The social play, social skills and parent-child relationships of children with ADHD 12 months following a RCT of a play-based intervention

Background/aim: There is an urgent need to investigate the long‐term impact of social skill interventions for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Interventions targeting the social skills of children with ADHD have limited short‐term effectiveness and rarely investigate the long‐term impact. Furthermore, these interventions are most frequently conducted in the clinic setting, without including the child's natural settings and interactants, such as their regular playmates and parents. Methods: The present study investigated the social play, social skills and parent–child relationships of children with ADHD and their playmates (n = 13/group) aged 5–13 years. A two‐group before and after design with a longitudinal component was applied. Participant data compared over two time points, immediately following a randomised, controlled trial (RCT) of a play‐based intervention and 12 months post‐RCT. Results: From immediately following the RCT to the 12‐month follow‐up, children with ADHD maintained social play skill gains in the home environment. Playmates maintained social play skill gains across the home and clinic environments. Children scored within a developmentally appropriate range, falling within 1 standard deviation of the mean for social skills and most parent–child relationship scales using norm‐based assessments. Conclusion: Results support the long‐term effectiveness of the intervention.