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News — KINGSTON, R.I. – Feb. 12, 2025 – For some students, remaining seated and focused at a desk from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. can be particularly challenging, especially for those with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD is one of the most common disorders diagnosed in children. 

ADHD lacks a universal digital diagnostic approach.  But researchers at the University of Rhode Island, may have discovered a new way to diagnose the disorder using a simple, non-invasive method. Their work, , published in the 2024 IEEE 20th International Conference on Body Sensor Networks.

Dhaval Solanki, PhD an engineering faculty member, and PhD candidate Shehjar Sadhu, propose that a wearable device, like a smartwatch, could assist in identifying symptoms of ADHD.

“We started with one industry collaborator who came up with this idea of behavioral analysis using off-the-shelf smartwatches,” said Sadhu.

The study conducted by the research team was simple. Children ages 6 to 11 – a mix of school students diagnosed with ADHD and those who were not – wore smartwatches on both hands and engaged in a series of table-top activities. The researchers observed various behaviors, including fidgeting and movement patterns, both of which are common in individuals with ADHD. Many symptoms of ADHD are subconscious in nature, such as difficulty focusing on basic tasks. 

“We used the data from the smartwatches in the background and monitored their movement, like whether they were tapping their fingers on the table a lot, twirling their hair,” said Sadhu.

Subsequently, the research team extended the technology-based solution and designed a computerized puzzle activity game integrated with a computer mouse. 

In this design, a key data point of consideration was mouse movement. The mouse was used to track where users were dragging pieces of the puzzle. Non-ADHD users typically used a straight line to place the puzzle pieces where they needed to go. The data collected showed that it wasn’t as simple for users with ADHD. Users with ADHD exhibited more complex mouse movements before correctly positioning the puzzle pieces.

The other component was the smartwatch. The wearable was needed to monitor users’ movements when they took their hands off the mouse.  

“What happens if, during the study, they took their hand off the mouse and got involved in doing something?” said Solanki. “The mouse is not collecting that data, but the smartwatch is looking at that.”

Solanki said by combining the data from the mouse and the smartwatch, they can potentially not only improve the accuracy of an ADHD diagnosis but also assess the severity of the disorder. Given that ADHD often affects focus, another aspect of the study involved timing where ADHD and non-ADHD users were timed on various puzzles that got increasingly more difficult.

“The puzzles keep on changing and the difficulty level keeps on changing based on how participants are evolving,” said Solanki.

The study lasted two hours and users were given 10 minutes to do each puzzle. Findings revealed that difficulty levels played a major role for students with ADHD. 

Sadhu and Solanki observed that students with ADHD became hyper focused on a given task when the difficulty increased, and a time constraint was imposed. They tend to lose focus and disengage if the task is too easy and can be finished in a relatively short time.

“If they get a very easy puzzle, they finish it, and then they get bored,” said Sadhu. “We designed a game engine that keeps them interested and has an optimal difficulty level, which keeps them engaged and captures more of their attention.”

An interesting aspect of the study was studying the tics that occur on a subconscious level. The smartwatches were worn on both hands. The data revealed that while users’ dominant hands engaged in the primary task, their non-dominant hands displayed other behaviors, often without the users being aware of it.

Solanki and Sadhu believe this method could offer a more accessible and effective way to identify ADHD symptoms in the classroom or in-home settings, which can lead to further evaluations and a clinical diagnosis. 

The pair is eager to expand their research and to begin testing their diagnostic method on high school and college-aged students.

“We want to start testing it on young adults,” said Sadhu. “For example: 18 to 22-year-olds going to college or kids who are just out of college to help them identify and manage their own symptoms.”

Comparative Investigation of Smartwatch Data in Children with ADHD and non-ADHD was one of two papers that they had published at the conference. At the same conference the two researchers also published, .