Piagetian conservation and response to cognitive therapy in attention deficit disordered children

Cognitive therapy is often used in treating attention-deficit-disordered (ADD) children because of its purported ability to address this population's attentional deficits and behavioral difficulties and to create durable therapeutic effects. Nonetheless, research findings on these treatments have been inconsistent. This study sought to explain these inconsistencies by examining the influence of cognitive development on children's ability to benefit from such treatment. The ability to conserve number and substance was shown to influence treatment outcome, as measured by laboratory tasks of cognitive style and impulsivity. No effects were found on standardized academic achievement measures or on behavioral ratings by teachers or parents. Further study of individual development will be important in understanding the outcomes of cognitive therapy.