An online planning game helped children with ADHD manage time, said parents and teachers

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   170 children aged 8 to 12 with ADHD in the Netherlands and Belgium, about 10 on average. Most were boys, and almost all took ADHD medicine.

2. 02

   What they did

   Children played the game Plan-It Commander at home, up to 65 minutes about 3 times a week for 10 weeks. Its small games taught how to guess how long things take. They also taught how to plan by splitting a task into pieces, and how to work with others. A game character gave feedback and rewards. The other group kept their usual treatment, mostly medicine, for 10 weeks and then played the game.

3. 03

   What happened

   After 10 weeks, parents and teachers both said children who played managed time better. The gap was small to medium. Ratings of planning and getting organised showed no clear gap, and nor did the children's own confidence. Everyone knew who played, the main questionnaire was new and untested, and a drug company helped pay for the game.

What the study found

1. HelpedTime management

   Children with ADHD who played a planning game at home for ten weeks managed time better, said parents and teachers.

   • Action: Play a game that teaches planningtested
   • Action: Split a big task into piecestested
   • Rule: Make it enjoyabletested
   • Rule: Get feedback on your progresstested

   Randomised trial of 170 children aged 8 to 12 with ADHD · vs children who kept their usual treatment · they rated themselves

2. No differenceTime management

   Parents and teachers saw no clear gain in planning and getting organised from the same game.

   • Action: Play a game that teaches planningtested
   • Action: Split a big task into piecestested
   • Rule: Make it enjoyabletested
   • Rule: Get feedback on your progresstested

   Randomised trial of 170 children aged 8 to 12 with ADHD · vs children who kept their usual treatment · they rated themselves

3. No differenceMotivation

   Children's own sense that they managed time well did not rise more after the game.

   • Action: Play a game that teaches planningtested
   • Rule: Make it enjoyabletested

   Randomised trial of 170 children aged 8 to 12 with ADHD · vs children who kept their usual treatment · they rated themselves

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