MealQuest is a gamified eating timer designed with ADHD research in mind. It helps kids (and adults) build healthier eating pace — whether that means finishing on time or slowing down.
🎯 Personalized target zones
The green arc on the plate is your target window, calculated from your last 5 meals. It gets tighter as you improve — a behavioral principle called fading.
Janeslätt et al. (2017). Effectiveness of time-related interventions in children with ADHD aged 9–15. Child: Care, Health & Development. RCT showing externalized time cues + training improved daily time management.
⚡ Immediate micro-rewards
Coins arrive at 25%, 50%, and 75% of your plate — not just at the end. ADHD brains respond much more strongly to immediate than to delayed rewards.
Volkow et al. (2009). Evaluating dopamine reward pathway in ADHD. JAMA Psychiatry. Plichta & Scheres (2014) meta-analysis confirmed blunted anticipation of distant rewards in ADHD.
🐣 Shaped evolution, not luck
Your creature evolves (Hatchling → Pup → Junior → Adult → Master) based on your streak of in-zone finishes. Missing rounds don't punish you — every effort earns something. This is Skinner's shaping principle: reward successive approximations.
Behavior Modification (NIH StatPearls, 2023). Skinner's operant conditioning — reinforce behavior closer and closer to the target rather than demanding the full target immediately.
🎮 Why gamify?
Structured goals, visible progress, and safe time pressure activate motivation in ways traditional timers can't. This is well-established in ADHD intervention literature.
Nejati et al. (2023). PART: Program for Attentive Remediation of Time perception — RCT showed time perception is trainable in children with ADHD.
Peñuelas-Calvo et al. (2023). Adherence & follow-up of video-game-based ADHD treatments — systematic review in J. Child Psychol Psychiatry.
📊 Two training modes
🎯 Finish on time — for slow or distracted eaters. Targets finishing around 55–90% of allotted time.
🐢 Slow down — for impulsive fast eating (a clinical concern for ~20% of ADHD youth, who have higher rates of disordered eating). Targets finishing in the last third of allotted time.
Eating Recovery Center (2024): Up to 20% of ADHD youth develop eating disorders — impulsive/fast eating is a meaningful target behavior.
⚠️ This app is a behavior-shaping game based on therapy research, not a clinical intervention. It's a supplement — not a replacement — for care from a licensed therapist, occupational therapist, pediatrician, or dietitian. If you're concerned about eating patterns, please consult a professional.