Parents’ perspectives on a smartwatch intervention for children with ADHD: Rapid deployment and feasibility evaluation of a pilot intervention to support distance learning during COVID-19

Abstract

Distance learning in response to the COVID-19 pandemic presented tremendous challenges for many families. Parents were expected to support children’s learning, often while also working from home. Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are at particularly high risk for setbacks due to difficulties with organization and increased risk of not participating in scheduled online learning. This paper explores how smartwatch technology, including timing notifications, can support children with ADHD during distance learning due to COVID-19. We implemented a 6-week pilot study of a Digital Health Intervention (DHI) with ten families. The DHI included a smartwatch and a smartphone. Google calendars were synchronized across devices to guide children through daily schedules. After the sixth week, we conducted parent interviews to understand the use of smartwatches and the impact on children’s functioning, and we collected physiological data directly from the smartwatch. Our results demonstrated that children successfully adopted the use of the smartwatch, and parents believed the intervention was helpful, especially in supporting the development of organizational skills in their children. Overall, we illustrate how even simple DHIs, such as using smartwatches to promote daily organization and task completion, have the potential to support children and families, particularly during periods of distance learning. We include practical suggestions to help professionals teach children with ADHD to use smartwatches to improve organization and task completion, especially as it applies to supporting remote instruction.

Using Digital Health Technologies to Monitor Pain, Medication Adherence and Physical Activity in Young People with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: A Feasibility Study

“…For example, a study of college students (aged 18-37 years) identified high rates of watch wearing behaviour (89.8%) across their study period and different usage patterns on weekdays (11.32 h, SD: 3.53) and weekends (8.66 h, SD: 3.60) [52]. While a study on children (aged 10-15 years) with neurodevelopmental disorders reported lower watch wearing patterns (5.66 h per day, SD: 3) because children only wanted to wear the watch while completing their school day [54]. Interestingly, in this study, the three oldest female participants had the lowest rate of watch wearing behaviour (28.6% to 35.7%) because they disliked the feeling of the watch on their wrist, and it is yet unclear whether this was due to JIA-related pain sensations.…”

Una revisión sistemática del uso educativo de teléfonos móviles en tiempos de COVID-19

“…En el contexto de educación primaria y secundaria, Cibrian et al (2021) estudiaron la utilidad de los teléfonos y relojes inteligentes en el proceso educativo de alumnado con TDAH. Sus conclusiones apuntaban a que el uso de estos dispositivos mejoraba las habilidades organizativas de estos estudiantes, especialmente en periodos de educación a distancia donde las habilidades de organización fueron más importantes para la realización satisfactoria de las tareas.…”

Interdisciplinary Tensions When Developing Digital Interventions Supporting Individuals With ADHD

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