Cognitive training for EMR children: choosing the best alternative.

Twenty-eight EMR children participated in an 8-week training program on choosing the best alternative. The training was presented within the context of small-group discussions of familiar social problems and participation in table games. A control group (n = 28) engaged in similar activities but without specific cognitive training. The experimental group's posttest scores were far superior (p is less than .001) to those of the control group, an finding that suggests a major experiential component in the deficit in problem-solving skills typical of EMR children and provides strong support for the efficacy of early intensive cognitive training.