The Impact of a Self-Control Training Program on Enhancement of Social Skills in Students with ADHD

Ahmad Beh-Pajooh,Hamid Alizadeh,Ghorban Hemmati,Bagher Ghobari Bonab,Sayyed Mohsen Fatemi

doi:10.4236/psych.2012.38094

Abstract

Objective: The study examined the effect of a self-control training program on enhancing social skills in students with ADHD. Method: The study selected a pre-test-posttest control group design for a sample of twenty male students in an elementary school in Tehran, Iran. The sample was divided into experimental and control groups with the implementation of the treatment for the random assignment of the experimental group for the period of one month. A repeated measure method was performed to analyze the data. Results: The results indicated that the self-control training procedure was significantly effective in improving the social skills of students with ADHD. The follow-up data indicated the effectiveness of the treatment after the lapse of one month. Conclusion: The results suggested that teaching self-control techniques to students with ADHD would enhance their social skills.

Highlights

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) appears to be one of the most common and prevalent psychological and neurodevelopmental disorders among children characterized by more inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity difficulties (DSM-IV-TR, American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000)
The findings revealed that students in the experimental group performed socially better than those in the control group
As noted earlier the main research question of this study was, “What is the effect of training self-control procedure on enhancement of the social skills of students with ADHD?” To answer this question, the means of the two groups were compared at three times

Summary

Introduction

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) appears to be one of the most common and prevalent psychological and neurodevelopmental disorders among children characterized by more inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity difficulties (DSM-IV-TR, American Psychiatric Association [APA], 2000). ADHD has been reported to be the main reason behind the referrals of 30% to 40% of school-age children to mental health counseling centers (Cantwell, 1996; Goldstein, 1995). It is estimated that 3% - 7% of school-age children suffer from ADHD in the United States (APA, 2000; Conners & Jett, 1999). Khoushabi and Pouretemad (2002) have reported that 3% - 5% of Iranian high school students suffer from ADHD. Ghanizadeh (2008) has declared that 10.1% of primary students have ADHD symptoms. The existing evidence reveals gender differences of children with ADHD in Iran, whereas boys are reported to be 3 to 10 times more susceptible to this disorder than girls (Khoushabi & Pouretemad, 2002)

Methods

Results

Conclusion