StopWatch: Pilot study for an Apple Watch application for youth with ADHD

John E Leikauf, Carlos Correa, Andrew N Bueno, Vicente Peris Sempere, Leanne M Williams, John E Leikauf, Carlos Correa, Andrew N Bueno, Vicente Peris Sempere, Leanne M Williams

Abstract

Introduction: To address the need for non-pharmacologic, scalable approaches for managing attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in young people, we report the results of a study of an application developed for a wearable device (Apple Watch) that was designed to track movement and provide visual and haptic feedback for ADHD.

Methods: Six-week, open label pilot study with structured rating scales ADHD and semi-structured qualitative interview. Apple Watch software application given to users that uses actigraphy and graphic interface as well as haptic feedback to provide feedback to users about level of movement during periods of intentional focus. Linear mixed models to estimate trajectories.

Results: Thirty-two participants entered the study. This application was associated with improvement in ADHD symptoms over the 6 weeks of the study. We observed an ADHD-Rating Scale change of β = -1.2 units/week (95% CI = -0.56 to -1.88, F = 13.4, P = .0004).

Conclusions: These positive clinical outcomes highlight the promise of such wearable applications for ADHD and the need to pursue their further development.

Keywords: ADHD; Apple Watch; actigraphy; attention; digital health; movement; wearable.

© The Author(s) 2021.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Plots of change in overall attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms against time. ADHDRS represents the ADHD (a) Rating Scale, a gold-standard clinical outcome measure with two subcomponents representing the two domains of ADHD symptoms: (b) inattentive and (c) hyperactive/impulsive. These mirror the symptoms used for the diagnostic criteria of the disorder. Higher scores represent worse symptoms so decrease in scores represents improvement.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Wireframe of Apple Watch application. The user flows through selecting a focus session, with feedback about percentage of time spent below movement threshold (0.2 G in pilot) and opportunity for self rating. Haptic feedback is also provided when the user’s movement exceeds this threshold.

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Source: PubMed

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