Verbal-nonverbal correspondence training with ADHD children.
Have kids with ADHD say what they will do, then praise the match—hyperactivity drops fast.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Five boys with ADHD joined a classroom study.
The trainer taught them to say what they would do, then do it.
Later they learned to say what they did after they finished.
Each week the rule got harder and the prize got better.
What they found
Hyperactive and rude acts dropped every time the rule changed.
The boys stayed calm even when prizes came slower.
Parents saw the same calm at home two weeks later.
How this fits with other research
Clark et al. (1977) showed you can skip warm-up talk. Hall (1992) used that shortcut and still got good results.
Lord et al. (1986) proved preschoolers can keep promises without adults watching. Hall (1992) moved the same idea to older kids with ADHD.
Iwata (1988) said child talk adds nothing. Hall (1992) looks like a reply: when the child plans and reports, behavior still improves, so the words matter.
Why it matters
You can cut hyperactivity fast by having the child state a plan and then checking if it happened.
Use a simple do-report loop during seat-work, recess, or transitions.
Start with easy goals and stretch the delay before praise.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
This study presents a general description of the applicability of verbal-nonverbal correspondence-training procedures in the management of five cases with Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD). Two cases additionally met criteria for conduct problems. These five cases, males aged 6 to 10 years were intervened with one of three correspondence-training procedures: (a) reinforcement of do-report, (b) reinforcement of report-do, and (c) reinforcement set-up on report. A changing-criterion design with multiple-baseline features was used with all cases. Consistently lower levels of hyperactivity and conduct problems were noted during the introduction of each procedure. Generalization and maintenance (follow-up) data are also reported. The strengths, limitations, and cost-effectiveness of correspondence training and future research with the present population are discussed.
Behavior modification, 1992 · doi:10.1177/01454455920162005