Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settings
BackgroundAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children younger than 6 years is quite impairing, nearly half these youth with ADHD experience school exclusion from mainstream preschool classes due to related emotional and behavioral outbursts. While a range of behavior rating scales...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-03-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frcha.2025.1549220/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1850057942062071808 |
|---|---|
| author | Ripudaman (Zeeba) Singh Janav Panchal Sami Ali Beth Krone Isaac J. Wert Mark Owens Mark Stein Maulik V. Shah |
| author_facet | Ripudaman (Zeeba) Singh Janav Panchal Sami Ali Beth Krone Isaac J. Wert Mark Owens Mark Stein Maulik V. Shah |
| author_sort | Ripudaman (Zeeba) Singh |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | BackgroundAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children younger than 6 years is quite impairing, nearly half these youth with ADHD experience school exclusion from mainstream preschool classes due to related emotional and behavioral outbursts. While a range of behavior rating scales and subjective measures are used to assess these youth, objective methods of assessment and prediction derived from technology have potential to improve therapeutic and academic interventions outcomes for these youths. We hypothesized that biometric sensors would provide objective, highly sensitive and specific information regarding the physiological status of children prior to an impulsive outburst and could be feasibly implemented using a wearable device in the special education classroom.MethodsWe recruited two whole classrooms (N = 5 youth in the pre-K class and N = 5 youth from the first grade) of a specialized therapeutic day-school for youth with ADHD and other psychiatric and developmental disorders to examine feasibility of obtaining continuous physiological data associated with behavioral and emotional outbursts through smartwatch use. Children wore a sensor watch during their daily classroom activities for two weeks and trained observers collected data using behavioral logs. Using Ecological Momentary Assessment methodology, to examine correlations between objective sensor data and observer observation. Data collected from parents regarding prior night's sleep was also examined.ResultsAll participants completed the study. With a few tolerability or palatability issues. Associations were found between physiological and behavioral/questionnaire data. The methodology holds promise for reliably measuring behavioral and emotional outbursts in young children.ConclusionsThis is the first study to use a bio-marker device in vivo among severely dysregulated pre-school aged youth throughout a full school day. This study established the feasibility of utilizing sensor derived physiological data as an objective biomarker of ADHD within the special education therapeutic classroom. Further research with larger samples is required to build a more robust and personalized AI predictive model. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3f1b9d756b2f413487e33a2e7101246c |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2813-4540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-3f1b9d756b2f413487e33a2e7101246c2025-08-20T02:51:18ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry2813-45402025-03-01410.3389/frcha.2025.15492201549220Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settingsRipudaman (Zeeba) Singh0Janav Panchal1Sami Ali2Beth Krone3Isaac J. Wert4Mark Owens5Mark Stein6Maulik V. Shah7MaxisHealth LLC., Edison, NJ, United StatesMaxisHealth LLC., Edison, NJ, United StatesMaxisHealth LLC., Edison, NJ, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Grossman School of Medicine, New York University, New York, NY, United StatesPsychiatry and Pediatrics, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, United StatesMaxisHealth LLC., Edison, NJ, United StatesBackgroundAttention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) among children younger than 6 years is quite impairing, nearly half these youth with ADHD experience school exclusion from mainstream preschool classes due to related emotional and behavioral outbursts. While a range of behavior rating scales and subjective measures are used to assess these youth, objective methods of assessment and prediction derived from technology have potential to improve therapeutic and academic interventions outcomes for these youths. We hypothesized that biometric sensors would provide objective, highly sensitive and specific information regarding the physiological status of children prior to an impulsive outburst and could be feasibly implemented using a wearable device in the special education classroom.MethodsWe recruited two whole classrooms (N = 5 youth in the pre-K class and N = 5 youth from the first grade) of a specialized therapeutic day-school for youth with ADHD and other psychiatric and developmental disorders to examine feasibility of obtaining continuous physiological data associated with behavioral and emotional outbursts through smartwatch use. Children wore a sensor watch during their daily classroom activities for two weeks and trained observers collected data using behavioral logs. Using Ecological Momentary Assessment methodology, to examine correlations between objective sensor data and observer observation. Data collected from parents regarding prior night's sleep was also examined.ResultsAll participants completed the study. With a few tolerability or palatability issues. Associations were found between physiological and behavioral/questionnaire data. The methodology holds promise for reliably measuring behavioral and emotional outbursts in young children.ConclusionsThis is the first study to use a bio-marker device in vivo among severely dysregulated pre-school aged youth throughout a full school day. This study established the feasibility of utilizing sensor derived physiological data as an objective biomarker of ADHD within the special education therapeutic classroom. Further research with larger samples is required to build a more robust and personalized AI predictive model.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frcha.2025.1549220/fullADHDpre-Kemotionemotion dysregulationphysiological sensorschildren |
| spellingShingle | Ripudaman (Zeeba) Singh Janav Panchal Sami Ali Beth Krone Isaac J. Wert Mark Owens Mark Stein Maulik V. Shah Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settings Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry ADHD pre-K emotion emotion dysregulation physiological sensors children |
| title | Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settings |
| title_full | Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settings |
| title_fullStr | Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settings |
| title_full_unstemmed | Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settings |
| title_short | Ecological Momentary Assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with ADHD: a feasibility study of a biomarker-driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre-K and early childhood classroom settings |
| title_sort | ecological momentary assessment of emotional dysregulation and outbursts among youth with adhd a feasibility study of a biomarker driven predictive algorithm in the special education pre k and early childhood classroom settings |
| topic | ADHD pre-K emotion emotion dysregulation physiological sensors children |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frcha.2025.1549220/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT ripudamanzeebasingh ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings AT janavpanchal ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings AT samiali ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings AT bethkrone ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings AT isaacjwert ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings AT markowens ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings AT markstein ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings AT maulikvshah ecologicalmomentaryassessmentofemotionaldysregulationandoutburstsamongyouthwithadhdafeasibilitystudyofabiomarkerdrivenpredictivealgorithminthespecialeducationprekandearlychildhoodclassroomsettings |