The effect of motor and cognitive games on the social development of children with ADHD: a field-based study

Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often experience difficulties in social interaction. This study explored whether structured motor and cognitive games could support social development in children with ADHD. A quasi-experimental pre–post-test design was used with students diagnosed with ADHD who were attending school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Thirty students were assigned to one of three groups: motor games, cognitive games, or a control group. The intervention was delivered over 12 sessions (two introductory sessions followed by ten sessions over five weeks). Social development was measured before and after the intervention using teacher-rated assessments based on the Vineland Social Maturity Scale. Overall, children showed improvements in social development over time, and the pattern of improvement differed between groups. However, differences between the groups were not statistically significant in follow-up comparisons. From a practical perspective, both motor and cognitive game-based activities showed potential to support social development, with no clear advantage of one approach over the other. These findings should be considered preliminary and interpreted with caution.