Abstract

Attention is a core cognitive function that plays a major role in the development of complex cognitive skills and it is considered as a salient predictor of academic outcomes. Children with neurodevelopmental dysfunctions, such as ADHD, present attention deficits, which affect domains like cognitive development, learning and behavioral. Therefore, it is necessary for this group of children and their parents to receive intervention and support so as to cope with the difficulties they present in important areas of their life. Behavioral parent training (BPT) and cognitive-behavioral treatment (CBT) are considered evidence-based interventions for children with ADHD and they have positive effects on the management of children’s behaviors, organization, reduction of parental stress and enhancement of parental self-efficacy. An emerging tool for supporting evidence-based interventions is Virtual Reality (VR) technology which gives the opportunity for children to learn and practice on skills like attention training in an environment similar to the one in which they are expected to transfer and generalize those skills. The aims of the current study, which is part of the European funded project “Neo-PRISM-C: NEurodevelopmental Optimal-Predictors, Risk factors, and Intervention from a Systems approach to Maladjustment in Children” (Horizon2020-Marie Skłodowska-Curie ITN program), is the integration of VR technology in a longitudinal multimodal intervention program for children with ADHD and their parents as well as the investigation of the contributing factors that should be involved in the implementation of intervention programs for children with attention deficits.