Occupational Therapy Interventions for Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Systematic Review

Introduction Mental health disorders and low levels of mental well-being can have a lasting effect on life satisfaction and contribution to society for children and adolescents, yet the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions is unknown. Methods A mixed methods systematic review was conducted including studies with children and adolescents aged 5–16 years, who had mental health difficulties, that evaluated occupational therapy interventions and focused on participation in everyday occupations as an outcome. Results The nine included studies were generally very low quality. The results could not be pooled due to heterogeneity. For children with Asperger’s syndrome, the Cognitive Orientation to Daily Occupational Performance intervention had clinically significant improvements on occupational performance and social skills. For children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, the Ultimate Guide to Play, Language and Friendship intervention improved playfulness and the Cognitive–Functional intervention had a statistically significant improvement on occupational performance and behaviour. Conclusion One intervention used by occupational therapists with children with Asperger’s syndrome and two interventions used with children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder had some evidence of effect. No evidence was identified for the effectiveness of occupational therapy interventions for children and adolescents with other common mental health conditions.

Download Full-text

Effects of Occupational Therapy Interventions on Improving Play Performance in Children With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Systematic Review

Iranian Rehabilitation Journal ◽

10.32598/irj.19.3.761.2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 221-230

Author(s):

Minoo Dabiri Golchin ◽

◽

Hooshang Mirzaie ◽

Seyed Ali Hosseini ◽

◽

...

Keyword(s):

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Occupational Therapy ◽

Randomized Trial ◽

Attention Deficit ◽

Online Application ◽

Children With Adhd ◽

Medicine Research ◽

Hyperactivity Disorder ◽

Therapy Interventions ◽

Occupational Therapy Interventions

Objectives: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder among neurodevelopmental disorders. Children with ADHD have serious difficulties in their playing patterns. This review aims at seeing occupational therapy interventions using to improve play among children with ADHD. Methods: Four databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, and Elsevier) were searched. Rayyan QCRI online application was used for managing and screening the obtained data. The included articles were reviewed for their quality based on the Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine, research pyramid, CONSORT (CONsolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials), and STARD (Standards for Reporting Diagnostic Accuracy) statement. Results: A total of 104 articles were found after the search. After the screening and review process, six articles were included for the main review. Data extraction was done for these six articles (two randomized trial control and four non-randomized trial control studies). Discussion: Play-based interventions could be effective for improving social play in ADHD when delivered by a therapist. For parent-delivered interventions, more studies with larger sample sizes are required.

Download Full-text