A pilot study of a game-supported organization and planning skills intervention for young adolescents with ADHD

Abstract

Several school-based interventions for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are well-established, but there are clear implementation challenges in those settings. Computer-assisted options have emerged that could augment treatments in schools in a way that is acceptable to students and teachers. In the present study, we piloted a novel computer-assisted behavior intervention (CABI) using a serious game designed to teach the organization, assignment tracking, and notetaking skills taught within the Challenging Horizons Program - Mentoring Model (CHP-M). Thirty-one middle school students with ADHD and their teachers were randomly assigned to either receive the CABI or the traditional CHP-M, with all teachers providing supportive mentoring for up to 24-weeks of intervention. Our data were analyzed using both Bayesian and frequentist modelling. Results suggest that the Time × Condition interactions were generally small (η_p² = 0.00 to 0.11) and inconclusive. The CABI approach performed consistently with the traditional CHP-M, with credible and significant main effects of time on academically relevant behaviors (η_p² = 0.09 to 0.59). Implications of our findings and the contributions of the Bayesian analytic approach are highlighted.