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Boys with ADHD in social interaction with a nonfamiliar adult: an observational study
Ad Stroes1, Ed Alberts, Jaap J Van Der Meere
1Laboratory of Developmental and Experimental Clinical Psychology, Grote Kruisstraat, Gronigen, The Netherlands.
Objective:
To clarify the nature of social interaction deficits in boys with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Method:
Twenty Dutch hyperactive boys and 19 peer controls were observed using an ethological method during social interaction with a nonfamiliar adult (a student). Social behavior was operationalized in terms of the duration and frequency of visual and verbal behavior elements and scored during a conversation and a play segment.
Results:
During the conversation segment, the boy with ADHD and the student were less socially involved in each other. During the play segment, boys with ADHD talked to themselves more and seemed to direct their attention to the student more than control boys did. The students praised the boys with ADHD more frequently and asked them more questions about their play activities than the control boys.
Conclusions:
Boys with ADHD demonstrate poor social attention during conversation and elicit structure-providing behavior in nonfamiliar adults. It is postulated that poor self-regulatory mechanisms may mediate their social problems.