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Greetings:
The article below appeared in a prior issue of ADHD RESEARCH
UPDATE, the newsletter I publish that helps parents and professionals
stay informed about new research on ADHD. The study reviewed in
this article examined the important issue of how children with
ADHD tend to feel about themselves. Also reviewed are some
suggestions for enhancing self esteem in children who seem to
be struggling in this area.
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interested in new research on ADHD, I am starting a separate
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____________________________________________________________
I hope you enjoy the article below. If you are interested in
more extensive coverage of new research on ADHD, becoming a
regular subscriber to ADHD RESEARCH UPDATE will provide this
for you. I've included information about subscribing at the
end of the article should you be interested.
I hope things are going well for you. Please feel free to
share this article with others you know who may be interested
in it.
Sincerely,
David Rabiner, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Duke University
_______________________________________________________________
* SELF-PERCEPTIONS IN CHILDREN WITH ADHD *
Because children with ADHD often struggle in their
school work, peer relations, and ability to follow rules
at home and at school, it is reasonable to hypothesize
that their feelings of competence would suffer as a result.
A recent study in which the self-perceptions of
children with ADHD were specifically examined highlights
the importance of paying attention to this area (Dumas,
D., & Pelletier, L. (1999). A study of self-perception
in hyperactive children. American Journal of Maternal
and Child Nursing, 24, 2-9).
In this study 57 children with ADHD between the ages of
6-11 (20 girls and 37 boys) and 59 children without ADHD
(25 girls and 34 boys) served as participants. Each
child completed a standardized measure to assess his or
her self-perceptions in a number of dimensions including
perceived scholastic competence, social competence,
behavioral competence, and athletic competence. Children's
score on each of these dimensions reflects how competent
they perceive themselves to be in each area. (The measure
that was used was called the Self-Perception Profile for
Children).
The results indicated that as a group, children with ADHD
perceived themselves to be less competent than children
without ADHD in all areas except for athletic competence.
Thus, the self-perceptions of children with ADHD were
lower than those of other children in regards to how they
felt about their behavior, their ability to get along
with others, and their ability to succeed in school.
As in any study that compares children in different groups,
not every child with ADHD rated their competence in these
areas as being low. On average, however, children with
ADHD perceived themselves as less competent than the
other children.
The results of this study highlight the need to pay
attention to the feelings that a child with ADHD has
about him or herself. In many instances, particularly
when parents are struggling to manage their child's
difficult behavior, it can be easy to lose sight of the
effects that ADHD can have on some children's self-esteem.
When one considers how much negative feedback a child
with ADHD may have to contend with on a regular basis,
however, it is not difficult to imagine how this could
come to adversely affect a child's feelings about him or
herself. Also, it is important to recognize that
questioning one's competence in scholastic, behavioral,
and social areas may be quite realistic for a child who
is really struggling in these domains.
What can parents do to help their child to feel more
competent? The first thing, I think, is to make sure
one's child is getting the best treatment possible so
that he or she can actually be more successful in school,
more successful with peers, and more successful with
meeting behavioral expectations. Although it is not
always the case, children's self-concept is often closely
linked to their actual success in different important
domains. So, the more successful they can actually be
in those domains, the more competent they are likely to
feel.
Another thing that can be quite helpful is providing a
child with the opportunity to talk about his or her
feelings - even when those feelings are negative. Thus,
trying to engage one's child in discussions about how
he feels things are going at home, at school, with peers,
etc. can provide you with a great opportunity to learn
whether your child is feeling down and discouraged.
Talking about such feelings alone may not solve the problem,
but talking can help a child develop more control over
strong negative feelings. It can also lead to a problem
solving discussion about how to try and help things go
better. I know from my own experience that it can be
hard to really listen to one's saying negative things
about herself and that it is a natural reaction to want
to try and help your child feel better "right away" by
pointing out all the positive things they may be overlooking.
Unfortunately, this can have the effect of keeping a child
from really getting the chance to express what is on her
mind, and may short circuit a necessary sharing of
feelings. A really good book to look at in this regard
is called "How to Talk so Kids will Listen" - I would
really recommend this.
Parents can also play a very important role in helping
to protect a child's self-esteem by helping their child
to develop a real area of skill and ability. For example,
helping your child to get involved - and stay involved -
in an activity where they can see themselves as improving
and developing can be a real source of satisfaction and
pride. I don't even think it matters that much what
the activity is - art, music, sports, dance, etc. - the
main thing, I think, is that a child gets the opportunity
to develop an area of skill and competence. This can
provide an important buffer when a child may be struggling
in other important areas of their daily life.
I went to a talk last year in which this point was stressed
by Dr. Keith Conners - one of the world's leading authorities
on ADHD - as a very important contribution that parents
can make to their child's development. To my knowledge,
there is not yet any research data to support this idea.
It makes a tremendous amount of sense to me based on clinical
experience, however, and I believe it is a potentially
very useful idea for parents to consider and pursue.
______________________________________________________________
* HERE ARE THE BENEFITS OF BECOMING A REGULAR SUBSCRIBER *
Dear Parent or Health Care Professional:
The information you will receive as a subscriber to ADHD
RESEARCH UPDATE can make it easier for you to effectively help
your child or the children you work with. Here is what 2
current subscribers have said:
"ADHD RESEARCH UPDATE brings us the latest research on ADHD,
something we would otherwise not have easy access to. Having
it enables us to make more informed decisions about our child's
care. Parents must be their children's advocates, and
to do this we must be educated." Name withheld to protect privacy
"Dr. David Rabiner's ADHD Research Update is invaluable in my
full-time practice with ADHD chidlren and adults. By bringing
together the latest research findings and expert opinions in a
concise and highly informative format, David has created a terrific
tool for clinicians who wish to stay on the cutting edge of the
ADHD field." Dr. Steven Richfield, Licensed Psychologist
Parents who describe do so because they want to be certain that
they learn as much as they can about ADHD to help them be better
informed advocates for their child. These parents realize that the
best way to do this is by keeping up to date with new research.
Professionals clearly have this need as well, and value the
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to stay current with important new research information.
By subscribing now to ADHD RESEARCH UPDATE you will receive
the same benefits that these, and hundreds of other parents
and professionals are now receiving. Here is what your
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1. 12 MONTHLY ISSUES OF ADHD RESEARCH UPDATE - Each issue reviews
4-5 recently published studies that are especially interesting
and important to know about.
All types of studies are reviewed, including studies on new
medications, alternative treatments, behavioral strategies,
the impact of ADHD on families and siblings, and a host of
factors that can help promote the healthy development of
children with ADHD.
Because I teach and conduct research at Duke University, I have
access to the dozens of medical and psychology journals where
new research on ADHD is published. This enables me to provide
subscribers with the latest research findings from a variety
of different persepctives.
As a subscriber, you'll thus be assured of receiving the most
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strategies that can help you to promote your child's long-term
success.
2. The ADHD MONITORING SYSTEM - I developed this system so that
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their child's treatment are needed. This is included as
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Research has shown that carefully monitoring how children with
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and effective way to do this.
3. REGULAR ON-LINE DISCUSSION GROUPS - Subscribers can participate
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The cost of a one year subscription is $19.95 and you can subscribe
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Parents and professionals from around the world have found that
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Best wishes,
David Rabiner, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
Duke University
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