Department of Educational Psychology
Date of this Version
June 2006
Abstract
Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at significant risk for a variety of comorbid conditions, including social skills deficits. Although interventions addressing various aspects of social difficulties with these children have been developed, few researchers have integrated new technology with existing social skills intervention literature and investigated such approaches empirically. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a computer-mediated social skills training program for children diagnosed with ADHD. The program presented specific social skill sequences to four children with ADHD in a variety of computer–facilitated formats with video peer modeling, social problem–solving, and reinforcement components. Participants’ abilities to demonstrate specific social problem–solving skills effectively in a behavioral analogue environment were evaluated. The study used a multiple-probe variation of the multiple-baseline de sign (MBD) across participants. All participants demonstrated improvements in ability to demonstrate effective social problem–solving skills in analogue role–play assessments with live peers. Follow–up data at 3 and 6 week intervals indicated that participants maintained their gains over time.
Comments
Published in School Psychology Quarterly 21:2 (2006), pp. 197–224. Copyright © 2006 American Psychological Association. Used by permission. “This article may not exactly replicate the final version published in the APA journal. It is not the copy of record.” http://www.apa.org/journals/spq/