Candidate socioemotional remediation program for individuals with intellectual disability

Am J Intellect Dev Disabil. 2012 Sep;117(5):368-83. doi: 10.1352/1944-7558-117.5.368.

Abstract

The authors developed a computerized program, Vis-à-Vis (VAV), to improve socioemotional functioning and working memory in children with developmental disabilities. The authors subsequently tested whether participants showed signs of improving the targeted skills. VAV is composed of three modules: Focus on the Eyes, Emotion Recognition and Understanding, and Working Memory. Ten children with idiopathic developmental delay completed four 20-min weekly sessions of VAV for 12 weeks with an adult. Participants were evaluated before (Time 0) and after (Time 1) training and 6 months after remediation (Time 2). Subjects improved on all three modules during training and on emotion recognition and nonverbal reasoning post-VAV. These gains were still present at Time 2. VAV is a promising new tool for working on socioemotional impairments in hard-to-treat pediatric populations.

Publication types

  • Clinical Trial

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Cognition
  • Comprehension
  • Computer-Assisted Instruction / methods*
  • Disabled Children / psychology*
  • Education of Intellectually Disabled / methods*
  • Emotions
  • Eye
  • Facial Expression
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability / psychology*
  • Intellectual Disability / rehabilitation*
  • Male
  • Memory, Short-Term
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual
  • Social Behavior
  • Software