Neuropsychological Stimulation Program for Children from Low Socioeconomic Backgrounds: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

Background: Guatemala remains one of the poorest countries in Central America and suffers from high rates of social inequality and violence. In addition to the negative impact that two years without attending school has had on Guatemalan children due to the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, this unfavourable socioeconomic context poses a risk to children’s emotional and cognitive development. This work presents a protocol for implementing a cognitive and emotional stimulation program aimed at increasing the academic performance of these children and consequently improving their quality of life. Methods: The protocol proposes the implementation of a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a 24-session-long stimulation program. It targets the cognitive functions of attention, language, executive functions, and social cognition, using the digital neurorehabilitation platform NeuronUP. The participants (n = 480) will be randomly assigned to an Experimental or Control group. Pre- and post-intervention assessments will be carried out, together with a follow-up in the next academic year, in which both groups will change roles. Results will be compared for the first and second years, looking for differences in academic and cognitive performance between groups. Discussion: Mid- and long-term outcomes are still unknown, but effective interventions based on this protocol are expected to facilitate the following benefits for participants: (1) improved cognitive and emotional development; (2) improved academic performance; (3) improved well-being. We expect to create a validated neuropsychological stimulation program that could be applied in similar socioeconomically disadvantaged contexts around the world to help these children improve their life chances.

Cognitive stimulation in socioeconomically disadvantaged children with neurodevelopmental disorders: a case series

“…The schools which the recruited participants attended were located in vulnerable areas in the suburbs of Guatemala City, characterized by high levels of poverty and exposure to violence ( Rodríguez-Prieto et al, 2024 ). The neurotypical children who participated in this study ( n = 126) had the following inclusion criteria:…”

“…The intervention was implemented via the use of tablets, using a cognitive and emotional stimulation protocol designed by specialists in neuropsychology, and accessed through the NeuronUP platform ( Rodríguez-Prieto et al, 2024 ). NeuronUp is a digital tool, with ecological validity for cognitive rehabilitation and stimulation, which allows managing interventions, users and results in a personalized way ( Neuron UP, 2021 ).…”