Use of a Technological Prompting Device to Aid a Student with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to Initiate and Complete Daily Tasks: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

This single-subject study examined the effects of a technological prompting device for assisting a student with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, predominantly inattentive type, to initiate and complete daily tasks. The subject, a fourth-grade male, and his family were provided with computer software and a paging device with word prompting capabilities. The family, in collaboration with the child's teacher, selected particular behaviors to target for use with the intervention. A reversal design across settings with a third return to baseline and intervention was used to evaluate the effectiveness of the prompting device in assisting the student in remembering daily tasks. Study results demonstrated that the intervention was effective in promoting the occurrence of target behaviors but did not affect overall ADHD symptomatology. In addition, the devise appeared to be more useful in the student's structured school environment than his less-structured home environment. Parent and teacher reported a high degree of consumer satisfaction with the device. Overall, the results suggest that the use of a prompting device may be an effective technological intervention for addressing some of the memory-associated symptoms of ADHD.