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Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) often have tremendous problems making friends. The children also have a slew of other problems that are usually well known with learning problems in school. A clinical study is trying out a Friendship Clinic for ADHD children and their parents to educate them how to make a friend.

"Children with ADHD often are peer-rejected, and their difficulties multiply as they grow to adulthood," said Amori Yee Mikami, assistant professor of psychology and principal investigator for this new clinical study.

"Children with ADHD often grow up with depression and relationship problems, some may develop criminal behavior and substance abuse problems," Mikami said. "There can be a spiral of failure that is partly the result of not having learned to make and keep friends as children."

There are approximately 5 percent of school-aged children that have ADHD. The disorder makes it difficult to learn because the child often has short attention spans, are poorly organized, and they can talk excessively. They often are described as being disorderly, aggressive, restless and irritable. With each ADHD child, these symptoms can vary in severity.

"These symptoms get in the way of making and keeping friends," Mikami said. "The child with ADHD can become stigmatized, known as ‘the bad kid,' and this can lead to more inappropriate behavior. It can become a vicious cycle resulting in more social isolation."

Currently the standard treatment for ADHD is medication and counseling. There is very little training that treats the child’s social skills to make and keep friends while growing up.

The children that have participated in the Friendship Clinic so far have shown some promising results. Parents and teachers report that these children that have had training have been doing better at making friends, are improved on their behavior, and have become more willing to cooperate with their peers.

"These skills are not easily taught," Mikami said. "Making friends is a proactive process that does not come naturally to children with ADHD. We really have to work closely with the parents and children to set the stage for life-long social skills."

The Friendship Clinic trains parents for 8 weeks at weekly meetings for around 90 minutes at each session. There are 3 one-hour supervised playgroups along with homework assignments for parents and their ADHD children to practice in the real world. This training is mostly for the parents to then become friendship coaches to their children.

"We help the parents build a relationship with their child," Mikami said. "We do some role-playing, where the parent steps into the role of the child, to try to understand the world from the child's point of view."

Parents really liked the training because they also shared similar concerns with other parents with ADHD children at the Friendship Clinic. The parents didn’t feel as isolated with their problem and felt more empowered to help their ADHD child. The skills the parents learn are helping the ADHD child cope well in day to day life with other classmates.