Piloting an Eight-Session Attentional Skills Training (AST) Program for Elementary School Children: Incorporating Mindfulness Concepts and Video Gaming Activities

Abstract

ABSTRACT This pilot study explored the impact of an eight-session attentional skills training (AST) program for elementary-age school children. Twenty-four students, 3rd through 6th grade, participated in guidance sessions involving exposure to mindfulness exercises and video gaming activities designed to challenge visual attention, memory, and decision-making in engaging and entertaining motivational contexts. Multivariate analyses revealed that students realized a 40–50% increase in their performance on two standardized measures of time sensitive visual decision-making search tasks at the end of the AST intervention, although there were no significant changes in student reports of their mindful attitudes and parent reports of their child’s cognitive functioning. This study adds to literature on the benefits of focused interventions on attentional skills that support executive functioning of children in classroom settings.