A cueing procedure to control impulsivity in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Four boys with ADHD, sat in their regular classroom. Before each group discussion the teacher gave a quick cue: either held up a card or said, 'Raise your hand to talk.'

The researchers used an ABAB design. They measured hand-raising and talk-outs across baseline, cue-on, cue-off, and cue-on again phases.

When the cue was on, hand-raising jumped and talk-outs dropped for every boy. When the cue was removed, the old problems came right back. Re-introducing the cue fixed it again.

The change was large and immediate. No extra staff, no tokens, no medication needed.

Rosenfeld et al. (1970) showed that simple teacher praise can boost attending. D et al. swapped praise for a quick cue and still cut disruption, proving the cue itself can do the heavy lifting.

Fiene et al. (2015) replaced the adult cue with a vibrating watch for kids with autism. Same prompting logic, new gadget. The tactic travels across diagnoses and tech levels.

Miyasaka et al. (2023) seems to disagree: punishment did not help ADHD boys control impulses. But their lab task used penalties; D et al. used an antecedent cue in class. Cueing prevents the problem, punishment reacts after it happens. No real conflict—just different tools.

Rasing et al. (1992) found teacher reprimands rivaled stimulant medication. D et al. show a cue can work without any reprimands or drugs, giving teachers a kinder first option.

You can try this tomorrow. Pick one disruptive group time. Hold up a card or say a short line before talk begins. Track hand-raises for ten minutes. If it works, keep the cue and fade it later. One sentence, zero cost, big change.