Cogmed Working Memory Training

Overview and Frequently Asked Questions

Behavioral Health Specialists (BHS) is committed to making available only programs that are scientifically proven to improve cognitive functioning. I am pleased to offer Cogmed training - a scientifically proven computerized 5 week program designed to improve working memory, focus and concentration in children, adolescents, and adults.

What is Cogmed Training?

Cogmed Working Memory Training sets the highest standard for evidence-based cognitive training, and is now considered a first-line intervention for attention problems. The American Academy of Pediatrics – representing America’s 60,000 pediatricians –recognizes working memory training as a good evidence-based intervention for ADHD. Cogmed training is a home-based software program to improve concentration by training your working memory.  Cogmed training was originally developed in Sweden at the Karolinska Institute, one of Europe’s leading medical institutes. The program is based on strong scientific research demonstrating that after training, people improve their ability to concentrate, control impulsive behavior, and better utilize complex reasoning skills. In the end, better academic and professional performance can be achieved.

Who should do Cogmed Training?

Cogmed training offers significant benefits, including enhancing:

Cogmed users include young children, adolescents, adults and seniors.  Some have diagnosed attention deficits, learning disabilities; others have suffered a brain injury, stroke or concussion, and others feel the effects of aging.  And others find they’re not doing as well as they could, academically or professionally, given their intelligence and their efforts.  Cogmed can give them the boost they need to do better.

What is Working Memory?

Working memory capacity determines your cognitive performance. Cogmed training improves your working memory. Your strengthened working memory allows you to perform better. The training creates the cognitive foundation you need to prepare for success.

We use working memory every day. It is the ability to keep information in your mind for a short time, focus on the task and remember what to do next.  With a working memory weakness, it is difficult to stay focused, ignore distractions, plan next steps, remember instructions, and start and finish tasks.  Studies show a working memory weakness often leads to difficulties in school, especially in reading comprehension and math. Working memory is a key deficit in many individuals with ADHD, learning disabilities, reading comprehension and math difficulties, and victims of stroke and brain injury.

Benefits

Eight out of 10 users show measurable improvement in attention, problem solving skills and controlling impulses. Results are long lasting: over 80% of those who improve their working memory either maintain their gains or actually continue to improve over time, as indicated at one-year follow-up. Improvement ranges from moderately good to excellent, in terms of “real world” functioning.  In some cases, results are apparent as early as the third or fourth week of training.  In other cases, however, results emerge slowly and begin to become apparent only after several weeks or longer.

In children, parents and teachers also report improved social skills, taking initiative, remembering instructions, and completing assignments more independently.  The objective is better academic results.

For adults, by training your working memory you will be better able to stay focused, ignore distractions, plan next steps, remember instructions and start and complete tasks.  The objective is better professional performance and attention stamina. A strong working memory empowers a professional to perform well under pressure, remain organized, and prioritize activities.  Professionals with strong working memory capacities are efficient with their time and well equipped to multitask.

The complete Cogmed program includes

• Initial assessment
• Startup session
• Five weeks of training, with weekly coach calls
• Wrap-up meeting and progress report
• Six-month follow-up interview
• Access to the Cogmed Training Web
• Cogmed Extension Training (12 months)

Cogmed Training Versions:

Cogmed JM is designed for younger children ages 4-7. It requires 10 to 15 minutes of training five times a week for five weeks.

Cogmed RM is for children and teens ages 7 and up. It takes about 45 minutes five times a week for 5 weeks.

Cogmed QM is for adults.  It takes about 40 minutes five times a week for 5 weeks.

If I or my child wants to use the Cogmed Working Memory Training, what are the steps?

1. Screening: Complete the BHS Cogmed Intake Form and Pre-training Assessment and return it to me via e-mail or regular mail. When we have received those we’ll call you to set up a phone or in-office interview. (If these forms are not attached, simply e-mail your request for the forms to astern@bhsks.com). Please review the information about Cogmed at cogmed.com. It is very important that you become familiar with and evaluate Cogmed Working Memory Training, so please “kick the tires and look under the hood”.  Become familiar with Cogmed’s significant training benefits and the extensive research supporting it.
   

2. Initial Assessment: This can be done by phone (30-minutes) or in-office (60 minutes). The phone assessment is designed for those who are out-of-town or unable to easily come in for an office interview. You complete pre-training assessment forms and have a phone interview, conducted by a Cogmed-trained psychologist or coach to help assess whether the program can meet your needs. The office assessment is more in-depth, involving pre-training assessment forms, clinical interview and history, and working memory testing.
   

3. Start-up session:  Conducted at our office or by phone, this 30 minute session is geared towards training you on the use of the software and establishing a good working relationship. 
   

4. Five week at-home training: The actual Cogmed training takes place at home, 30 to 45 minutes per day, five days per week, for five weeks.  It is possible to extend the training beyond the five-week period if training sessions were missed due to illness or other complications. The Cogmed exercises are similar to computer games, except that as the user repeats a visual or oral sequence, the software automatically increases in difficulty, gradually improving the individual’s abilities.
   

   
   

   The Cogmed training requires a commitment to adhering to a consistent training schedule in order to get the optimal results. Families should think about the program like they would an exercise and fitness regimen - you need to be consistent and motivated to produce results. Children going through Cogmed training will need an in-person assistant (parent, tutor, or other appropriate adult) to monitor and supervise each training session.|
   

5. Five weekly telephone coaching sessions: During the five-week training period, you will be contacted each week by phone by a trained Cogmed coach. The coaching session is a time to report progress, to problem-solve any difficulties, and to make sure you are on track toward completing your training. The Cogmed coach will review your progress online before each phone call so that he or she will be fully informed of your training times and your progress throughout the week.
   

6. Wrap-up and Follow up sessions:  Following the training, you'll have a wrap-up session with the coach. At this session, you'll be asked to complete questionnaires once again, to help measure your progress. Six months following training, we will send you another set of questionnaires to fill out and returned to us. We find that improvements in areas of memory and attention often continue to increase following the training.  These questionnaires give us an opportunity to measure and document your progress.
   

7. Cogmed Extension Training:  When the intensive five week training is completed and the training has been wrapped-up, the user gets access to 100 sessions of training with the software, to use over a 12 month period. Cogmed Extension Training is optional and no extra fee involved for the first 12 months.

We offer a $100 discount on the normal fee for other family members, provided they are in the same household and start training within 6 months of the first user.

Can Cogmed training be done via telephone without in-person contact?

Yes, everything can be done via telephone.  The initial and follow-up interviews can be conducted by phone if you live at a distance and it is not convenient to come to our clinic.

Is Cogmed intended as a replacement for ADHD medication?

The program has been used with ADHD individuals both on and off medication with equally good results, so we encourage individuals who benefit from medication to continue medication during training.  Cogmed training is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider's consultation or substitute for medication that a doctor may have prescribed.

Can Cogmed training be done at the child's school?

Yes, if your child's school is willing to participate in supervision of the training sessions. In the US, private schools are beginning to express an interest in Cogmed training as part of their curriculum to assist students who experience problems with working memory and attention. Cogmed training is paid for by parents individually, but supervised training can take place at school if there's a computer and high-speed Internet connection available.

Now you can monitor your long-term benefits through Cogmed extension training.

One the most frequent and important questions we hear from users is “How do I know my working memory improvements will last?” Cogmed has conducted extensive follow-up research on trainees - more than 80% show lasting improvements after competing working memory training. Cogmed provides 12-month long Cogmed Extension Training, that allows you to check and train your working memory over 100 sessions. That way you can make sure your gains are maintained, or do more training to increase further. There is no additional cost for the extension training.

How does Cogmed Working Memory Training compare with other computer memory programs?

There are a number of programs available that are really memory games.  The main difference between them and Cogmed is in the ability to continually challenge and modify the training experience.  By gradually adjusting the level of difficulty based on real-time experiences Cogmed is able to provide a true training experience.  This differs from other memory game programs and creates a genuine learning experience that will enhance and improve specific aspects of working memory until maximum benefit is attained.  In addition, The Cogmed training has been subjected to rigorous scientific research with proven effectiveness, and we encourage you to read a research summary and science supporting Cogmed Working Memory Training at cogmed.com.

SharpBrains.com proves to be a useful resource on brain fitness.

“Which brain training program is right for me?” As brain fitness enters the mainstream, this question has become more common – and more difficult to answer. Hundreds of brain products have flooded the market, each promising to boost mental performance based on scientific findings. But scratch below the surface and you’ll find that too many of these programs lack a solid scientific foundation.

One resource to help make informed decisions about brain health is SharpBrains.com. Founded by neuroscientist Elkhonon Goldberg and Alvaro Fernandez, the Web site and its lively blog provide the latest research and information about the brain fitness market. The site features a 10-Question Evaluation Checklist with the key considerations for selecting a cognitive training program. Another valuable resource is the site’s Neuroscience Interview Series, which captures the insights of many of the world’s leading brain experts.

For more information

To learn about working memory, and to take a brief working memory test, go to cogmed.com. It has extensive information, including a demonstration of some of the actual training exercises. For executives and professionals interested in working memory training, go to www.executhink.com.

If you have any questions, please e-mail me at astern@bhsks.com or call me at 913-906-9559.

Avner Stern, Ph.D.

Licensed Psychologist

Avner Stern, Ph.D., Licensed Psychologist , is a partner with Behavioral Health Specialists in Overland Park, Kansas, and Chief Science Officer of ExecuThink, LLC.  He was formerly director of Attention Deficit and Learning Disability Services, Saint Luke’s Health System. He earned his doctorate from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1978. He completed the Postgraduate Diagnostic Program at the Menninger School of Psychiatry and Mental Health Sciences.  He was Director of Doctoral Intern Training and Clinical Services at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Counseling Center.  His specialty areas include the evaluation and management of attention deficit and learning disabilities, and diagnostic assessment in children, adolescents, and adults. Dr. Stern helped to pioneer the provision of cognitive training in the U.S., and is now one of the nation’s most experienced clinicians in the areas of cognitive brain training and working memory.

 Important notice: Cogmed Working Memory Training is not intended to be a substitute for a health care provider's consultation or a substitute for medication that a doctor may have prescribed. Scientific research with respect to Cogmed Working Memory Training has evidenced strong improvement effects. Even so, the effect or result in the individual case and for a specific user can never be guaranteed and results may vary.