Effect of daily life executive functions training on symptoms and adaptive skills in children with attention deficit/ hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neuro-<br><br>developmental disorder which was diagnosed by three features <br><br>including: attention deficit, hyperactivity and impulsivity. This <br><br>study aimed to determine the effect of executive function training <br><br>based on daily life on reducing symptoms and improving adaptive <br><br>skills in children with ADHD. 16 children aged 7-10 years old <br><br>with ADHD were selected by random sampling method from <br><br>clients of the department of psychiatry in Babol hospital and were <br><br>divided randomly into experimental and control groups (n=8). <br><br>Subjects were assessed in two steps at pretest and posttest by <br><br>SNAP-IV and Barkley Functional Impairment Scale Children <br><br>and Adolescents (BFIS-CA). The intervention group received 11 <br><br>training sessions (1 hour in each session) with their mothers. The <br><br>research findings showed that subjects of the experimental group <br><br>had significant reduction in posttest scores of SNAP-IV scale <br><br>than the control group. Significant reduction was observed in the <br><br>scores of BFIS scale in the experimental group for both Home-<br><br>school impairment and Community-Leisure impairment subtests. <br><br>According to findings executive function training based on daily <br><br>life leads to reduce ADHD symptoms and improve adaptive skills <br><br>in children with ADHD. It is concluded that executive functions <br><br>training based on daily life for ease of use and the applicability of <br><br>its methods can be used in different situations such as home and <br><br>school for reducing symptoms and improving adaptive skills in <br><br>children with ADHD.