Using WatchMinder to Increase the On-Task Behavior of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Three elementary students with autism wore a WatchMinder watch. The watch vibrated every two minutes during class work time.

When it buzzed, kids asked themselves, "Am I on task?" They marked yes or no on a small card. They also drew a bar graph of their daily scores.

The study used a multiple-baseline design across students to see if the watch plus graphing would raise on-task behavior.

On-task behavior jumped right away for every student. Gains stayed high even after prompts were faded.

One boy went from a large share on task to a large share. The class teacher only had to remind him once a week instead of every five minutes.

Rosenbloom et al. (2019) got the same boost using a smartphone app instead of a watch. Their teens with autism also tracked their own behavior and stayed on task longer.

Hume et al. (2009) reviewed earlier work and already called self-monitoring a top practice for autism independence. The WatchMinder study gives fresh numbers that match the review.

Justus et al. (2023) flipped the tool: teachers used a $3 hand counter to tally their own praise. Same design, same success, but aimed at adult behavior. Together these papers show self-monitoring works for both students and staff.

You can hand a student a vibrating watch and a sticky note graph and see quick gains. No extra staff, no big cost. Try it during seat-work time next week. Start with two-minute buzzes, then fade to every five. Let the kid graph the data; ownership keeps the behavior strong.