Neurodiversity Research: Studies and Collaborations

HU Healthy Kidz ADHD Research Study

This study compared the sleep quality and sleep quantity of children without ADHD to children who have the diagnosis and are taking medication for it either every day or only during the school week, or not taking medication at all. Similarly, we are examining sleep behaviors and parental distress between these four groups (unmedicated-UN, continuously medicated-CM, and partially-medicated-PM children with ADHD, and children who do not have ADHD). We invite parents of youths between the ages of 6 and 11 to join us in improving the quality of life for ADHD-diagnosed children and their families. This study is creating a platform to share new findings worldwide while extending the opportunity for diverse participation across the nation.

Key variables in our study:

Sleep Quality
Sleep Quantity
Severity of ADHD Symptoms
Dosage and administration of ADHD Medications
Parenting stress
Various environmental factors
Diversity factors and health disparities

Parental distress factors

Lack of organization or daily routines typically leads to stress or feelings of anxiety
Lack of effective communication in the household between one's spouse and/or the children
Unclear or loose boundaries that do not reinforce the parental hierarchy
Inconsistent punishment and reward systems

What has been learned so far:

Current results thus far from Phase 1 and 2 revealed: Children without ADHD obtain more, uninterrupted quality sleep than the groups of ADHD children we observed. Children with ADHD engage in 2-3 times as many bedtime obstacles, sleep disruptions, and morning tiredness/irritability behaviors than children without ADHD. (CM) children obtain increased sleep quality and sleep quantity compared to (UN) and (PM) children with ADHD. Lastly, children without ADHD obtain approximately two hours of extra sleep on the weekend, while CM children with ADHD obtain 30 minutes more than what they get during the week, PM children with ADHD don’t obtain any additional sleep on the weekend, and UN children with ADHD obtain less sleep on weekends. While the experience of military families compared to non-military families has yet to be analyzed, recruitment is one of the immediate initiatives of this study, as increased participation will facilitate more empirically based findings.

AI Wearables

A software engineering company that pairs wearable devices measuring biometric data and a synchronized mental wellness app to deliver Just-In-Time therapeutic interventions (in the context of a stressful situation or trigger) is interested in learning how their innovative technology could be utilized in assisting people who have a diagnosis of ADHD.

If you'd like to answer a few anonymous survey questions that look at triggers, and impulsive decision-making behaviors, please feel free to proceed with Scanning the QR Code.

Share Your Research Efforts

We'd love to hear what you're doing for research and how we can help support you an your team.

V.O.I.C.E for Neurodiversity Public Health Research Study

Strategic discussion and planning is underway for an operationalized public/community health collaborative research initiative designed to sample a portion of the population (100 undiagnosed high school students and 100 undiagnosed young adults from age 19-29) who self-identify with numerous lived experiences of chronic, executive dysfunction. Referral for screening potentially would occur via recommendation of significant others, family members, coaches, and/or teachers, if the individual doesn’t self-refer. Screening via practical/relatable questionnaires/surveys with positive results would warrant ADHD/neurodiversity psychological testing, followed by accessible pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical treatment interventions and connectivity to practical resources. Ultimately, this collaborative effort would aim to promote greater accountability to self and society, higher quality of life, and reduction in multi-billion-dollar economic burdens. Our growing and evolving team of experts from diverse fields are working collaboratively to garner resources and support to facilitate each arm of the study: referral, screening, testing, intervention, and follow-up.

Our findings would yield critical lessons learned on ways various organizations, providers, pharmaceutical companies, etc. can collaborate in an effort to remedy public health crises related to undiagnosed and untreated ADHD/neurodiversity in adolescents and young adults potentially on negative trajectories. This study would allow us to improve access to care through research, education, public awareness, and facilitation of culturally competent screening/assessment, diagnosis and treatment.

A tremendous amount of planning has already taken place and more details will be added to this site as each phase of this study is shaped and solidified. Please check routinely to learn more about this exciting initiative.

We Need You!

If you’re a clinician or coach and you want to learn more about how you can be involved in our endeavor to work with these (200) study participants from referral through intervention and follow-up, contact us with an email below. Similarly, if you're a pharmaceutical company or an organization that is genuinely interested in supporting this research, please reach out! This is a collaborative effort and will take a team/village approach to ensure its success.