| Children with Predominantly Inattentive ADHD | | | | and Attention Skills Program (CLAS) to teach |
| (ADHD-PI, also known as ADD), have difficulty with | | | | ADHD-PI children and parents both attention skills and |
| social skills. These children tend to lack assertiveness | | | | social skills. The researchers are still recruiting |
| and frequently have difficulties in social situations that | | | | participants but the first set of results, published a |
| require interactions with more than one person or | | | | few years ago, concluded that; "Children randomized |
| with people that they do not know. They sometimes | | | | to the Child Life and Attention Skills Program were |
| have problems with a sluggish cognitive tempo which | | | | reported to have significantly fewer inattention and |
| may awkwardly delay their response to social | | | | sluggish cognitive tempo symptoms, and significantly |
| interactions These kids may also be perceived by | | | | improved social and organizational skills, relative to the |
| their peers as being as self centered and egotistical | | | | control group." If you happen to live in the San |
| because they can appear standoffish as a result of | | | | Francisco area, you can contact the Department of |
| their inattentiveness. | | | | Psychiatry at UC Berkley here to participate in this |
| The good news is assertiveness and social skills can | | | | study. |
| be taught. Extensive research has been done of | | | | Children with ADHD are generally aware of social |
| teaching social skills to children with ADHD. Children | | | | cues. They do not need to be taught to 'read' |
| with Combined type (ADHD-C) and Hyperactive | | | | people's reactions to them. Being unaware of social |
| Impulsive ADHD (ADHD-HI) need training in | | | | cues is one of the hallmarks of children and adults |
| cooperation, self control, and empathy. Children with | | | | with Asberger's syndrome but it is generally not a |
| ADHD-PI need help with assertiveness, appearing | | | | problem for children with ADHD. Children with |
| approachable, and simple communication. Studies have | | | | ADHD-C and ADHD-HI have difficulty with self control |
| shown that social skills' training is extremely effective | | | | but are still aware of the social impression that they |
| in improving communication, assertiveness, empathy, | | | | are making. Children with ADHD-PI are often keelnly |
| and social interactions. More importantly these studies | | | | aware of their social awkwardness and tend to avoid |
| have shown long term benefits in improving the | | | | situations that will cause them to be embarrassed. |
| school experience of children with ADHD. | | | | The social skills training tools that have worked the |
| I found two studies that looked at social skills training | | | | best to train children with ADHD include exercises |
| in children with ADHD-PI. It seems that children with | | | | that break down complex social situations into smaller |
| ADHD-PI are helped more by social skills training | | | | components and train, one at a time, each |
| programs that children with combined type ADHD or | | | | component of the social interaction. Role playing |
| children with ADHD and co-morbid Oppositional | | | | games are helpful as is modeling which involves |
| Defiance Disorder. | | | | having the child watch a model exhibiting the desired |
| The first study performed on 59 children at the | | | | behavior. Social skills' training is generally a family |
| Children's Hospital-Boston found that children with | | | | affair. Parents, siblings, and other family members are |
| ADHD-PI were helped more with social skills training | | | | encouraged to participate in the training and role |
| than were children with the combined type of ADHD. | | | | playing, provide encouragement to the children in |
| The children received 8 weeks of social skills training | | | | training, and to help reinforce the behaviors that are |
| after which; "Children with ADHD-I improved in | | | | being trained. |
| assertion skills more than children with ADHD-C." | | | | In conclusion, social skills' training has proven to be |
| The second study is ongoing and is taking place in | | | | extremely beneficial in improving the self confidence |
| Berkley. Researchers at the University of California | | | | and school experience of children with ADHD. This |
| are conducting a longitudinal study of children with | | | | training may be especially useful to children with a |
| ADHD-PI. They are using a tool called the Child Life | | | | diagnosis of ADHD Predominantly Inattentive. |