A cognitive-behavioral intervention for impulsive, Attention Deficit Disordered Children

Abstract

The purpose of the present investigation was to determine the effects of a cognitive-behavioral intervention in reducing impulsivity and improving problem-solving strategies in Attention Deficit Disordered children. Training lasted 9 weeks and included self-instructions, modeling, role-play, self-evaluation, self-reinforcement, and response-cost. Subjects were 45 children aged 8 to 12 years who had been clinically diagnosed as ADD and educationally defined as learning disabled. The study consisted of two treatment conditions and an assessment control group. In the SIT+T condition, subjects were divided into small groups and trained by the researcher in 30-minute sessions held twice weekly. Resource teachers for these subjects were trained to provide support for the use of the strategies in the classroom. In the T-Only condition, resource teachers were trained by the researcher to provide the training to their own students in the classroom setting. Control group subjects received no training or exposure to trained teachers. Throughout the training period, all 13 resource teachers were provided by the researcher with weekly observation and consultation. Pretest, posttest, and 4-month follow-up assessment of all subjects included the Self-Control Rating Scale, the Matching Familiar Figures Test, an unstandardized math test, and classroom grades in four primary academic subjects. Performance differences between medicated and nonmedicated subjects were also examined. Compared with controls, the children in the two treatment groups showed significant improvement in error scores on the Matching Familiar Figures Test, indicating generalization of skills, and this improvement was maintained at follow-up. No significant effect of training was found on other measures, nor was a difference detected between the two training conditions. A survey of teacher attitudes at follow-up revealed that teachers unanimously believed the program was beneficial for their students and planned to continue its use in the future.