Effects of Weighted Vests on Attention, Impulse Control, and On-Task Behavior in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Headnote

MeSH TERMS

* arousal

* attention

* attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity

* impulsive behavior

* sensation

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.

Lin, H.-Y., Lee, P., Chang, W.-D., & Hong, F.-Y. (2014). Effects of weighted vests on attention, impulse control, and on-task behavior in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68, 149-158. http://dx.doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2014.009365

Weighted vests are frequently used by occupational therapy practitioners who work with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as a modality to provide direct somatosensory input (Olson & Moulton, 2004a, 2004b). Adding sensory stimulation has been found to increase the attention ability (Zentall, Grskovic, Javorsky, & Hall, 2000) and reduce the excessive movement (Lee & Zentall, 2002) of students with ADHD. It is believed that the deep-touch pressure input provided by the weighted vests can decrease sensory modulation dysfunction by changing levels of arousal in the central nervous system, thereby resulting in positive functional and behavioral outcomes (Baranek, Wakeford, & David, 2008; VandenBerg, 2001).

According to neurophysiology studies, the reticular formation is an area of the brain that receives and processes information from most sensory systems (Zhang, Kang, & Lundy, 2011); however, Reeves (2001a) suggested that deep-touch pressure input is able to override other arousing inputs, such as auditory, visual, and light-touch stimulation, because deep-touch pressure input does not send direct projections to the reticular formation. Rather, deep-touch pressure input travels from the medulla to the thalamus and somatosensory cortex where, according to...