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Device Technologies and Biomedical Robotics

Device Technologies and Biomedical Robotics - Poster Session D

Poster J1 - The Sound of Tantrums: Decibel Dynamics and Behavioral Outbursts

Friday, October 25, 2024

3:30 PM - 4:30 PM EST

Location: Exhibit Hall E, F & G

Presenting Author(s)

Diana G. Hume Rivera (she/her/hers)

Undergraduate Research Assistant
Case Western Reserve University
San Juan, Puerto Rico, United States

Co-Author(s)

Guido Mascia, PhD

Postodoctoral Research Fellow
Wake Forest School of Medicine, United States

Last Author(s)

Ellen McGinnis, PhD

Assistant Professor, Social Sciences and Health Policy
Wake Forest School of Medicine, United States

Primary Investigator(s)

Ryan McGinnis, PhD

Director, Center for Remote Patient and Participant Monitoring Associate Professor, Biomedical Engin
Wake Forest School of Medicine, United States

Introduction: Although tantrums are common in early childhood1,2, severe emotional outbursts defined as “grossly out of proportion to the provocation in frequency, intensity or duration” 2 are indicative of mental health diagnostic severity and functional problems later in life3,4 and can be dangerous (i.e., throwing chairs) to the family, child, peers, and teachers, especially in classroom settings. Current methods to anticipate severe outbursts for each child depend on qualified professionals to observe a child’s behavior over several days and write a report on potential behavioral antecedents, requiring the typical caregiver (or teacher) to be consistently attentive to these behaviors. There is a critical need to find feasible, objective methods to help predict outbursts5. Wearable and nearable sensors6 provide an opportunity to objectively and continuously monitor child behavior and environmental context. For example, both sensor-derived heart rate and ambient noise have been associated with emotional dysregulation. However, no study has ever measured these features in young children during outbursts. This case study will therefore examine the feasibility, tolerability, and promise of heart rate dynamics and environmental noise (dB) as measures of outburst antecedents.

Materials and

Methods: Ambient noise data was collected using REED R1620 Sound Level Meter over 5 days from children (n=3) enrolled in the Amos Cottage Therapeutic Day Program, whose ages range from 4-8 years and have severe emotional dysregulation. We present descriptive data on feasibility and a case study of a child with sensor data who exhibited a severe outburst.

Results, Conclusions, and Discussions: Preliminary results from our case study indicate that ambient noise can be correlated with heart rate and allow characterization of outburst frequency, severity, and duration of tantrums.
Our findings suggest that ambient noise is a key factor in predicting tantrum behavior. Future research should evaluate the correlation between ambient noise and heart rate. Also, machine learning to create models to predict how ambient noise impacts outburst timing, frequency, and severity. This framework can lead to a more objective method for screening young children with potential mental health disorders.
Environmental noise affects children’s behavior, creativity, and concentration7,8,9,10. Understanding this relationship can improve therapeutic and behavioral management strategies in educational settings.

Acknowledgements (Optional): This project was supported in part by the Rowan University/Kern Family Foundations (Prime Award No. 2022-02044; Subaward No. 57283-1) eREU KEEN grant in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.