Token rewards may help young children with ADHD pay attention during kickball

The study

1. 01

   Who took part

   Three children with ADHD, aged 6 and 7: two girls and one boy. They came from a summer programme for children with ADHD.

2. 02

   What they did

   In kickball games, children earned tokens for being in the ready position and for answering a question about the game. They swapped tokens for prizes. The study compared games with and without tokens, and days on medication with days on a placebo.

3. 03

   What happened

   Tokens seemed to raise attention from 26%, 39% and 26% to 52%, 78% and 90%. Disruption per game fell from 28, 21 and 29 to 13, 2 and 4, and medication also seemed to help. Tokens with medication seemed to help most, and the paper gives no test results, only averages.

What the study found

1. HelpedFocus

   Earning tokens seemed to lift attention in kickball, compared with games with no tokens.

   • Rule: Get a reward or payment for doing ittested
   • Rule: Reward yourself right aftertested

   Very small trial, groups not picked at random of 3 children with ADHD, aged 6 and 7 · vs the same games with no tokens · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ groups weren't properly compared

2. HelpedOther outcomes

   Tokens also seemed to cut disruptive play in kickball, such as horseplay, in all three children.

   • Rule: Get a reward or payment for doing ittested
   • Rule: Reward yourself right aftertested

   Very small trial, groups not picked at random of 3 children with ADHD, aged 6 and 7 · vs the same games with no tokens · behaviour was recorded · ⚠ groups weren't properly compared

Source