Improving Attention, Reducing Behavior Problems, and Bolstering Self-Esteem:
The Many Benefits of Play Attention

Increasing student time on-task and reducing impulsive behavior is a full-time job for most special educators. Students' self-esteem is often the last thing receiving any attention in the classroom. Play Attention (2000), a recently released computer-based learning system, is designed to target improvement in all three areas. Based on attention-training techniques similar to those developed for NASA and U.S. Air Force pilots, Play Attention® measures students' brain waves and provides feedback to the students in an entertaining, video game-like format. Designer, Peter Freer a Technologist in the Asheville, North Carolina, City School System, is the first to develop such a system for educational purposes (Hall, 2000). Freer is also the CEO and founder of Unique Logic + Technology, the company that produces Play Attention (Siglin, 2000).

Through the use of edufeedback, a coined and trademarked term of Play Attention, students practice controlling their state of attention in real time. The system uses a helmet (i.e., an adapted bicycle helmet) with built-in sensors to measure students' focus and cognitive processing. The electrodes are placed at the top of the helmet and to each side behind the ears. Brain waves are translated so that students can control the action on the computer screen. They learn to control the program through attention alone (Closing the Gap, 1999/2000).

Play Attention is recommended for individuals ages 7 and up. Reportedly, results have been achieved in as few as 15 hours, but 40 to 60 hours of training are recommended before results are to be considered permanent (Unique Logic + Technology, 2001).

With coaching, the student begins to maintain this focused awareness, and learns what behaviors detract from it. Gradually, students learn to transition their focused awareness to educational objectives like reading and attentive listening in class. Each level focuses on a different educational objective, so students can learn the skills they need to succeed in the classroom.

The Play Attention system covers five essential classroom skills (Unique Logic + Technology, 2000). All data are recorded so that students may see their progress over time.

Level I. Learning to Focus & Lessening Distractibility
Students begin their experience with Play Attention by working with a hierarchical series of games designed to increase their attentional abilities for gradually longer periods of time. By focusing on a bird flying or a fish swimming, students begin to understand that they can control the action on the screen simply by paying attention. The average user can learn basic control over the software in two to five minutes (Unique Logic + Technology, 2001).

Level II. Visual Tracking
Difficulty in visually following a teacher around the classroom or problems keeping up with the movements of a cursor on a computer screen are examples of deficits in visual tracking. In Level II, students move a character around the screen by focusing on it. The students' scores are directly related to their time spent maintaining attention to the screen character's movements.

Level III. Time On-Task
Staying on-task without constant one-on-one supervision is a necessary skill in public school classrooms. Students practice building a tower of blocks, a closed-end task, in Level III. The goal is to gradually decrease the amount of time it takes to successfully build a tower (i.e., in less than five minutes). Blocks are carried across the screen by attentional focus, and are stopped or moved backward if the students fall off-task.

Level IV. Short-Term Memory Sequencing
As indicated by its title, the goal of this exercise is to increase students' short-term memory, particularly in increasingly longer sequences. Students focus on a variety of colored blocks presented on the screen. The blocks light up in two, three, and four light sequences. Each block is assigned a unique tone. After watching and hearing the sequence, students must replicate the sequence by inputting information with the keyboard.

Level V. Discriminatory Processing
The setting for this activity is a cyber starship. Asteroids fly toward the ship. As the pilot, students must deflect certain colored asteroids, but not others. In so doing, they are learning to pay attention to important stimuli and ignoring unimportant, extraneous information.

Once the student masters the software, the coach may focus on behavioral goals. With the assistance of the coach, users can learn to control self-distracting or disruptive behaviors, such as calling out and fidgeting. Behavioral management plan materials are included in the user's manual.

"Studies demonstrate that children trained on Play Attention experience a greater sense of self-esteem, enhanced social interactions, and improved grades as a result of their own newly developed abilities"(Siglin, 2000, p. 123). A study conducted at Old Fort Elementary in Old Fort, North Carolina (Unique Logic + Technology, 2001), examined the results of 7 students with 20 hours or more experience with Play Attention. Of the seven, in the area of time on-task, six increased their amount of on-task time from 40% to 50% to nearly 100%. This would suggest that these students would be more apt to finish their homework and seatwork in the allotted time, and also be able complete end of year standardized measures of achievement to more accurately reflect their true abilities.

In the area of short-term memory sequencing, all seven of the students increased their amount of data sequenced from only two chunks of data to five or six. These students are now more likely to be able to follow multi-level instructions and perform sequential tasks. In the same study, but in the skill of discriminatory processing, all seven of the students were also able to decrease their processing errors from 20% to 0%. These data seem to indicate that students can learn to reduce their impulsive habits and discriminate between significant data and less important distractors.

Several case studies have also been reported (Siglin, 2000; Unique Logic + Technology, 2001). JL, a second grader, could solve math problems in his head, but could not accurately translate the information in his head to the paper. His distractibility made it difficult for him to finish homework and in-class assignments. His teacher reported that, as a result, his self-esteem was dropping and poor social interactions were increasing. Within weeks of working with Play Attention, JL began to control his impulsive behaviors, particularly calling out in class. He began to understand that he had control over his behaviors. At the conclusion of the school year, JL scored in the 99th percentile for mathematics on the North Carolina end-of-year test.

Play Attention was used with a 25-year-old male after he failed a carpentry test at a technical college. This man's Play Attention coach reported attentional difficulties since middle school which had lowered this individual's academic confidence. Play Attention training helped him to refine his ability to focus. Three quarters of the way through training, he received a B in a university level literature class.

In clinical practice, two boys, ages 6 1/2 and 10 years, were evaluated before and after their Play Attention training with a standardized test for measuring attention. On the response control quotient, the 6 1/.2-year-old boy increased his score from 92 to 99, and the 10 year old from 81 to 114. These standard scores reflect lower impulsivity and faster reaction times. On the attention quotient, the younger boy's score increased from 64 to 107 and the older boy's from 103 to 121.

While limited, these case study results show potential for effectiveness of the Play Attention system. For more information on Play Attention, contact: Unique Logic + Technology, 1 Botany Dr., Asheville, NC 28805. Phone 800-788-6786 or 828-299-9291. FAX 828-299-9836. Email: uniquelogic@att.net. Web: www.playattention.com.

System Requirements of Play Attention®
IBM-compatible 486DX or greater
and
Color VGA monitor and video card
or
Power Macintosh or greater
Free serial port
8 MB free disk space

References

Amberg, E. (2000). Software: Focus on special needs. T.H.E. Journal: Technological Horizons in Education, 27 (7), 1-4.

Closing The Gap. (1999/2000, December/January). Product previews: Students harness their power to concentrate. Closing The Gap, 19, 27.

Hall, N. (2000, April 13). Device improves students' concentration. The McDowell News, p. A1.

Play Attention [Computer software]. (2000). Asheville, NC: Unique Logic + Technology.

Siglin, J. A. (2000). Play Attention®: Focusing on success. Intervention in School and Clinic, 36 (2), 122-124.

Unique Logic + Technology. (2000). Play Attention®. [Video]. (Available from: Unique Logic + Technology, 1 Botany Dr., Suite 1F, Asheville, NC 28805)

Unique Logic + Technology. (2001). Play Attention®. Online. Available: http://www.playattention.com. Retrieved March 27, 2001.