Efficacy of chess training for the treatment of ADHD: A prospective, open label study

Objective: To examine the effectiveness of playing chess as a treatment option for children with ADHD. Methods: Parents of 44 children ages 6-17 with a primary diagnosis of ADHD consented to take part in the study. Parents completed the Spanish version of the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Scale for parents (SNAP-IV) and the Abbreviated Conner's Rating Scales for parents (CPRS-HI) prior to an 11-week chess-training program. We used a paired t-test to compare pre- and post intervention outcomes, and Cohen-d calculations to measure the magnitude of the effect. The statistical significance was set at p < .05. Results: Children with ADHD improved in both the SNAP-IV (t = 6.23; degrees of freedom (df) = 41; p < .001) and the CPRS-HI (t=5.39; df = 33; p < .001). Our results suggest a large effect in decreasing the severity of ADHD as measured by the SNAP-IV (d=0.85) and the CPRS-HI (d = 0.85). Furthermore, we found a correlation between intelligence quotient and SNAP-IV improvement (p < .05). Conclusions: The results of our pilot study should be interpreted with caution. This pilot project highlights the importance of carrying out larger studies with a case-control design. If our results are replicated in better designed studies, playing chess could be included within the multimodal treatment of ADHD. (C) 2014 SEP and SEPB. Published by Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. All rights reserved.