The effectiveness of child-centered play therapy on learners with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT : Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common childhood psychiatricconditions. The criticism of and often resistance to psychopharmacological and behavioural treatmentmethods, the two most commonly used interventions for children identified as having ADHD, exposethe importance of developing interventions that not only address children's behavioural difficulties,but also their emotional, social, and developmental needs (Goodman & Linn, 2003; Seltzer & Krauss,2001). Child-Centered Play Therapy (CCPT) is an approach to play therapy that allows for nondirectivetherapeutic sessions between the child and therapist. The aim of this study was to examinethe effectiveness of CCPT as an intervention that reduces teacher-identified and parent-identifiedbehavioural and emotional difficulties among children diagnosed with ADHD (predominantlyhyperactive/impulsive presentation). A quantitative methodology was followed and a quasiexperimentalresearch design, specifically a time series design, was used to investigate changes inchildren's behaviours, emotions and academic performance across baseline and interventionconditions. For this study, the target population included children formally diagnosed with ADHD,attending a school for children with physical and learning difficulties in the Western Cape. A groupof children aged between 8 and 10 years was selected. The Vanderbilt ADHD Rating Scales (VADRS)for children aged 6 to 12 years was used to collect data and quantitative data analysis was performed.After the analyses of teacher responses over eight time points, statistically significant differencesbetween data at various time points were found in the following categories: combined inattention andhyperactivity, defiance, and low mood and anxiety (P<0.01); academic performance (P<0.05); and atrend for inattention (significant at 10%, p=0.09). No significant differences were found between timepoints for the hyperactivity/impulsivity category. After the analyses of parent responses over four timepoints, statistically significant differences between data at various time points were found in all categories (P<0.01). After the analyses of combined teacher parent responses over four time points,statistically significant differences between data at various time points were found in all categories(P<0.01). Although the results of this study are promising, the nature of this study necessitates theneed to conduct further CCPT-based interventions with individuals diagnosed with ADHD.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University