NCT06798337

Reward Effects on Cognition, Motor Skills, and Motivation in Children

The Effect of Reward on Cognitive Functioning, Motor Skills, and Motivation in 8- to 10-Year-Old Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 67 (actual)
• Sponsor: Lithuanian Sports University · Academic / Other
• Sex: Male
• Age: 8 Years – 10 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This interventional study aimed to aimed to evaluate the effects of rewards on cognitive function, motor skills, and motivation in 8- to 10-year-old children with ADHD following 3- and 6-week interventions.

Detailed description

Research problem: children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are inattentive and distractible, which often makes it difficult for physiotherapists to keep them interested, as prolonged activity often causes boredom. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of reward on cognitive function, motor skills and motivation in 8-10 year old children with ADHD after 3 and 6 week interventions. Objectives of the study: 1\. To compare the cognitive function of children receiving conventional physiotherapy with that of children receiving reward therapy. 2. To compare the motor skills of the children receiving conventional physiotherapy with those of the children receiving the reward. 3. To compare the motivation of children receiving conventional physiotherapy with that of children receiving rewards. The hypothesis of the study is that exercise with rewards improves cognitive function, motor skills and motivation better than conventional physiotherapy in children aged 8 to 10 years with attention deficit disorder. Research methods: the study included 60 boys diagnosed with ADHD. Age: 8-10 years. Subjects were randomly divided into reward and conventional physiotherapy groups. In both groups, subjects performed exercises for balance and coordination for 3 times per week for 45 min, but in one group subjects received a reward using virtual reality.

Conditions

• Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	Conventional Physiotherapy group	Participants in the regular physical therapy group performed balance and coordination exercises three times a week without the use of rewards. These subjects completed only physical exercises, without engaging in game-like interactive tasks using virtual reality (VR) glasses. Each session was conducted at the same time for each subject, with a potential variation of ±1 hour.
OTHER	Reward based physiotherapy group	Subjects in the reward group performed balance and coordination exercises three times a week, with the inclusion of rewards. At the end of each exercise session, participants engaged in game-like interactive tasks using virtual reality (VR) glasses. Exercise sessions were conducted at the same time for each subject, with a permissible variation of ±1 hour.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-01-15
• Primary completion: 2024-01-15
• Completion: 2024-05-15
• First posted: 2025-01-29
• Last updated: 2025-08-29

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Lithuania