Effects of Cognitive Occupational Therapy Interventions in Children with ADHD

Öz

Executive function deficiencies characterize Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a complicated disorder. The effects of cognitive activities on executive functions in children with ADHD were examined in this study from the perspective of occupational therapy. Eleven children were in the control group and ten in the intervention group, totaling twenty-one children (mean age: 9.82 ± 0.87 years). Over eight weeks, the intervention group received extra cognitive activities, whereas the control group received special education twice a week. Standardized assessments, such as the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), Stroop Test T-Bag Form (ST-TBAG), and Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT), were used to evaluate both groups before and after the intervention. To assess the data, the Mann-Whitney U test was used for between-group comparisons and the Wilcoxon Paired Sample Test for within-group changes. The study group's performance on the ST-TBAG and CCTT scores improved significantly (p < 0.05). Although there were no other notable changes, the control group did show improvements in a few ST-TBAG time sections (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that integrating cognitive activities into treatment can improve children with ADHD's executive function abilities. To effectively support these children, the study emphasizes how crucial it is to incorporate cognitive occupational therapy interventions into clinical and educational settings.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• ADHD
• cognitive activities
• executive functions
• occupational therapy

Effects of Cognitive Occupational Therapy Interventions in Children with ADHD

Öz

Yürütücü işlev problemleri, karmaşık bir bozukluk olan Dikkat Eksikliği Hiperaktivite Bozukluğu'nun (DEHB) karakteristiğidir. Bu çalışmada, DEHB'li çocuklarda bilişsel aktivitelerin yürütücü işlevler üzerindeki etkileri ergoterapi perspektifinden incelenmiştir. Çalışmaya, kontrol grubunda on bir, müdahale grubunda ise on çocuk olmak üzere toplam yirmi bir çocuk katıldı (ortalama yaş: 9,82 ± 0,87 yıl). Müdahale grubuna sekiz hafta boyunca özel eğitime ek olarak bilişsel aktiviteler uygulanırken, kontrol grubu haftada iki kez özel eğitim aldı. Müdahaleden önce ve sonra her iki grubu değerlendirmek için Sözel Akıcılık Testi (VFT), Stroop Testi T-Bag Formu (ST-TBAG) ve Çocuklar İçin Renkli İz Sürme Testi (CCTT) gibi standart değerlendirmeler kullanıldı. Verileri değerlendirmede gruplar arası karşılaştırmalar için Mann-Whitney U testi ve grup içi değişiklikler için Wilcoxon Eşleştirilmiş Örneklem Testi kullanıldı. Çalışma grubunun ST-TBAG ve CCTT puanlarındaki performansı önemli ölçüde iyileşti (p < 0,05). Başka kayda değer bir değişiklik olmasa da, kontrol grubu birkaç ST-TBAG zaman bölümünde iyileşme gösterdi (p < 0,05). Bulgular, bilişsel aktivitelerin tedaviye entegre edilmesinin DEHB'li çocukların yürütücü işlev becerilerini geliştirebileceğini göstermektedir. Bu çalışma, DEHB tanısı olan çocukları etkili bir şekilde desteklemek için bilişsel ergoterapi müdahalelerini klinik ve eğitim ortamlarına dahil etmenin önemli olduğunu vurgulamaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• DEHB
• bilişsel aktiviteler
• ergoterapi
• yürütücü işlevler

Kaynakça

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