Avaliação da eficácia do programa de intervenção Pay Attention! no treinamento da atenção em crianças diagnosticadas com TDAH

Abstract

This study is the result of a project for the Professional Master's Degree in Health Psychology. It is linked to the Human Development and Educational Practices in Health research line at the Multidisciplinary Health Institute of the Federal University of Bahia. Neuropsychological studies contribute significantly to clinical work and specialized mental health care. ADHD manifests itself through alterations in the neural circuitry of the prefrontal cortex. From the neuropsychological point of view, ADHD is evidenced by alternating neuronal circuits associated with the symptoms described above. Impairment is observed in the prefrontal cortex and, consequently, in the Executive Functions (EFs) - cognitive skills responsible for planning and performing tasks. Impairments in the EFs primarily involve sustained attention, working memory, planning, organization, and social behavior. In Brazil, the number of studies focused on attentional program interventions for children with ADHD is low, which contributes to the increased use of medication without consistent neurofunctional gains. The lack of studies on cognitive stimulation in children with ADHD contributes to increased medication use without consistent neurofunctional gains. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of the Pay Attention! Program in reducing attention deficits in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in the city of Vitória da Conquista - BA. The study design was quasi-experimental with the comparison of groups between pre and post-test. A comparison was made between two groups: children diagnosed with ADHD and submitted to the attentional intervention program Pay Attention! and children diagnosed with ADHD who did not receive the intervention. Twenty children aged 6 to 10 years (M=8.37) participated in the study, 11 children in the experimental group (EG) and 09 children in the control group (CG). After the Normality Test (Shapiro-Wilk Test), the non-parametrics Wilcoxon test and Mann Whitney test was used and the effect size r, was measured by Cohen's d. In the data analysis, outliers were identified in the EG and, for analysis purposes, the respective children were removed from the database. The results suggested significant changes in auditory attention measures for the group submitted to the intervention, improvement in clinical symptoms, and reading performance. Considering the results presented, the study demonstrates that the attention intervention program Pay Attention! has clinically significant effects on children with ADHD. In addition to the results regarding the effect of the program investigated, the dissertation consists of two Technical and Technological Products – TTP’s intending to disseminate ways of stimulating attention for children with ADHD. The TTPs developed are a 40-page Technical Manual on Cognitive Stimulation for professionals and those responsible for children with ADHD, published electronically, and the other was a training course for undergraduate and postgraduate students and professionals in the fields of education and health on cognitive stimulation for children with ADHD.