Self-Regulation Interventions for Children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (Exceptional Children‪)‬

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a chronic disorder that is thought to affect from 3% to 7% of school-age children (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Children with ADHD typically exhibit problems maintaining attention, sustaining effort, modulating motor activity, and organizing and finishing tasks (American Psychiatric Association). In addition, they often exhibit comorbid behaviors such as depression, anxiety, oppositional defiant disorders, and compulsive behaviors (National Institute of Mental Health, 1996; Whalen & Henker, 1991). As a result, many children with ADHD encounter difficulties in the school environment, often in the form of disciplinary problems or academic difficulties (e.g., underachievement, poor grades, or failure to complete assignments; DuPaul & Stoner, 2003). At present, the recommended treatment for children with ADHD involves a multimodal approach that combines medication (e.g., psychostimulants), behavior modification, accommodations, and ancillary services (e.g., counseling; Barkley, 1998; Reid, 1999). Of these approaches, probably the most well known and widely used is medication (Goldman, Genel, Bezman, & Slanetz, 1998). Although the use of medication for the treatment of symptoms for ADHD has a documented record of effectiveness (MTA Cooperative Group, 1999), it is not recommended in isolation. There is evidence that other approaches (e.g., behavior management, educational accommodations) are useful both in isolation and in conjunction with medication (Conners et al., 2001; Pfiffner & Barkley, 1998). One type of intervention that holds promise for children with ADHD is one that can help children self-regulate their behavior. Self-regulation describes a number of methods used by students to manage, monitor, record, and/or assess their behavior or academic achievement. Self-regulation can be used to decrease maladaptive or increase positive target behaviors (Kern, Ringdahl, Hilt, & Sterling-Turner, 2001) and has shown considerable success with children with learning disabilities (e.g., Graham & Harris, 2003; Reid, 1996), behavior disorders (e.g., Nelson, Smith, Young, & Dodd, 1991; Smith & Sugai, 2000), and mental retardation (e.g., Cole & Gardner, 1984).