MindPower Builder FAQ

First, the Captain’s Log MindPower Builder is the most comprehensive set of challenging brain training programs ever published. While other programs focus on particular issues, such as working memory or auditory processing, the MindPower Builder provides you with a comprehensive training library containing over 2000 exercises targeting twenty different cognitive skills. The wide variety of challenging tasks and the depth of the content can be incorporated into your comprehensive training program to help individuals at almost any ability level be successful in achieving improvement in whatever cognitive skills you elect to use.

Second, the MindPower Builder provides a built-in reward system to keep trainees motivated. Entertaining, video-game-like tasks break the routine of the exercises, rewarding success and adding additional training in hand-eye coordination.

Third, in addition to executive functioning tasks, you can target behavioral tracks, such as patience, focus, listening, response control, and processing speed.

Fourth, if you wish, you can incorporate an optional, simple, dry-sensor neurofeedback protocol into your cognitive training plan to help your clients develop a relaxed, calm, positive mental state while they perform the exercises.

Fifth, the Captain’s Log MindPower Builder is extraordinarily flexible. You have your choice of three different ways of setting up a customized training protocol for the trainee: You can just use the “wizard,” running a short test battery that helps you determine the individual’s relative cognitive strengths and weaknesses and automatically creates a training plan customized just for him; or you can simply select the particular cognitive skills you want to target; or you can actually hand-pick which exercises you want the player to do. Any way you set-up a training plan, you always have the option of changing it and adjusting the level of difficulty as you deem necessary.

Sixth, the MindPower Builder was specifically designed for use by professionals and educators, and is installed directly on the trainer’s computer (not web-based). It allows you to set your own specific training goals and provides detailed documentation of progress.

Seventh, the MindPower Builder is interactive and keeps individuals continually challenged. It gives you the ideal tools to function as an effective brain coach, keeping the trainee encouraged when the going gets tough and offering enthusiastic recognition and rewards for hard work and success. Click here for more information.

Eighth, the optional remote cloud training system allows you to offer off-site training, keeping their data in-sync with what you have in your office, and allowing you to coach players and change their training plans remotely.

The amount of training necessary for cognitive skills to potentially reach a higher level of functioning and demonstrate lasting benefit varies for different individuals; we recommend a minimum of two hours of cognitive training per week (e.g., one half hour per day, four days per week). Based on this recommendation, depending on the individual’s degree of impairment and overall training goals, a comprehensive plan would typically include a minimum of 20 to 40 hours of cognitive training. This training would be supervised and/or reviewed by the “brain coach.” The individual can work both in the professional’s office and at home and, thus, the training would be expected to last about three to six months.

Research supports the benefits of cognitive training and its generalization to meaningful improvements in real-life functioning. As an example, Rabiner et al. (2010) carried out a randomized trial to examine the effectiveness of two computer-based interventions for students with attention difficulties – Captain’s Log® and Destination Reading. Students in the Captain’s Log group scored significantly higher than the controls and the Destination Reading group on reading outcome measures. See page 12 of this analysis by John Hopkin’s researchers HERE.

In a study of college students studying accounting, Lampit et al. (2014) found that the Captain’s Log MIndPower Builder resulted in faster and more accurate mental processing of an unrelated academic skill that was not trained by the MindPower Builder – bookkeeping and accounting math. In this study, non-impaired college students were intensely trained (40 sessions) using either the Captain’s Log system or a math software program. In comparison to the group who trained using commercial educational math software, the students in the Captain’s Log group performed significantly better in respect to their accuracy and mental processing speed when assessed using an hour-long bookkeeping test. This is the first study that demonstrates the generalization or “far transfer” of cognitive training to relevant real-world job performance. Access the full study HERE.

Additional research may be found HERE.

Cognitive training, by itself, is typically billed as an educational service. However, it may be possible for a health care provider to incorporate the use of challenging brain training exercises as a component of their overall intervention and have the services covered by the client’s insurance company. Since insurance coverage varies according to insurance company and state, providers will need to review the various requirements and billing codes stipulated by each individual’s insurance plan.

Research on this subject is ongoing. Two studies conducted using the MindPower Builder showed promise. Those can be accessed HERE and HERE.

Long lasting benefits of using the Captain’s Log MindPower Builder were found by Dr. Rabiner in his research (link to abstract) with first graders to result in a significant reduction of the inattentive symptoms of ADHD that maintained six months post-training. 60% of students with sxi or more ADD-type symptoms were rated as having 0-1 symptom six months after training was completed by their new second grade teachers. Only 20% of the students in the non-treatment control group had this degree of improvement. This finding is remarkable, and it indicates the long-term benefits possible for students using cognitive training.

The essential key component based on Dr. Sandford’s experience is to complete 20-40 sessions of training over a three to six month period. In short, a sufficient amount of training time is necessary along with the intensity and commitment of the students to make their best effort. Naturally, this requires a positive and supportive “brain training coach” to help the students to continue to make their best effort, because the exercises become progressively more challenging over time. This increase in exercise difficulty is another key component for brain training success. In addition, Dr. Rabiner’s studies showed a generalization of training involving improvements reading skills. The improvement in reading skills was confirmed in a review completed by the John’s Hopkins University researchers (link to paper), who found that cognitive training with the MindPower Builder was more effective in helping students with attention problems to improve their reading skills than specialized reading software.

In order to help schools explore the value of the MindPower Builder in helping their students with attention problems, BrainTrain offers specially priced educational systems. We have a special educational version of the MindPower Builder that enables teachers and special educators to quickly create a comprehensive training plan based on the students’ functional grade level. This type of intervention can then be incorporated in an IEP or 504 educational plan.

Cognitive behavioral brain training exercises administered in a one-to-one interaction as part of a comprehensive psychotherapy service can be used as therapeutic tools within psychotherapy in order to facilitate the achievement of designated therapy goals. The therapist has to be actively interacting with the client; challenging them and helping them to improve their self-esteem, self-control, cope with stressors, apply strategies to problems, learn to talk out feelings when frustrated, apply problem solving techniques to challenges, improve emotional control when desired performance is not achieved, gain insight into their full potential, develop positive attitudes towards issues, learn to use their strengths and compensate for their weaknesses. The therapeutic documentation needs to address psychotherapy goals, progress, and improvements. The computerized Cognitive Behavioral Exercises (CBE) are a means (i.e., therapy tool) to improve desired emotional, mental and behavioral changes. So the therapist can write about using CBE to xxx and applying CBE interventions for xxx. All notes need to be formulated in terms of therapeutic goals with progress notes regarding improvements of insight, emotional state, positive attitudes, learning to problem solve, applying stress management techniques, and improved cognitive functioning in respect to life activities and engaging in targeted behavioral changes.

Cognitive training can be used as a technology tool to help achieve targeted goals, such as enhancing self-esteem, training frustration tolerance, and developing problem solving strategies. Some research has shown that improving memory, attention, perception, reasoning, planning, judgment, general learning, and overall executive functioning, can lead, in turn, to improvements in self-awareness, self-confidence, and emotional stability.

The program allows you to select the specific cognitive skills you wish to target in your training plan. Click here to watch the instructional video.

Various meta-cognitive coaching strategies that focus on developing coping skills or positive thinking can be applied interactively during cognitive training. The benefit is that the individual through trial and error can learn to apply these new strategies and approaches in order to problem solve how to enhance their cognitive performance. For example, a trainer might help a client to develop the habit of writing down and prioritizing daily tasks or to improve the skills needed to organize and categorize household items or grocery lists by learning how to pause and quickly take notes during an exercise.

There are a number of reasons why the computer is an ideal training partner for exercising the mind. The computer makes it easy for the trainer to customize training and to track progress. It not only provides a wide variety of different types of exercises, both visual and auditory, but also automatically becomes more challenging as the trainee progresses. Individuals will be continually directed to develop their cognitive skills to the maximum of their capabilities. The computer is also non-judgmental and never loses patience! And, perhaps best of all, clients associate computer “games” with fun.

The MindPower Builder offers a Cloud system option, which allows the trainer and the player to work with one another both remotely and in the office setting. The person’s training plan settings and data are securely stored on a remote server accessible from both the Professional and Home system to ensure that both computers stay in sync. The individual’s training results are always available to the clinician and the training plan can be changed remotely at any time. All data is stored in the Cloud is anonymous, accessed via a secured connection and encrypted.

The Captain’s Log MindPower Builder provides exercises targeting a wide range of abilities and can be used with individuals as young as five years old or as old as 100!

The Mind Power Builder targets the following 20 cognitive skills:

• Alternating Attention
• Auditory Processing Speed
• Central Processing Speed
• Conceptual Reasoning
• Divided Attention
• Focused Attention
• Fine Motor Control
• Fine Motor Speed
• General Attention
• Immediate Memory
• Response Inhibition
• Selective Attention
• Sustained Attention
• Visual Perception
• Visual Processing Speed
• Visual Scanning
• Visuospatial Classification
• Visuospatial Sequencing
• Visual Tracking
• Working Memory

A bibliography of Cognitive Training Research may be found HERE.

The BrainTrain cloud system is HIPAA compliant and highly secure. The system contains only encrypted, de-identified data using random identifications, and the connection to the cloud system uses HTTPS with a complex password. Even if access to the database were obtained and decrypted, the cloud system contains no identifying names or PHI; all PHI related to BrainTrain’s cognitive training products is stored locally only on the user’s computer, and is inaccessible to outsiders and to BrainTrain.