The Influence of Metacognitive Strategies on the Improvement of Reaction Inhibition Processes in Children with ADHD

Abstract

Background: Low response inhibition underlies attention disorders and hyperactivity. The aim of this study is to check whether these processes will be strengthened by three months of training with metacognitive strategies. Methodology: Forty-five schoolchildren took part in an experimental study (M = 10.41; SD = 1.42). Each child had been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The participants were randomly assigned into three groups: the first group was tested for the effect of Mind Maps; the second group, for the effect of Sketchnoting, while the third group was assigned the role of a Control group. All of the groups were examined with the Loud Subtraction 7 test (LS7T) with a distractor before and after the training. Results: Analysis with the Wilcoxon test showed that children with ADHD made significantly fewer errors in the LS7 Test in the second measurement in the Mind Maps group (M1 = 7.45; SD1 = 4.07; M2 = 5.76; SD2 = 4.68; p = 0.02). In the remaining groups, there were no statistically significant differences in the average number of errors made. Conclusions: Mind Maps are an effective metacognitive strategy. Regular use of this method strengthens the inhibition of children with ADHD in this study. It can complement the existing forms of support for the child.

The Assessment of the Impact of Training With Various Metacognitive Interventions on the Enhancement of Verbal Fluency in School-Age Children With ADHD

“…In order to achieve the abovementioned competences, various metacognitive strategies are recommended, including, among others, Mind Maps and Sketchnoting (D’Antoni et al, 2010; Kajka & Kulik, 2021). These are visual notes which support effective learning, planning, developing ideas, remembering, as well as analyzing and synthesizing information (Buzan, 2015; D’Antoni et al, 2010; Kajka, 2019; Kajka & Kulik, 2021).…”

“…In order to achieve the abovementioned competences, various metacognitive strategies are recommended, including, among others, Mind Maps and Sketchnoting (D’Antoni et al, 2010; Kajka & Kulik, 2021). These are visual notes which support effective learning, planning, developing ideas, remembering, as well as analyzing and synthesizing information (Buzan, 2015; D’Antoni et al, 2010; Kajka, 2019; Kajka & Kulik, 2021). The advantage of the first strategy is the orderly arrangement of key words on a sheet of paper (Figure 1, Aneks 1; for more information on the rules for creating these notes, see Buzan, 2015; Kajka, 2019; Kajka & Kulik, 2021).…”

“…These are visual notes which support effective learning, planning, developing ideas, remembering, as well as analyzing and synthesizing information (Buzan, 2015; D’Antoni et al, 2010; Kajka, 2019; Kajka & Kulik, 2021). The advantage of the first strategy is the orderly arrangement of key words on a sheet of paper (Figure 1, Aneks 1; for more information on the rules for creating these notes, see Buzan, 2015; Kajka, 2019; Kajka & Kulik, 2021). This allows one to recognize the mutual relations between the contents (analysis and synthesis of information), as well as to create their structure, thanks to which new messages are easier to remember (D’Antoni et al, 2010).…”

“…In the last decade, there have been several reports from experimental studies showing that metacognitive training of these functions in children and adolescents with ADHD improves selected aspects of neurocognitive functioning, as well as reduces intensity of inattention symptoms (Kajka, 2019; Tamm et al, 2014; Tamm & Nakonezny, 2015). So far, the subjects of intervention have included: working memory, reaction inhibition processes, planning ability, or self-regulation (Kajka, 2019; Kajka & Kulik, 2021; Tamm et al, 2014; Tamm & Nakonezny, 2015). The aim of this study is to assess the influence of training with various metacognitive interventions on the enhancement of verbal fluency in school-age children with ADHD.…”

Application of metacognitive strategies in the development of emotional and motivational self-regulation of students with special educational needs. Research on children with ADHD

“…Children with ADHD are more likely to choose an immediate lower gain than a larger one that must be waited for, because they have poor impulse control [12]. It may also be associated with difficulty in predicting one's own emotional reactions [13]. The child does not have access to a potential repertoire of behaviors, as if strong emotions block cognitive abilities.…”