Mothers’Perspectives on the Play of Their Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Play,whichisfundamentaltochildren’slives,canbeutilisedtoenrichtheirdailyexperience.However,theavailable knowledgeregardingtheimpactofplayonchildrenwithattentiondeficithyperactivitydisorder(ADHD)islimited.Therefore,this studyisaimedatinvestigatingmothers’perspectivesontheirchildrenwithADHDinKuwaitregardingtheirplaypreferences,the impactofplayonADHDbehaviours,andthestrategiesusedtoregulatetheirchildren’sADHDsymptoms.Methods.Eightmothers ofchildrenagedfivetotenyearsoldwithADHDwererecruitedviapurposivesampling.Theirperspectiveswerequalitatively exploredthroughone-weekdiariesoftheirchildren’sroutinesfollowedbysemistructuredinterviews.Thedatawereanalysed usingthematicanalysis.Results.Fourthemesemerged:(1)playcharacteristicsforchildrenwithADHD,(2)playpreferences,(3) playsettingsandtheirimpactonADHDsymptoms,and(4)mothers’values,understanding,andinfluenceonplay.Children werefoundtospendmostoftheirplaytimeinindoorsettings,largelyplayingvideogames.Themothersacknowledgedthe positiveinfluenceontheirchildrenofoutdoorplayandthedeleteriouseffectofvideogames.However,theyundervaluedthe contributionofplaytotheirchildren’sdevelopment.Theirstrategiesforregulatingthetypesofplaythatdiminishtheir children’sADHDbehaviourswerelesswellunderstood.Theweatherandmothers’otherresponsibilitieswerethemainbarriers. Conclusions.UnderstandingtheplayofchildrenwithADHDrevealedtherequirementformoreopportunitiesfordifferent typesofplay,withmoreconsiderationofthosethatpositivelymanageADHDbehaviours.