Objective: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in childhood associated with deficits in cognitive functioning, including cognitive impairment and spatial working memory. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of play therapy and story therapy on cognitive impairment and spatial working memory in children with ADHD.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study used a pre-test, post-test, and two-month follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included male elementary school students with ADHD in Tabriz during the 2024 academic year. Sixty participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups (two experimental groups and one control group). The first experimental group received cognitive-behavioral play therapy, and the second received executive function-based story therapy (8 sessions of 60 minutes each). The control group was placed on a waiting list. Data were collected using the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire and the Corsi Block-Tapping Test and analyzed using mixed repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests in SPSS 26.
Results: Both interventions significantly reduced cognitive impairment and improved spatial working memory (P < 0.001). No significant difference was found between play therapy and story therapy, and their effects remained stable at the two-month follow-up.
Conclusions: Play therapy and story therapy are equally effective non-pharmacological interventions for improving cognitive functioning in children with ADHD.