ADHD in Children
Visual Abstract
Social Skills Training in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trial
Social Skills Training For ADHD
Kevin M. Antshel and Rory Remer
Summarized by:
June 12, 2023
study source
J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol
Mar 2003
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What they studied
Can training and therapy improve social skills for children with ADHD?
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What they found
Children with ADHD who received social skills training had greater assertion, cooperation, and empathy.
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What this means
This study provides evidence of another key benefit of therapy in ADHD.
Social Skills Training in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Randomized-Controlled Clinical Trial
Objectives
Previous studies have identified some differences in social skills among those with ADHD:
However, the exact nature of these differences and whether these differences can be changed is still up for debate.
The study wanted to examine the effectiveness of social skills training for children with ADHD.
Study Quote
Evaluated efficacy of social skills training (SST) on children with 2 subtypes of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Methods
The study provided a standardized social skills training program to children with ADHD over eight weeks.
The training program covered aspects such as cooperation, self-control, and communication. The lesson plan and modules of the program are listed below:
Study Quote
Participants were 120 children (30 girls, 90 boys), ages 8 to 12 with ADHD-Inattentive type (ADHD-I; n = 59) or Combined type (ADHD-C; n = 61). The children were randomly assigned within diagnosis subtype to the treatment condition (8 weeks of SST) or the no-intervention control conditio...
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Results
The results showed that participants who received social skills training experienced significant improvements in key social skills. Their parents noticed that they were better at cooperating and had improved empathy
The most significant improvements were seen in the children’s assertion skills.
Study Quote
SST led to greater improvements in both parent- and child-perceived assertion skills in the children with ADHD, yet did not affect the other domains of social competence. Diagnostically heterogeneous groups led to greater improvements on parent-report of their child's cooperation and ass...
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These results are consistent with other studies demonstrating the effectiveness of therapy for ADHD symptoms.