Fidgeting, often seen as a distraction, serves as a crucial self-regulation strategy for adults with ADHD. When emotional or cognitive overload occurs, focus diminishes, and stress escalates. However, fidgeting, particularly through tactile interactions, can help individuals regain attention and emotional balance. Our research seeks to understand this behavior by engineering adaptive devices that capture and analyze fidgeting patterns in real time. By doing so, we aim to design personalized fidgeting tools that meet the unique needs of each individual, ultimately assisting them in optimizing their attention, performance, and emotional well-being.
Previous research has demonstrated the benefits of behavioral strategies like sensory gadgets and mindfulness techniques in managing ADHD. However, few studies have explored how personalized fidgeting patterns, enhanced through adaptive devices, can provide more tailored and effective support. While it is well-established that fidgeting aids attention, the relationship between specific fidgeting behaviors and real-time emotional regulation remains underexplored.
There is a clear gap in existing research regarding the mechanisms of fidgeting and how these behaviors can be optimized for real-time attention and emotional control. Our work aims to address this gap by building adaptive devices equipped with sensors and microcontrollers that not only track fidgeting behaviors but also adapt based on individual preferences and needs. By analyzing user interactions, we can create a highly personalized experience that supports self-regulation in a targeted and efficient manner.
In the first phase of this research, we develop various fidgeting widgets, each offering different tactile experiences for users to interact with. During this phase, participants will use these widgets while we measure interaction metrics such as frequency, duration, and number of clicks. These quantitative measures will help us determine each participant’s preferences and fidgeting needs, allowing for a personalized approach to adaptive device development.
In the second phase of our study, participants will receive a new, personalized fidget device designed to reflect their preferred fidgeting style, as determined in the first phase. We will then ask them to perform cognitive tasks, such as the Stroop game, which measures attention, mental speed, and the ability to manage cognitive interference. During this phase, we will collect both quantitative and qualitative data to assess how the personalized adaptive fidget impacts their task performance, attention, and emotional regulation.
The main contributions of this research are as follows:
- Personalized Fidgeting Insights: We identify individual fidgeting preferences through real-time tracking and analysis, offering a deeper understanding of how tactile engagement supports self-regulation in adults with ADHD.
- Development of Adaptive Devices: We design and develop personalized adaptive fidgeting devices based on user preferences, which track and analyze behavior to aid attention and emotional regulation during cognitive tasks.
- Performance and Emotional Impact: We evaluate the impact of these personalized fidget devices on task performance, attention, and emotional regulation, contributing to a better understanding of how adaptive haptic tools can support individuals with ADHD.
The practical applications of these devices extend to therapeutic, educational, and occupational settings. By leveraging adaptive haptics and personalized feedback, these tools present innovative solutions for supporting cognitive and emotional well-being, offering new ways to enhance attention and performance in individuals with ADHD and beyond.