Applications of self-control procedures by children: a review.

O'Leary et al. (1979) read every paper they could find on kids using self-control.

They wrote a story-style review. No numbers were pooled.

The goal was to see which tricks children used and what was still missing.

Kids taught themselves to talk through tasks, track their own work, and give themselves small rewards.

The papers looked good, but almost none checked if the skills lasted or beat adult-run plans.

Finch et al. (2024) just did a tighter update. Their 2024 scoping review of 25 lab tests shows one clear move: give the child a fun activity while they wait. This supersedes the 1979 story with hard data.

McLean et al. (1983) ran a single home test that fills a gap G et al. flagged. A mother first judged compliance, then the child judged himself. The two-step order beat child-only judging, showing the 1979 idea works best with an outside check first.

Burack et al. (2004) later showed the same helper rule in class: self-monitoring only cut disruption when an adult also gave quick feedback. Together these studies extend the 1979 call by pinning down adult feedback as a must-have ingredient.

If you want kids to run their own behavior, start with adult feedback, then fade it. Use the Finch wait-time trick and the P two-step order in your next session. You will move faster from teacher control to true student self-management.