Applying a Vibration Reminder to Ameliorate the Hyperactive Behavior of Students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Class

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of using a vibration reminder with three students with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) to ameliorate their hyperactive behavior during class. The intervention of using a vibration reminder was based on the concept of providing nonverbal messages to manage students’ behavior. The vibration reminder was placed on one of each participant’s thighs and would be triggered when he/she manifested target behaviors such as hyperactivity. The vibration would cease when the participant stopped the target behaviors, and the duration of the vibration in conjunction with the target behaviors was automatically recorded by the control system. A delayed multiple-baseline across behaviors of a single-subject research design was adopted in this study. The results show that the three participants’ target behaviors significantly decreased after their exposure to the vibration reminder intervention, and they likewise exhibited positive performance during the maintenance phase. The findings demonstrate that the vibration reminder was an effective intervention to ameliorate the participants’ hyperactive behavior during class.