One-year follow-up after the time management group intervention Let's Get Organized

Explaining the changes in procrastination in an ACT-based course - psychological flexibility and time and effort management as mediators

Introduction

The aim of our study is to explore the relationship between procrastination, time management skills and psychological flexibility and the changes in them during an Acceptance and Commitment therapy (ACT)-based course that included time management training. We also explored the effects of time management skills and psychological flexibility on procrastination. The study used an experimental design in an ACT-based well-being course that included time management training.

Methods

The participants were 109 students taking the course and 27 waiting list students. Analyses were conducted with Pearson correlation, mixed ANOVA and causal mediation analysis.

Results and discussion

Our results show that time management skills, psychological flexibility and procrastination were related to each other, and all changed during the course. In addition, change in both time management and psychological flexibility had an impact on the change in procrastination during the course. The results show that both time management and psychological flexibility influence the change in procrastination during an ACT-based course.

Use of the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity to Assess Executive Function in Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

IMPORTANCE

Youths with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have challenges with executive function (EF). However, there are few measures to objectively assess EF, such as time management and prioritization. The Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA) is a promising performance-based EF measure that has rarely been used with youths with ASD.

OBJECTIVE

To characterize the performance of youths with ASD on the WCPA and the association of WCPA performance with caregiver-rated EF.

DESIGN

Observational and summary data obtained during a baseline evaluation for a research study.

SETTING

Middle school.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-nine adolescents with ASD and without an intellectual disability.

METHOD

Youth were administered the WCPA; caregivers completed EF ratings. Descriptive statistics characterized WCPA performance. Correlations between WCPA scores and age, IQ, and EF ratings were computed.

RESULTS

The majority of youth performed poorly on the WCPA and lacked insight into their poor performance. Many struggled to enter appointments. Appointment accuracy was <30%. The most common errors were location errors. Appointment accuracy and planning time were moderately associated with IQ but not with caregiver-rated EF or age.

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

Overall, the WCPA was cognitively demanding for youths with ASD without an intellectual disability. These results have implications for using evidence-based strategies to teach adolescents with ASD how to manage their time and plan and prioritize homework assignments, upcoming tests or quizzes, and extracurricular activities. Plain-Language Summary: Youths with autism spectrum disorder have significant problems with executive function, particularly organization, prioritization, time management, and planning. There are few objective, performance-based measures of executive function, especially those that can be used with autistic youths. To our knowledge, this study is the first to use the Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA) with autistic adolescents who do not have an intellectual disability. The WCPA captured their deficits related to executive function and could be a useful tool for assessment and treatment planning.

Evaluation of the group intervention "Let's Get Organized" for improving time management, organisational, and planning skills in people with mild intellectual disability

BACKGROUND

Limited time management skills cause problems in daily life for people with mild intellectual disability (ID) and "Let's Get Organized" (LGO) is a promising manual-based occupational therapy group intervention aiming to support management skills.

AIMS/OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the applicability of the Swedish version of LGO-S by i) exploring enhancements in time management skills, satisfaction with daily occupations, and aspects of executive functioning in people with time-management difficulties and mild ID, and ii) describing clinical experiences of using the LGO-S for people with mild ID.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Twenty-one adults with mild ID were included. Data were collected pre-/post-intervention and at 3- and 12-month follow-ups with: Swedish version of Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS-S), Satisfaction with Daily Occupation (SDO-13), and Weekly Calendar Planning Activity (WCPA-SE). There were few follow-up participants (n = 6-9).

RESULTS

Significant change in time management skills that maintained at 12-months follow-ups. Significant increase in regulation of emotions at 12-month follow-up. Results at 12-months follow-up indicated sustainability in outcomes as measured by ATMS-S. A non-significant positive trend was observed in other outcomes between pre- and post-intervention.

CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE

LGO-S seems applicable for improving skills in time management, organisation and planning also for people with mild ID.

A more active parenting after attending Let's Get Organized - Experiences of parents with ADHD

BACKGROUND

Parenting demands a high degree of attention, planning, and problem-solving, including time management, demands that can be challenging for parents with ADHD. Let's Get Organized (LGO) is an occupational therapy group intervention aiming at developing skills in time management, organisation and planning. There is a need to investigate if LGO may have an impact also on parenting.

AIM

To describe how parents with ADHD experienced the intervention, their time management strategies, parenting and family life after the occupational therapy group intervention LGO.

METHOD

Interviews were performed with 15 parents with ADHD, after completing LGO. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.

RESULTS

The findings are described in one overarching main category, Active parenting and better relations within and outside the family through daily time management with three underlying generic categories: Let's Get Organized facilitates empowerment in daily life; The individual and family - both facilitators of and obstacles to implementation of time management strategies; and A changed parenting and family life.

CONCLUSIONS AND SIGNIFICANCE

Participants experienced a positive impact on time management skills after LGO, which generated more active parenting and better predictability in the whole family. LGO can be a valuable intervention for parents with ADHD.

The Psychometric Properties of the Original Version of Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS)

Background

To perform daily activities, time management and organizational skills are essential and therefore also important intervention focus in occupational therapy. To guide and evaluate intervention, valid and reliable instruments that measure time management and organization skills are necessary. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Assessment of Time Management Skills (ATMS).

Methods

Eligible participants were volunteer adults from the general population who were aged between 18 and 65 years, had a good understanding of English, and were not currently involved in any training or education to improve time management. The ATMS was filled out as a computer-administered survey. Rasch measurement analysis was used to evaluate the validity and aspects of reliability of the ATMS.

Results

In total, 241 adults (112 male and 129 female, mean age = 40) participated. The analysis of principal components of residuals (PCA) and the item goodness-of-fit indicated that the 30-item scale does not measure only one single trait. Three subscales, time management (11 items), organization and planning (11 items), and regulation of emotion (5 items), were detected. One item each on the 11-item subscale showed misfit, but they were kept due to high relevance. All three subscales showed excellent results on analyses of PCA, local independence, and reliability. Conclusions and Relevance. ATMS can provide valid measures of time management, organization and planning skills, and regulation of emotion in a general population and presumably also in a population with cognitive impairment. The measure is useful for occupational therapists in assessing patients' strengths and barriers in time management skills. It can also be useful in identifying the necessity of training time management skills, to guide OT intervention programs and to evaluate interventions. What This Article Adds. Knowledge about the psychometric properties and usefulness of the ATMS in English-speaking countries.

Evaluation of the "Let's Get Organized" group intervention to improve time management: protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Time management skills are essential for living in modern society. People with mental or neurodevelopmental disorders typically have cognitive limitations, including affected time management, which might lead to poor occupational balance, low self-efficacy, and poor parental sense of competence. "Let's Get Organized" (LGO) is a recently developed manual-based group intervention to train time management skills. The aim of this trial is to evaluate the efficiency of the Swedish version of LGO (LGO-S) compared to treatment as usual (individual occupational therapy) to improve time management for adults with impaired time management skills due to mental or neurodevelopmental disorders. Furthermore, to evaluate if the intervention is a cost-effective way to improve the quality of life and time management skills of these individuals, we will conduct a health economic evaluation.

METHODS

The trial will have a multi-centre, open, parallel randomised controlled design. A total of 104 adults with cognitive limitations due to mental or neurodevelopmental disorders will be recruited from open psychiatric or habilitation care units. Outcomes will be measured before and after a 10-week intervention, with a follow-up 3 months after completing the intervention. The primary outcome will be self-assessed time management skills. Secondary outcomes will be e.g. self-assessed skills in organisation and planning, regulation of emotions, satisfaction with daily occupations, occupational balance, self-efficacy, and quality-adjusted life years.

DISCUSSION

A recent feasibility study has shown promising results for LGO-S, and a randomised trial will provide robust evidence for the possible efficacy of LGO-S in comparison to treatment as usual.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03654248 . Registered on 20 August 2018.