Altering the function of commands presented to boys with oppositional and hyperactive behavior.
Having kids say and role-play a simple compliance rule cuts defiance fast and the gain lasts half a year.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Three boys with ADHD and oppositional behavior joined the study. Each mom and child played short role-play games at home.
During the game the child practiced saying the rule out loud: 'When Mom gives a command, do it fast to earn points.' The therapist coached the pair and tracked how often the boy followed real-life commands.
What they found
Noncompliance dropped for every boy and stayed low six months later. Moms also gave clearer, calmer instructions during the study.
How this fits with other research
Fisch (1998) used the same kind of parent training and saw similar gains, but the 1998 study taught moms a flow chart instead of having kids say the rule. The two papers line up: parent focus or child focus can both work.
Hornstra et al. (2023) later pulled parent training apart and found that antecedent tips alone helped medicated 8- to 11-year-olds just as much as adding praise or ignore. That finding stretches the current result: the rule statement is an antecedent, so the 2023 study supports keeping the verbal part front and center.
Staubitz et al. (2020) looked at older students with emotional disorders. Pure delay training failed until they added a clear rule. Their mixed outcome shows the rule piece is critical, matching why the 2002 role-play worked.
Why it matters
If you work with defiant kids who have ADHD, try a two-minute role-play. Have the child state the compliance rule aloud, then practice with real commands. You can weave this into BST, parent coaching, or school recess. No extra tokens or apps are needed—just voice and points.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Mentalistic and behavioral analyses of noncompliance among children with hyperactive behavior are contrasted. Then, a behavioral training program for 3 boys with behavior characteristic of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and oppositional defiant disorder is described. The child-focused training was conducted in conjunction with parent training. In an effort to increase the rate of compliance, the child-training program was designed to alter the function of parent commands by teaching the boys to verbalize rules about parent commands and consequences in the context of observing parent-child role-plays. Training was conducted within a multiple baseline design across children. Direct observation of mother-child interactions, telephone interviews, and standardized rating scales showed that training resulted in clinically significant reductions in noncompliance and improved parenting behavior. A 6-month follow-up revealed stable outcomes.
The Analysis of verbal behavior, 2002 · doi:10.1007/BF03392969