The development and evaluation of a play-based intervention for improving the social play skills of children with ADHD

Abstract

We conducted three phases of research with aim to establish an effective, feasible and appropriate intervention for improving the social play skills of children with ADHD. Participants included 43 children formally diagnosed with ADHD, their 37 parents and 43 typically-developing playmates. Test of Playfulness total scores were used to examine children’s social play. Phase 1 examined the long-term effectiveness and appropriateness of a pilot therapist-delivered play-based intervention conducted 18-months prior to the beginning of this research. Five families from the original study participated. Children’s social play outcomes were maintained 18-months post intervention and parents reported continuing to use the intervention strategies. Phase 2 focused on the development of a parent-delivered version of the intervention. The intervention was trialled with the five families who participated in Phase 1 and then with nine families who had not received any play-based intervention. The social play outcomes of both groups of children improved significantly from pre-test to one-month follow-up. Five parents’ interview themes suggested they experienced some barriers to implementing the intervention, whereas the nine parents in the second group reported no difficulties with implementation. Phase 3 examined the effectiveness of a ten-week play-based intervention with 29 children. The change in the social play skills of the intervention-first group was significantly greater than the control-first waitlist group. Combined pre-test and post-test data from the two groups indicated children’s social play skills improved significantly with a large effect from pre- to post-intervention. The results of the research demonstrate that the play-based intervention is an effective, feasible and appropriate approach for addressing the social play difficulties of children with ADHD. The primary applications from these findings are discussed and future directions are proposed.