The effect of drama therapy on working memory and its components in primary school children with ADHD

Abstract

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders among children and is correlated with several consequences such as working memory impairment. The present study aimed to determine the effect of drama therapy on working memory and its components in primary school children with ADHD. This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, and control group design. The statistical population of this study was primary school students diagnosed with ADHD in Isfahan, Iran, during the academic year of 2017–2018. For the purpose of the present study, 45 students were randomly selected and assigned to experimental (n = 21) and control (n = 24) groups. It should be mentioned that the total number of the experimental group was 24 at the outset of the study; however, the number reduced to 21 due to attrition. The working memory was measured in pre- and post-intervention phases by the working memory subscales of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition. The experimental group participated in a 12 session intervention (each 90 min) during 6 weeks, while the control group received no intervention and the collected data were analyzed using MANCOVA. The results revealed a significant difference between the working memory performance of students in the experimental and control groups (p≤. 05). The experimental group showed significant changes in their working memory, compared with the control group. In fact, the findings confirm that drama therapy can be effective in improving working memory whose deficit is one of the outcomes of ADHD.