# Real-time attention tracking in the classroom

> **NIH NIH R21** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES · 2020 · $185,581

## Abstract

Project Summary
Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a highly prevalent (5-11% of children 4-17 years in 2011) and
persistent disorder, is associated with cognitive deficits that contribute to poor educational outcomes in ADHD.
Critically, leading treatment strategies in ADHD are ineffective at improving educational outcomes. Lacking,
however, is the assessment of attention deficits in real-life contexts, a key piece to understanding how these
deficits impede learning opportunities in the moment (such as in the classroom) and, conversely, how they can
be supported by making changes within the child’s environment. In this project, we will develop an attention
assessment tool using portable electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, performed in real-time in the
classroom. As part of Aim 1 we will validate the technique against (a) visual coding of on-task performance (the
current standard in the field), (b) simulated classroom recordings, (c) laboratory based metrics of attention, and,
(d) scores of academic achievement. In Aim 2, we collect EEG attention metrics across different types of typical
classroom activities – to test if particular context (whole class, small group, individual) and instructional attention
management (teacher-managed vs child-managed) preferentially facilitate attention in the classroom in children
with attention deficits. The project emphasizes a theoretical shift from laboratory-based to in-classroom
evaluation of attention, and underscores the importance of contextual factors that affect real-life outcomes like
learning in school. In future studies, we will use the developed tools to, (i) test the efficacy of proposed classroom
accommodations for ADHD (e.g., high stimulation, structure, minimal delay/idle time, reward), and (ii) test the
feasibility of this tool to improve treatment monitoring by providing more accurate feedback and treatment
adherence when adapted for at-home use.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9904763
- **Project number:** 5R21MH119448-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennie K. Grammer
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $185,581
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2019-04-01 → 2023-02-28

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9904763

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9904763, Real-time attention tracking in the classroom (5R21MH119448-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9904763. Licensed CC0.

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