A Comparison of Effectiveness of Regulation of Working Memory Function and Methylphenidate on Remediation of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent and serious disorder affecting such key cognitive components as working memory. Working memory serves to facilitate and check attention in any individual and to focus on those affairs that need to be retained in mind. This study examines whether a combination of the two therapeutic methods of working memory training and Methylphenidate might be more effective in treating ADHD in children aged 6 to 12 years of age than when methylphenidate is applied alone. METHOD: Subjects of the study are 48 children suffering from ADHD. They were selected by random sampling. The experimental group included 23 children with ADHD who received a combination of working memory training and Methylphenidate, and the control group which included 25 children with ADHD received Methylphenidate only. To check the effects of the intervention, Conners’ Parent Rating Scale (CPRS-48) was applied before and after the intervention. After intervention, data were collected from the remaining samples in the two groups. Data were examined both through descriptive statistical methods and analytic statistical methods, including T-student test and Quantile-Quantile Plots diagram. RESULTS: The study demonstrated that a combination of the cognitive intervention of working memory training and methylphenidate is more effective in alleviating ADHD symptoms rather than when methylphenidate is applied in isolation. In the CPRS pre-test and post-test, the mean difference of the experimental and the control group was 8.39 and 1.88 respectively, indicating that the working memory group has improved more than the control group. CONCLUSIONS: The study reveals that the ADHD symptoms were more contained in the test group than the control group due to working memory training. The cognitive intervention through working memory training may be effective in alleviating the severity of disorder measured in the pre-test.