A wearable digital healthcare intervention to promote self-regulation among children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is proving to be a promising way to support adherence to treatment and support treatment between clinic visits.
Traditionally, treatment for ADHD includes behavioral intervention and often daily medications. While effective, long term adherence with this model can be challenging for both the child and the parents which can be related to limited support outside the clinical setting.
AHRQ https://digital.ahrq.gov provided funding for $378,705 to enable the research project titled “The CoolCraig App: Promoting Health by Improving Self-Regulation in Adolescents with ADHD”. The research project has been completed but the project may be expanded for future research.
The research was done at the University of California Riverside with Kimberley Lakes as PI along with Dr. Gillian Hayes, Psychologist, Computer Scientist, to design the technology to address the gap in care by maintaining treatment for youth with ADHD outside of visits to the doctor’s office.
The research team developed and piloted a system called “CoolCraig”. This system consisting of a smartwatch, mobile phone application, and a web portal delivers self-regulating interventions to both the youth wearing the device and to their parents.
The research team designed the technology with the input of users, hosted design workshops with parents, teachers, and clinicians. The overall goal is to improve ADHD treatment adherence and make sure that adolescents have their voices heard. The goal is to incorporate their ideas and features to support behavioral change. The team then evaluated the usability and feasibility of the intervention in a 20 participant pilot study.