PEER RELATIONSHIP PROBLEMS AND DISRUPTIVE BEHAVIOR DISORDERS

About half of all children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disord er (ADHD) have significant problems with their peer relationships. The se social difficulties appear to be related to a high rate of intrusiv e behavior, deficits in conversation and reciprocity, social-cognitive biases, and poor emotional regulation. Social skills interventions ha ve been advocated to teach children and adolescents how to interact mo re successfully with their peers. To date, few studies have systematic ally evaluated social skills interventions for children with ADHD. How ever, studies with children and adolescents who are disruptive have po inted to serious limitations in the generalization of treatment effect s to the natural environment and questionable changes in peer relation ships as a result of these treatments. These limitations and potential ly useful adjunctive and alternative treatment strategies are discusse d, including careful attention to setting events, the strategic use of peers, and the impact of medications on peer interactions.