Decreasing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder symptoms utilizing an automated classroom reinforcement device

Abstract

Psychologists and physicians are frequently approached by parents and, indirectly, by classroom teachers to diagnose and treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Requests are also frequently made for psychostimulant medication to control ADHD behavioral symptoms. One reason for such requests is that alternative classroom approaches to treating ADHD have focused on positive reinforcement, response cost, and token reinforcement programs, all of which can require extensive teacher involvement. One of the major problems with such behavioral approaches is the fact that teachers have limited time to reinforce positive, attentive behaviors, and/or alternative behaviors to ADHD symptoms. This study examined the efficacy of an automated reinforcement device, the Attention Training System (ATS), in decreasing offtask behavior in an 1 1-year-old, fifth-grade student who had been diagnosed as being affected with ADHD and had been placed in Special Education Resource Room programming. The Attention Training System provides automated token reinforcement in the form of points on a fixed interval schedule when the youngster is on-task. When distractible, impulsive, or hyperactive behavior occurs, the Attention Training device can be activated by a teacher to provide a response-cost consequence of loss of points.The device in this study was coupled with a token reinforcement program whereby points could be exchanged for selected reinforcers at the end of each day. Results indicated that the ATS plus token reinforcement was successful in reducing off-task behavior across classes of three subject areas: Science, Reading, and Social Studies. Results have implications for psychologists and physicians in their attempts to assist families and schools in their management of youngsters with ADHD.Symptoms of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) frequently are most pronounced in settings that demand that a youngster reduce physical movements, pay attention to sometimes boring material, and follow a routine or structured schedule (American Psychiatric Association, 1987). Typical classrooms in which ADHD students are required to function often make such task demands. Resulting ADHD symptoms in the classroom are characterized by poor academic performance, excessive movement, impulsive behaviors, and the inability to focus and concentrate on particular tasks (Barkley, 1990). The use of psychostimulant medications, particularly methylphenidate (Ritalin) and pemoline (Cylert), are among the most frequently employed strategies for treating such symptoms in the classroom setting (Krippner, Silverman, ). Major effects of these medications are that they cause youngsters to be less distractible and reduce amounts of excessively active behavior.Studies have shown that psychostimulant medication is an effective treatment for reducing ADHD symptoms (Bradley, 1937;Krippner et al., 1973). Initial research indicated that psychostimulant medication was not effective in improving academic performance when standardized measures were used to ...

The Problem of Parental Nonadherence in Clinical Behavior Analysis: Effective Treatment Is Not Enough

“…The ATS is extremely easy to use and appears to require little change in classroom routines. Initial research conducted in special after-school pro-grams (Gordon, Thomason, Cooper, & Ivers, 1991) and in self-contained behavior management classrooms (DuPaul, Guevremont, & Barkley, 1992;Evans, Ferre, Ford, & Green, 1995) has found it to be quite effective, and a recent study in two regular education classrooms found similar results (Polaha & Allen, 2000).…”

An Intervention Approach for Children with Teacher-and Parent-Identified Attentional Difficulties

“…Deficits in children's attention are problems in facilitating, sustaining, or disengaging these relationships apart from the specific environmental event. Thus, attentional problems may be deficits in sustaining or disengaging the behaviors in relation to the environment (Barkley, 1994; (Drewe, 1975 (Barkley, 1990;Braswell & Bloomquist, 1989;Reid & Harris, 1993) and, more recently, the development of attention-training strategies (Sohlberg & Mateer, 1987; Thomson, 1994;Williams, 1987 (Pfiffner & Barkley, 1990;Pfiffner & O'Leary, 1987;Rosen, O'Leary, Joyce, Conway, & Pfiffner, 1984), response cost (Atkins, Pelham, & White, 1990;Cocciarella, Wood, & Low, 1995;DuPaul, Guevre-mont, & Barkley, 1992;Evans, Ferre, Ford, & Green, 1995;Gordon, Thomason, Cooper, & Ivers, 1991;Rapport et al, 1987), home-school contingencies (Abramowitz & O'Leary, 1991;Kelley & Carper, 1988), and peermediated contingencies (Carden-Smith & Fowler, 1984;Gresham & Gresham, 1982;Lentz, 1988).…”

Verbal Intelligence and Sleep Disorders in Children with ADHD

“…Concerning their overall mental process, many ADHD children appear to have low IQs and poor school performance. The use of drugs, such as methylphenidate, dextroamphetamine, and pernoline, improves the performance of children with ADHD in mathematics and working memory (Evans, Ferre, & Green, 1995). Verbal skills of children with ADHD have often been assessed by the WISC-I11 verbal scales since the general mental factor g is highly loaded by four of the five basic Verbal subscales (Vocabulary, Information, Similarities, and Arithmetic) and in only one Verbal subscale (Comprehension) is the Factor g moderately loaded (Karnphaus, 1993).…”