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Self-regulation strategies support children with ADHD to overcome symptom-related behavior in the classroom

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ADHD Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders

Abstract

Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suffer from self-regulation deficits that cause inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Self-regulation interventions may address these deficits, but to date, only few empirical studies have examined their benefits for children with ADHD in everyday life. The present study investigated three classroom interventions to promote self-regulation and tested their benefit on self-regulatory competencies (assessed with an ADHD questionnaire) in children with ADHD. Students of a special education school for children with ADHD participated in the intervention study that included three sessions (Session 1: Goal Intention or Goal Intention + If–Then Plan; Session 2: Goal Intention + If–Then Plan; Session 3: Goal Intention + If–Then Plan + Self-Monitoring). Teacher-rated self-regulatory competencies were assessed both before and after the intervention sessions. Children with ADHD had better self-regulatory competencies after their first Goal Intention + If–Then Plan Session, but lasting intervention effects were found only when children started with a mere goal intention session.

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Acknowledgments

This research was funded by Robert Bosch Foundation, Stuttgart, Germany, and by the Center for Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk, Frankfurt, Germany.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany

    Lena Guderjahn & Andreas Gold

  2. Center for Research on Individual Development and Adaptive Education of Children at Risk (IDeA), Frankfurt, Germany

    Lena Guderjahn, Andreas Gold & Caterina Gawrilow

  3. Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA

    Gertraud Stadler

  4. Department of Psychology, Eberhard Karls University, Tübingen, Germany

    Caterina Gawrilow

  5. German Institute for International Educational Research, Frankfurt, Germany

    Caterina Gawrilow

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  1. Lena Guderjahn
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  2. Andreas Gold
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  3. Gertraud Stadler
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  4. Caterina Gawrilow
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Correspondence to Lena Guderjahn.

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Guderjahn, L., Gold, A., Stadler, G. et al. Self-regulation strategies support children with ADHD to overcome symptom-related behavior in the classroom. ADHD Atten Def Hyp Disord 5, 397–407 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12402-013-0117-7

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