Intervention for Social Competence and Social Skill

Abstract

Interpersonal difficulties are among the most severe aspects of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children’s psychopathology. Although stimulant medication and behavior modification procedures reduce disruptive and aggressive behavior problems and enhance peer status, no intervention to date—alone or in combination with other treatments—has produced sufficient or lasting gains for the social problems of these children. In addition, despite successes with socially rejected youngsters and with aggressive children, intervention designed to teach important problem solving, mediational, and social skills has fared poorly with ADHD populations. To remedy this situation, better understanding of the cognitive, motivational, and behavioral contributions to ADHD children’s peer rejection as well as better integration of social skills treatments with both contingency management and medication interventions, is required. At stake is prevention of the negative long-term outcomes that are characteristic of children with ADHD.