The effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy (CBPT) on improving attention and planning in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

The purpose of the current study was to determine the effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) on improving Attention and Planning in Children with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder.

This was an experimental study with the pre- and post-test design and group control. The study population consisted of children ages 7-12 years old was diagnosed with ADHD in Ardebil city. Among them, 30 were selected by Convenience Sampling method. They were randomly assigned to equal rations in the intervention and control group. The research instruments were: Short Form and Revised Conforming Rating Scale for Parents (CPRS-R: S), Toulouse. Pieron’s attentional Test and Tower of London. Intervention group received Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) in 10 sessions. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

Results showed that cognitive behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) had significant impact on the improving attention and planning in students with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (P<0/05) and the students who received Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) in the experimental group had higher levels of planning and attention than the students in the control group.

The findings indicated that Cognitive-Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) can be considered as an effective way to improve the attention and planning of students with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder.