Citation

Lin HY, Lee P, Chang WD, Hong FY. Am. J. Occup. Ther. 2014; 68(2): 149-158.

Affiliation

Fu-Yuan Hong, PhD, is Associate Professor, Center for General Education, Taipei College of Maritime Technology, Taipei, Taiwan.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, American Occupational Therapy Association)

DOI

10.5014/ajot.2014.009365

PMID

24581401

Abstract

OBJECTIVE. In this study, we examined the effectiveness of using weighted vests for improving attention, impulse control, and on-task behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). METHOD. In a randomized, two-period crossover design, 110 children with ADHD were measured using the Conners' Continuous Performance Test-II (CPT-II) task. RESULTS. In the weighted vest condition, the participants did show significant improvement in all three attentional variables of the CPT-II task, including inattention; speed of processing and responding; consistency of executive management; and three of four on-task behaviors, including off task, out of seat, and fidgets. No significant improvements in impulse control and automatic vocalizations were found. CONCLUSION. Although wearing a weighted vest is not a cure-all strategy, our findings support the use of the weighted vest to remedy attentional and on-task behavioral problems of children with ADHD.

Language: en