SCIENCE & RESOURCES

What the research says, and where it stops.

This page explains the ideas behind each simulation in plain language, lists the sources we checked, and says what each one can and cannot show.

Not clinically validated. Static Between Moments was written from published research and the lived experience of a medical student with ADHD. It has not been clinically validated, is not peer-reviewed, and is not a diagnostic or screening tool. The explanations below are editorial summaries that have not yet been reviewed by a clinician. The Arabic, Hebrew, Hungarian, Spanish, German and French results-screen text is AI-assisted and awaiting native-speaker review; this page is English only.

Understanding ADHD

ADHD is a neurodevelopmental condition recognised from lasting patterns of inattention and/or hyperactivity-impulsivity that begin in childhood, appear in more than one setting and cause difficulty in daily life. Many people are first diagnosed as adults. Clinical bodies such as NIMH and CDC publish plain-language overviews, and the 2021 World Federation of ADHD consensus statement summarises 208 evidence-based conclusions. ADHD is highly heritable according to that statement and to Faraone et al. (2015), and it is not caused by laziness or poor parenting.

Executive functioning

Executive functions are the skills used to start, sequence, switch and finish tasks. Differences in these skills are widely reported in ADHD research, though they vary between people (Faraone et al., 2021). In children, imaging has found that prefrontal regions reach maturity a few years later on average (Shaw et al., 2007). That is a group average from one imaging study; it cannot be applied to an individual.

In the simulations: The Workday, The Social Day, Cooking Dinner. The capacity battery is a metaphor for this effort and its numbers are invented.

Attention regulation

ADHD is not an inability to focus. Many people describe attention that is hard to direct on low-reward or unstructured tasks yet can be absorbed for hours on something engaging. This absorption is often called hyperfocus; it is commonly reported but has no consensus definition and little formal research (Ashinoff & Abu-Akel, 2021). One questionnaire study linked it to higher ADHD symptom levels (Hupfeld et al., 2019), and findings are mixed. It is not experienced by everyone with ADHD.

In the simulations: The Good Day.

Working memory

Working memory holds and updates information for the next few seconds or minutes. A meta-analysis of 26 studies found difficulties in children with ADHD compared with controls (Martinussen et al., 2005). The "threads" in the game are an illustration of intentions slipping away, not a memory test.

In the simulations: The Workday, The Admin Day, The Grocery Run, The Meeting, A Kid's School Day.

Motivation and dopamine

ADHD is not simply a dopamine deficiency. One PET study found lower markers of a dopamine-related reward pathway in unmedicated adults with ADHD, associated with inattention (Volkow et al., 2009), but it compared two groups and is not a model of moment-to-moment dopamine. Another account emphasises difficulty waiting for delayed rewards (Sonuga-Barke, 2003); the two accounts are debated and neither explains all of ADHD. The game's "dopamine" meter is shorthand for motivational fuel and does not measure dopamine.

In the simulations: Homework, The Admin Day, Bedtime.

Time perception

Reviews report differences in timing and time estimation in ADHD, though results vary across tasks and studies (Noreika et al., 2013, a narrative review; Rubia et al., 2009). Remembering to act at a later time without a cue (prospective memory) was poorer in one small study of 29 adults with ADHD and 24 controls (Altgassen et al., 2019), which needs replication. The "felt time" factors in the game are invented.

In the simulations: The Laundry Mountain, The Appointment.

Emotional regulation

Emotion dysregulation is described as common in ADHD across the lifespan and as adding to impairment (Shaw et al., 2014), but not everyone has it and it is not a diagnostic criterion. Many people also describe intense reactions to perceived rejection or criticism. The term "rejection sensitive dysphoria" is not a DSM-5 diagnosis, and published research on it in ADHD is limited and mixed. We treat it as a recognisable lived-experience pattern, not an established symptom.

In the simulations: The Argument, The Unanswered Text, The One-Word Reply.

Sensory processing

In a small parent-reported comparison of 37 children per group, sensory processing differed between children with ADHD and a comparison group (Shimizu et al., 2014). Many people with ADHD do not report sensory overload, and the mechanism is not settled.

In the simulations: The Grocery Run, The Workday (noise).

Sleep and ADHD

Meta-analyses report more sleep problems in children (Cortese et al., 2009) and adults (Díaz-Román et al., 2018) with ADHD. In adults the differences were found on self-report and some activity-monitor measures; polysomnography did not differ significantly. The direction of cause is unclear.

In the simulations: Bedtime.

Relationships

This site has not independently verified relationship-specific studies, so we make no research claim about relationships. The Argument, The Unanswered Text and The One-Word Reply are illustrative stories built on the emotion-regulation concept above and on lived experience, not on a study of couples, families or friendships.

Educational and workplace support

Clinical guidelines such as NICE NG87 and the AAP 2019 guideline describe treatment plans that can combine education, psychological and behavioural approaches, adjustments at home, school or work and, where appropriate, medication, decided with a qualified clinician. The practical ideas shown in the game (written lists, visible timers, movement breaks, quieter space) are common-sense adjustments, not treatment. Body doubling is popular but has limited formal research. The "fatigue saved" numbers are model outputs, not effect sizes.

Individual differences

ADHD presents differently in children and adults, in women and men, and across inattentive, hyperactive-impulsive and combined presentations. Co-occurring conditions (anxiety, depression, autism, dyslexia, sleep problems) are common and change the picture. Culture, language and access shape both experience and support. None of the simulations is "what ADHD feels like"; they are composites that some people recognise and others do not.

Scientific limitations of simulations

Every number, meter, threshold and "estimated" comparison was set by hand for pacing. None is an effect size or a measurement.
A study that supports a concept does not validate a specific game mechanic, penalty or outcome.
The ADHD vs neurotypical comparison replays your choices through a small model. It illustrates an idea and does not predict real behaviour.
Playing the game cannot show whether you or anyone else has ADHD. Only a qualified clinician can assess that.
Fiction can reinforce stereotypes; the scenes aim to be recognisable, and strengths and variation are only gestured at.

Reference library

Every source used on this site. Study type and what was checked are shown for each. Filter by topic or type, or search the text.

Evidence register

Each scientific claim has an ID, supporting references, a classification, the simulations it relates to and a review status. Classes are assigned by hand by the following documented method, not computed:

All entries are marked editorial: checked against the cited source by the project team, with no clinician or researcher sign-off yet. Automated checks verify structure (references exist, translations present) and cannot replace expert review. General information only, not medical advice.

OPEN THE SIMULATION ABOUT & SOURCES FOR EDUCATORS