A Comparison of Effectiveness of Regulation of Working Memory Function and Methylphenidate on Remediation of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

摘要

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent and serious disorder affecting such key cognitive components as working memory. Working memory serves to facilitate and check attention in any individual and to focus on those affairs that need to be retained in mind. This study examines whether a combination of the two therapeutic methods of working memory training and Methylphenidate might be more effective in treating ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years of age than when methylphenidate is applied alone.MethodSubjects of the study are 48 children suffering from ADHD. They were selected by random sampling. The experimental group included 23 children with ADHD who received a combination of working memory training and Methylphenidate, and the control group which included 25 children with ADHD received Methylphenidate only. To check the effects of the intervention, Conners’ Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48) was applied before and after the intervention. After intervention, data were collected from the remaining samples in the two groups. Data were examined both through descriptive statistical methods and analytic statistical methods, including T-student test and Quantile-Quantile Plots diagram.