In this exploratory multiple case study, it is examined how a computer game focused on improving ineffective learning behavior can be used as a tool to assess, improve, and study real‐time mouse behavior (MB) in different types of children: 18 children (3.8–6.3 years) with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), or comorbid ASD and ADHD, and 5 effectively learning (EL) children (3.5–3.8 years). The children's MB processes, for example “Errors” and “Reaction times,” were interpreted in terms of executive functions (EFs). Trajectories of averaged MB were compared among the groups of ASD, ADHD, comorbid, and EL children. Clinical groups showed differences in their MB, which were similar to the expected differences based on EF tests. In addition, a case study of a typical ASD, ADHD, and EL child was included in order to demonstrate typical individual MB patterns across time. MB processes might therefore provide a window into the processes of EF (dys)functioning.

This research focuses on the effects of human versus computer instruction on improving the learning behaviour of pre-school children. One-hundred-and-eighty-four unresponsive, impulsive or reflective Dutch pre-schoolers were randomly assigned to one of the four instruction conditions (computer-assisted instruction, adult-assisted instruction, both or no instruction). The children played a computer game focused on improving learning behaviour during two or three sessions. The results show that the preschooler’s behaviour during the game corresponds to regular learning behaviour. Impulsive children showed most errors and mouse clicks and unresponsive children showed the least mouse clicks and a warming-up phase. As expected, in the computer-assisted instruction plus adult-assisted instruction condition all learners showed positive learning outcomes. Computer-assisted instruction reveals positive effects on learning outcomes of reflective and unresponsive learners and adult-assisted instruction reveals positive effects on impulsive children. Considering the overall development across the games, impulsive children did not improve their learning behaviour. However, reflective and unresponsive children showed a learning effect. Reflective children showed a clear decrease of trials in the beginning and unresponsive children showed a relatively large increase in mouse clicks after a warming up-phase. However, their number of clicks remained lower than the reflective children.We can conclude that, since learning type is relevant, this game might function as an objective and reliable tool to assess the type of learning behaviour of pre-school children. It is concluded that computer-assisted instruction in combination with adult-assisted instruction is the best manner to regulate learning skills.

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