Children with ADHD learning relaxation techniques through biofeedback video games

¶ … Amon & Campbell (2008) was interesting because it attempted to utilize a novel approach to a challenging problem. The researchers were interested in creating greater relaxation and calm among children with Attention Defict / Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). The independent variable or the treatment that was examined in this work was the biofeedback management tool provided by the game "The Journey to Wild Divine." The intent of the research therefore was to explore biofeedback games as a method to teach children relaxation techniques. Children with AD/HD have difficulty with control of their behavior consequently, it is theorized that techniques that increase behavior control should also reduce the undesirable behaviors that are associated with AD/HD.

The researchers examined two hypotheses in their work the first is that biofeedback session will teach children relaxation skills and that these skills will reduce disruptive behaviors. The second hypothesis is that frequency of attendance will increase the effect of the biofeedback intervention. The anticipation of the researchers is that children who attend the sessions more than once per week will have fewer disruptive behaviors than those who attend only once per week.

The subjects for this research were children between the ages of 5-15. The experimental group consisted of 24 participants, 15 males, and 9 females. The average age of the participants in the experimental group was 9.5 years. All of the participants in the experimental group had AD/HD. The experimental group was divided into two groups with group 1 containing 17 children and they received the treatment only once per week. The remaining children composed group two and they received the treatment more than once per week. The control group consisted of 12 children who did not have AD/HD. An interesting aspect of the research is that in both groups the majority of the parents involved were women. In the experimental group, 18 were female and one male. In the control group, 8 were female and 4 males. Additionally all the children with AD/HD were diagnosed by a health professional. Sixty two point five percent of them were taking prescription drugs for AD/HD.

The study was conducted at the University of Sydney. An experimental design was utilized for this research. Participants were recruited via an online site created for the research as well as research material that were distributed via organizations and health care providers who treat children with AD/HD. No information was provided on the source of the participants. The researchers did not describe how the participants were screened or whether there was a screening process. The children who eventually became part of the research were divided into three groups, two experimental groups and one control group. The experimental groups received different levels of the treatment because they participated at different frequencies during the week. The different treatment groups were not created through a random assignment process. The researchers noted that parents chose the group to which they desired to belong.

In the study room there was a single researcher present with a maximum of three children. Each child had access to a separate computer; the children could not observe the activity of the children ahead or behind them. The experimental and control groups were exposed to the video program for 45 minutes at a time. The researcher provided support to the children by demonstrating correct breathing techniques. The researchers also assisted in the counting of breaths to aid in relaxation. Additionally, there were occasions where the researcher guided the children to the correct destination during the game or aided in "motivation" for a specific activity. The research employed the game "The Journey to the Wild Divine" as the intervention or independent variable.

The researcher took baseline measures for each of the groups at the beginning of the study. The data was collected from the parents who completed online questionnaires the contents of which formed part of the parental Diary. The parents completed the Diary monthly for three months. The Diary also included there questionnaires an AD/HD questionnaire, a Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire and a final Questionnaire that collected data on the game itself.

The data were presented in multiple forms. There were a number of frequency distributions in tabular form. The researchers also employed line graphs to demonstrate the differences between the responses of the various groups on the questionnaires. The results of the study showed a significant difference between the control and the treatment group for The Strengths and Difficulties questionnaire (SDQ). Using an independent samples t-test, which is designed to show the difference between groups based on a comparison of the means of both groups. The results for the experimental group was mean=26.29 and standard deviation=6.06, the control group had a mean=16.08 and a standard deviation =4.37. The't statistic =5.18 and it was significant. The researchers also determined that there was a significant difference between Diary entry times. This was demonstrated using multivariate analysis of variance. The researchers also looked at the frequency of attendance at the study and determined that for the group one children there was a significant reduction in SDQ scores from the baseline values t statistic =4.14 and p< .05. However, there was not similar result for the children from group two. The study also determined that there was no significant difference in participant scores for the time intervals based on the frequency of attendance. The researchers were able to demonstrate that the intervention had a significant effect on reducing SDQ but they could not statistically demonstrate that the manipulation of frequency of attendance would enhance the treatment effect. Attending sessions, more frequently did not appear to influence the children who were already experiencing benefits.

This study was very interesting in both the subject matter and the design. The challenge faced by children with AD/HD and their parents is a difficult. Any intervention that could make the experience better is a step in the correct direction. What makes this additionally beneficial is that it explores a non-pharmaceutical alternative. In this regard, I think that the study is very useful. It clearly opens new windows for continued empirical exploration.

The procedures engaged by the researcher were very clear and the design a correct fit of the question that the researchers sought answers to. However, there are some design flaws that are impediments in the work and the researchers could not adequately compensate for those weaknesses. The first is that there was an absence of random assignment to the different levels of the treatment group. Random assignment is a critical component of the design that effectively reduces systematic error in the design (Kerlinger & Lee, 2000). Consequently, any difference that is demonstrated between the groups based on frequency of attendance cannot be considered as entirely valid.