Impact of Behavior Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy on Amelioration of ADHD Symptoms

The present study was conducted to examine the effectiveness of behavior therapy (BT) and cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) on amelioration of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The effectiveness was studied during the time and within the basic settings in which the core symptoms are manifested. 8 subjects from two special education settings were selected. Multiple baseline design across subjects was utilized. Baseline data were collected through frequent observation of behaviors for each subject. In intervention phase, 4 subjects assigned to BT, and 4 others to CBT programs. Behaviors of subjects were also observed in follow-up phase. The Results obtained from analysis of data points in experimental phases indicated a significant amelioration in symptoms of off-task behaviors. The effects were observed for 3 subjects of BT and 4 subjects of CBT in intervention phase. However, maintenance of effects was not observed in follow-up phase. The findings have implications to study long-term effectiveness of BT and CBT in treatment for the ADHD core clinical symptoms, and generalization of data from school-based setting to home environment.