دانلود رایگان مقاله انگلیسی مشاهده الگوهای آزاد بازی کودکان مبتلا به ADHD و دوستان زندگی واقعی آنها - اشپرینگر 2017

Abstract

Previous observational studies conducted in highly structured, analog situations indicate that children with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) mismanage their relationships with same-age peers and friends. Such structured situations may not, however, fully represent the true nature of children’s play, which is typically characterized by free choice, intrinsic motivation, and spontaneity. The unique objective of the current observational study was to describe how 87 children with ADHD and 46 comparison (76% boys) aged 7–13 years behave when interacting with their real-life dyadic friends during an unstructured, free-play situation. Results indicate that dyads comprising one referred child with ADHD and an invited friend (BADHD dyads^) engaged in less cooperative play, displayed less companionship, and showed less sensitivity to friends than comparison dyads. ADHD dyads also engaged in more conflict and exhibited significantly more negative affect than comparison dyads. These findings complement and extend, possibly with somewhat enhanced ecological validity, results obtained in previous studies on the friendships of children with ADHD featuring closed-field observations and questionnaire methodology.

Discussion

The current observational study provided the first examination of the interaction patterns of children with and without ADHD with their real-life dyadic friends in a relatively unstructured free-play setting. We consider this critical given the undisputed importance of play and close friendship in children’s development (Pellegrini 2011; Prinstein and Giletta 2016). It has also been posited that ADHD symptoms and related social behaviors could be highly impaired during such unstructured, freeplay situation (Cordier et al. 2009). As mentioned previously, less structured situations may also offer some potential advantages in terms of ecological validity because children’s play is typically characterized by free choice, intrinsic motivation and spontaneity (Burghardt 2011; Pellegrini 2009). The main results revealed not only differences in free-play patterns and dyadic behaviors between ADHD and comparison dyads, as we predicted, but also some interesting and unexpected similarities. The very fact that 27 potential participants with ADHD (and only 2 potential comparison children) were excluded because their parents reported that they had no friend with whom to participate in the study underscores the friendship problems of children with ADHD.