Experimental Training of Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) negatively affects the cognitive and psychomotoric spheres of the pupil's social behavior and social adaptation. The review of many studies states that pupils with AD/HD achieve worse learning results because of insufficiently functioning cognitive processes, such as attention, (work) memory, thinking, problem solving, language, small- and large- scale motorics. Behavioral features, exhibited with AD/HD, include low-frustration tolerance, temper problems, persistence, emotional liability, depression, peer rejection, poor self-concept and poor self-esteem. Because of insufficiency of the cognitive processes, the difficulties of social behavior and social adaptation, pupils with AD/HD more often have a dysfunction of pupils' role that manifests by learning difficulties and behavior problems. The manifestation of the disorder in the younger school age in the context of children's school activities and roles actualizes the exceptional interest of the educational science in the analyzed phenomenon. The search and construction of effective means of socio-educational help for AD/HD primary class pupils should be associated with coordination and adaptation of different effective educational methodologies of different conceptual origin. In order to develop cognitive, psycho-motoric abilities and social behavior of the group of primary class pupils with AD/HD (N=22), activities of supplementary education were organized after classes (their duration was 6 months). During the forming experiment, original methodologies were constructed and national and foreign researchers' educational methodologies were adapted and tested in new, specific conditions (methods of fairy-tales, correction of cognitive behavior, graphical-logical tasks, games in the sport hall). Even by relatively rare activities of supplementary education in a homogeneous group of children suffering from AD/HD positive changes of cognitive, psychomotoric sphere, social behavior and social adaptation were achieved. (Contains 14 footnotes, 4 figures and 1 table.)