Randomized clinical trial evaluating the effect of metacognitive interventions on planning skills in children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) with mixed symptom presentation. Pilot trial design.

Abstract

The aim of this experimental pilot study is to evaluate the effects of 25 metacognitive interventions on planning skills in children with ADHD. Forty-five children with ADHD aged 7-12 years (M = 10.41; SD = 1.42) participated in the experiment along with a parent. The children were randomly assigned to one of three groups, determining the type of metacognitive technique used in the training: (1) Mind Maps, (2) Sketching, or (3) Control. They participated in 25 thematic meetings. They were measured at the beginning and at the end of the trainings using the Conners Questionnaire 3 and the Park Map Test tools. Significant differences were found in the intensity of the mean scores for the "Planning" variable between the first and second measurements (M1 = 6.13; SD1 = 0.35; M2 = 5.67; SD2 = 0.82) in the control group, and non-significant differences in the intensity of the mean scores for the groups with Mind Maps and Sketching. The effect size for the significant outcome is high (rc = 0.53). In the children who did not participate in the training, the score worsened, while the score of children in the experimental groups was unchanged.