Teaching Generalized Self-Control to Attention Deficit Boys With Mothers as Adjunct Therapists

Abstract

Two boys, diagnosed Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity and described as impulsive and lacking self-control, participated in the study. In a mental health setting, a self-instructional training program tailored to the specific behavioral deficits of each subject was introduced sequentially in a multiple-baseline design. Self-instructional training consisted of both conceptual and task-specific verbalizations, and targeted completion of classroom work. Mothers were trained as adjunct therapists and conducted a home training program. Results indicate that both subjects made substantial improvement in percent of daily classroom work completed, were reported as more self-controlled and less disruptive by mothers and teachers, and received higher grades at the end of treatment.