Objectives: The aim of this experimental pilot study is to evaluate the effects of 25 metacognitive interventions on planning skills in children with ADHD.
Methods: Forty-five children with ADHD aged 7-12 years (M = 10.41; SD = 1.42) participated in the experiment along with a parent. The children were randomly assigned to one of three groups, determining the type of metacognitive technique used in the training: (1) Mind Maps, (2) Sketching, or (3) Control. They participated in 25 thematic meetings. They were measured at the beginning and at the end of the trainings using the Conners Questionnaire 3 and the Park Map Test tools.
Results: Significant differences were found in the intensity of the mean scores for the "Planning" variable between the first and second measurements (M1 = 6.13; SD1 = 0.35; M2 = 5.67; SD2 = 0.82) in the control group, and non-significant differences in the intensity of the mean scores for the groups with Mind Maps and Sketching. The effect size for the significant outcome is high (rc = 0.53).
Conclusions: In the children who did not participate in the training, the score worsened, while the score of children in the experimental groups was unchanged.
Keywords: ADHD; metacognitive strategies; planning skills.