-based format utilizing multimodal program activities previously studied in-center (multisensory stimulation with gross motor, coordination, balance, and timing activities, along with nutritional recommendations); and (2) the BB app (visual motor, auditory and visual processing, and rhythm and timing training) — creating a comprehensive program experience delivered remotely. Cognitive performance was measured by six online cognitive assessments from Creyos Health before and after 3 months of participation in the at-home BB program (N = 316) or in-center BB program (N = 4,232), compared to controls. Results showed that overall cognitive assessment scores (including attention, response inhibition, and working memory) improved after participation in either the at-home or the in-center program, compared to controls. Importantly, significant improvements over the controls were observed for two tasks, Double Trouble and Feature Match, in both programs. Further, two analyses support that the effects on cognitive performance from either delivery format, in-center or at home, are comparable in magnitude. This research: (1) presents new findings demonstrating improved cognitive performance after 3 months of the at-home BB program; (2) replicates previous findings of cognitive improvements after 3 months of the in-center BB program; and (3) suggests that the cognitive effects of virtual at-home BB training are similar to those observed for in-center BB training. Overall, the results demonstrate the effectiveness of the at-home BB program in improving cognitive functioning in pediatric populations with preexisting developmental and attentional difficulties. With virtual delivery and ease of use, at-home programs have the potential to increase access to much-needed developmental and cognitive support, ultimately reaching populations that may otherwise lack easy access to high-quality, evidence-based developmental programs.