Effects of Cognitive Occupational Therapy Interventions in Children with ADHD

Executive function deficiencies characterize Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), a complicated disorder. The effects of cognitive activities on executive functions in children with ADHD were examined in this study from the perspective of occupational therapy. Eleven children were in the control group and ten in the intervention group, totaling twenty-one children (mean age: 9.82 ± 0.87 years). Over eight weeks, the intervention group received extra cognitive activities, whereas the control group received special education twice a week. Standardized assessments, such as the Verbal Fluency Test (VFT), Stroop Test T-Bag Form (ST-TBAG), and Children's Color Trails Test (CCTT), were used to evaluate both groups before and after the intervention. To assess the data, the Mann-Whitney U test was used for between-group comparisons and the Wilcoxon Paired Sample Test for within-group changes. The study group's performance on the ST-TBAG and CCTT scores improved significantly (p < 0.05). Although there were no other notable changes, the control group did show improvements in a few ST-TBAG time sections (p < 0.05). The findings suggest that integrating cognitive activities into treatment can improve children with ADHD's executive function abilities. To effectively support these children, the study emphasizes how crucial it is to incorporate cognitive occupational therapy interventions into clinical and educational settings.