One of the most common problems experienced by elementary school children is attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD-H). Although this syndrome is defined by the American Psychiatric Association in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (3rd ed.) (DSM III), much of the research regarding its validity as a diagnostic category has been generated after publication of DSM II1. This article reviews the research findings related to the various forms of intervention or treatment commonly employed in work with ADD-H children. Among the topics addressed are direct observation studies, drug treatment, drug effects on academic achievement, diet interventions, behavior modification, cognitive behavior modification, and metacognition and executive control. Practical implications of the research data are suggested for educators and school psychologists who do their work in school environments.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Abikoff, H., & Gittelman, R. (1985). Hyperactive children treated with stimulants. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 953-961.
2.
American Psychiatric Association. (1980). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Author .
3.
Barkley, R. (1982). Hyperactivity. In E. Mash & L. Terdal (Eds.), Behavioral assessment of childhood disorders (pp. 127-184). New York: The Guilford Press.
4.
Barkley, R. (1976). Predicting the response of hyperkinetic children to stimulant drugs: A review. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology , 4, 327-347.
5.
Bohline, D. (1985). Intellectual and affective characteristics of attention deficit disordered children. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 10, 604-608.
6.
Brown, G. (1986). Attention deficit disorder. Current Pediatric Therapy, 12, 44-48.
7.
Brown, R. (1985). The validity of teacher ratings in differentiating between two subgroups of attention deficit disordered children with or without hyperactivity. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 45, 661-669.
8.
Brown, R., Wynne, M., & Medenis, R. (1985). Methylphenidate and cognitive therapy: A comparison of treatment approaches with hyperactive boys. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 13, 69-87.
9.
Campione, J., Brown, A., & Ferrara, R. (1982). Mental retardation and intelligence. In R. Sternberg (Ed.), Handbook of Human Intelligence , Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
10.
Cartledge, G., & Milburn, J. (1980). Generalization and maintenance of social skills . In G. Cartledge & J. Milburn (Eds.), Teaching social skills to children, 108-136. New York: Pergamon.
11.
Connors, C. (1980). Food additives and hyperactive children. New York: Plenum.
12.
Douglas, V., Parry, P., Marton, P., & Garson, C. (1976). Assessment of a cognitive training program for hyperactive children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology , 4, 389-410.
13.
Edelbrock, C., Costello, A., & Kessler, M. (1984). Empirical corroboration of attention deficit disorder . Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 285-290.
14.
Elias, M., Bruene, L., Clabby, J., Barbiere, M., & Heckelman, S. (1985). A multidisciplinary social problem solving intervention for middle school students with behavior and learning disorders. In K. Gadow (Ed.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (vol. 4). Greenwich: JAI Press.
15.
Elias, M., & Clabby, J. (1982). Social problem solving curriculum for enhancing critical thinking skills: Modules on developing self-control skills and improving group and social awareness; instructional phase, middle and upper elementary levels; application phase. New Brunswick: Rutgers University. Feingold , B. (1975). Why your child is hyperactive. New York: Random House.
16.
Firestone, P. (1982). Factors associated with children's adherence to stimulant medication. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry , 52, 447-456.
17.
Gittelman, M. (1981). Hyperactive children : Types and behavioral interventions . In M. Gittelman (Ed.), Strategic interventions for hyperactive children (pp. 112-121). Armonk, NY: M. E. Sharpe.
18.
Gittelman, R., Klein, D., & Feingold, I. (1983). II. Effects of methylphenidate in combination with reading remediation. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 24, 193-212.
19.
Gresham, F. (1985). Best practices in social skills training. In A. Thomas & J. Grimes (Eds.), Best practices in school psychology (pp. 181-192). Kent, OH: National Association of School Psychologists .
20.
Gunnison, J., Kaufman, N., & Kaufman, A. (1982). Application of sequential and simultaneous processing to reading disabilities and remedial intervention. Academic Therapy, 17, 297-307.
21.
Hallahan, D., Lloyd, J., & Stoller, L. (1982). Improving attention with self-monitoring, a manual for teachers. (Available from Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education, Ruffner Hall, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA22903-2495).
22.
Harley, J., & Mathews, C. (1980). Food additives and hyperactivity in children: Experimental investigations. In R. Knights & D. Bakker (Eds.), Treatment of hyperactive and learning disabled children. Baltimore : University Park Press.
23.
Hechtman, L., Weiss, G., & Perlman, T. (1984). Young adult outcome of hyperactive children who received long-term stimulant treatment. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 261-269.
24.
Horton, A., & Wedding, D. (1984). Clinical and behavioral neuropsychology, New York: Praeger.
25.
Kaufman, N., & Kaufman, A. (1983). Remedial intervention in education. In G. Hynd (Ed.), The school psychologist, an introduction. Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press.
26.
Kazdin, A. (1984). Acceptability of aversive procedures and medication as treatment alternatives for deviant child behavior. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12, 289-302.
27.
Kendall, P. (1985). Toward a cognitive-behavioral model of child psychopathology and a critique of related interventions, Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 13, 357-372.
28.
Kerasotes, D., & Walker, C. (1983). Hyperactive behavior in children. In C. Walker & M. Roberts (Eds.), Handbook of clinical child psychology (pp. 498-523). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
29.
Krupski, A. (1981). An interactional approach to the study of attention problems in children with learning handicaps. Exceptional Education Quarterly, 2, 1-11.
30.
Lahey, B., Schaughency, E., Strauss, C., & Frame, C. (1984). Are attention deficit disorders with and without hyperactivity similar or dissimilar disorders? Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 23, 302-309.
31.
Levine, M. (1986). Disorders of learning and attention. In S. Gellis & B. Kagan , Current Pediatric Therapy, 12, 38-44.
Loper, A. (1980). Metacognitive development : implications for cognitive training. Exceptional Education Quarterly, 1, 1-8.
34.
Lowe, T., Cohen, D., Detlor, J., Kremenitzer, M., & Shaywitz, B. (1982). Stimulant medications precipitate Tourette's syndrome . Journal of the American Medical Association, 247, 1729-1731.
35.
Luk, S. (1985). Direct observation studies of hyperactive behaviors . Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24, 338-344.
36.
Luria, A. (1966). Higher cortical functions in man. New York: Basic Books.
37.
Meichenbaum, D. (1980). The shift toward cognitive behavior modification . Exceptional Education Quarterly, 1, 83-88.
38.
National Advisory Committee on Hyperkinesis and Food Additives ( 1980). New York: The Nutrition Foundation .
39.
Obrzut, J., Hynd, G., Obrzut, A., & Pirozzolo, F. (1981). Effect of directed attention on cerebral asymmetries in normal and learning-disabled children. Developmental Psychology , 17, 118-125.
40.
O'Leary, D. (1980). Pills or skills for hyperactive children? Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 13, 191-204.
41.
Ottenbacher, K., & Cooper, H. (1983). Drug treatment of hyperactivity in children. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 23, 358-366.
42.
Pelham, W., Bender, M., Caddell, J., Booth, S., & Moorer, S. (1985). Methylphenidate and children with attention deficit disorder. Archives of General Psychiatry, 42, 948-952.
43.
Peloquin, L., & Klorman, R. (1986). Effects of methylphenidate on normal children's mood, event-related potentials, and performance in memory scanning and vigilance . Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95, 88-98.
44.
Rosen, L., O'Leary, S., Joyce, S., Conway, G., & Pfiffner, L. (1984). The importance of prudent negative consequences for maintaining the appropriate behavior of hyperactive students. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 12, 581-604.
45.
Ross, D., & Ross, S. (1982). Hyperactivity, current issues, research, and theory (2nd ed.), New York: John Wiley & Sons.
46.
Rutter, M., Chadwick, O., & Schachar, R. (1983). Hyperactivity and minimal brain dysfunction: Epidemiological perspectives on questions of cause and classification. In R. Tarter (Ed.), The child at psychiatric risk (pp. 80-107). New York, Oxford University Press.
47.
Safer, R., & Allen, D. (1976). Hyperactive children: Diagnosis and management . Baltimore : University Park Press .
48.
Schneider, M. (1978). Turtle technique in the classroom. Described in M. Herbert, Conduct disorders of childhood and adolescence (p. 119). New York: John Wiley & Sons.
49.
Solanto, M. (1986). Behavioral effects of low-dose methylphenidate in childhood attention deficit disorder: Implications for a mechanism of stimulant drug action. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry , 25, 96-101.
50.
Stephens, R., Pelham, W., & Skinner, R. (1984). State-dependent and main effects of methylphenidate and pemoline on paired-associate learning and spelling in hyperactive children . Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 52, 104-112.
51.
Taylor, E. (1985). Syndromes of overactivity and attention deficit . In M. Rutter & L. Hersov (Eds.), Child and adolescent psychiatry, modern approaches (pp. 424-443). Oxford : Blackwell Scientific Publications.
52.
Wallander, J., & Hubert, N. (1985). Long-term prognosis for children with attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity (ADD/H). In B. Lahey & A. Kazdin (Eds.), Advances in clinical child psychology (pp. 113-147). New York: Plenum Press.
53.
Weiss, G., Hechtman, L., Milroy, T., & Perlman, T. (1985). Psychiatric status of hyperactives as adults: A controlled prospective 15 year follow-up of 63 hyperactive children. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 24, 211-220.
54.
Zentall, S. (1985). A context for hyperactivity. In K. Gadow (Ed.), Advances in learning and behavioral disabilities (vol. 4). Greenwich: JAI Press.
