ADHD, executive functions, and AI: A new era of treatment

AI in AI: The revolution in focus and management

can artificial intelligence (AI) Become a powerful treatment tool for children and adults with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)? When ADHD is considered a failure Executive FeaturesBrain-based skills such as work Memory,flexibility, Time managementorganization, and self controlAI can become a powerful selfmanagement resource. Looking at AI as an agent supporting ineffective executive skills, many individuals with ADHD can open the door for wide use. Dealing with individual skills rather than ADHD entities is a technique and behavioral intervention methodology to improve skills, including time management, organization, working memory, and working memory. Emotional regulation. Technologies such as wearables, video games, AI, and virtual reality (VR) are increasingly becoming part of ADHD management. It may also be used by many children who have not received a formal diagnosis of ADHD but exhibit defects in executive functions such as difficulty planning and foresight, poor time management skills, and inflexible problem-solving (Doulou et al., 2025).

AI offers more personalized support and therapeutic possibilities as a treatment tool for ADHD. For example, for the past year, AI tools have been considered in treating ADHD and in supporting children with learning disabilities. Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy and author of the new book Brave new words: How AI revolutionizes education (And why is that good?)views AI as a tool that can provide low-cost, one-on-one, individualized tutoring to students who cannot afford this service (Khan, 2024). Many of these same children struggle with ADHD and executive dysfunction.

Handles ADHD with video game-based technology

AI may be the latest and great, but it is not the only technology tool to help children and adults with ADHD. Taking executive features and ADHD issues with video games and other digital tools is not a new phenomenon. Older studies utilized a computer training program called AIXTENT to enhance the four components of attention: vigilance, vigilance, selective attention, and divided attention. Findings show general improvements in attention skills, including vigilance, divided attention, and cognitive flexibility (Tucha et al., 2011). Another study revealed that using a variety of video games, brain training games can improve executive functional skills such as working memory and processing speed in young adults. Puzzle games (in this case, Tetris) were observed to increase attention and visual spatial abilities compared to playing brain training games (Nguyen et al., 2021).

Currently there is substantial evidence that technologies like video games can improve working memory skills. This has been frequently identified as the most important executive deficiency observed in children with ADHD. A study from the Sweden Karolinska Institute suggests that this type of training leads to structural changes in the brain that directly improve symptoms of ADHD (Klingberg, 2010). A 2009 study found that treatments with video game-based working memory training enhanced working memory. concentration He also improved a variety of academic skills, including reading and mathematics. The study also suggested that working memory training can improve self-awareness and strategic thinking.

More recently, it was the US Food and Drug Administration clearance of Endeavorlx, a prescription video game designed to improve attentional functionality in children with ADHD. Research published in Lancet Digital Health Kollins et al. (2020) demonstrated that Endeavorrx improved objective measures of attention in children with ADHD compared to aggressive controls. This illustrates an important advance in the recognition and use of video games as a legal treatment tool for ADHD.

Several studies conducted by Shawn Green and colleagues investigated the relationship between skills used in video games and attention reinforcement. Their work shows that action video game players demonstrate improved attentional control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility compared to non-gammers. These findings suggest that the dynamic and attractive nature of a particular video game can train and enhance cognitive skills underlying attention and executive functioning (Green & Bavelier, 2012).

Technology tools as treatment for executive function skills

In addition to these developments, other products and digital therapies have emerged that use video game technology to address executive function challenges. These include a variety of apps and online platforms, as well as cognitive training exercises and games designed to target specific skills such as working memory, planning, and impulse control.

Research and ADHD on the use of video games to improve executive features are continuing and evolving, but there are several general themes in the current study. First, engagement with video games and other screen-based technologies provides a fertile basis for learning. Second, video game play needs to be adaptive and more challenging to achieve cognitive benefits. Third, enticing, fun and motivating the game will contribute to the development of executive functional skills. And finally, building opportunities to generalize game-based skills to real-world activities improves the chances of long-term impact.

Future: AI, VR, and wearables as treatments for ADHD

Many researchers and companies are developing technologies to improve executive functional skills in children, especially ADHD. AI offers interesting possibilities. AI-based interventions for ADHD executive functioning may include educational apps that can be adapted in real time to children’s academic levels and attentional patterns. The AI ​​Tutor app maintains attention and effort using already personalized encouragement. AI can be used to analyze children’s gameplay to assess the weaknesses of certain executive functions and suggest activities to practice these skills.

VR is already used to support children with ADHD and may provide unique real-world practice opportunities for executive functional skills. VR environments can be designed to simulate real-world situations that require powerful executive functional skills, such as navigating busy classrooms, managing schedules, and handling social interactions. Future VR games require players to manage their time to complete daily tasks in a simulated school environment and use executive functional skills such as time management, planning, and sustained attention (Goh et al., 2024).

Wearable technology also has potential. A smartwatch or other device can monitor physiological indicators of attention, such as heart rate variability and brain wave activity. Wearables provide private and effective alerts to let your child know to do homework, pay attention, and support weak working memory skills.

New technologies are not a treatment for ADHD, but they can support and improve many executive functional skills. In particular, AI may adapt to address multiple executive deficits that characterize ADHD. However, AI and other technologies should not be considered alternatives to established evidence-based treatments for ADHD. medicine and action Treatment. Rather, they can be used as complementary or supplementary interventions to enhance and support these traditional approaches in the treatment of ADHD.