Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a phenomenon studied in many countries. It is characterized by symptoms like inattentiveness, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It happens in infancy but can persist until adult age. This behavioral disorder causes prejudice in the academical, social, and occupational areas. It reduces self-esteem, can lead to delinquency, to the use of drugs and alcohol. It generates stressful familial relationship and it has a high social and financial impact on the family. Its diagnosis is made by using clinical criteria of DSM IV and its treatment combines pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy. Considering that ADHD is a behavioral disorder related to the development of self-control and also considering that previous studies suggest self-control can be acquired in training conditions, it becomes relevant to make applied research using behavior analytic principles to minimize prejudice and to contribute for a better quality of life of people affected by ADHD. The objective of this study was to verify the efficacy of the use of differential reinforcement of other behaviors (DRO) and of reinforcement delay on the installation and/or increase of self-control behaviors in 9-year-old boy with diagnostic of ADHD and on medication. The participant was submitted to the procedure of self-control training. He performed tasks during which, if his behavior was as previously programmed, he received tokens. At final of every session he traded tokens in for toys. He could choose accumulate more tokens to trade them in later for more valuable toys. The procedure was divided in 7 stages: (1) Interview with a neuropediatric; (2) Analysis of psychological report and convocation; (3) Initial interview with responsibles for child; (4) Visit to the school and interview with teachers; (5) Sessions of direct observation (baseline, habituation to instructions, installation, maintenance, fading and stability evaluation); (6) Follow-up; and (7) Last session. Eighteen sessions of direct observation have been proceeded. These sessions were recorded and their transcriptions were sorted according to categorical system of relevant behaviors to analysis. Results were
analyzed through the comparison between interviews, results of standard instruments and classificatory categories extracted from directly observed behaviors. Self-control behaviors were increased and generalization these repertories to others contexts was observed, during sessions and at the childs house, according to description of parents and teacher, and direct observation record of therapist-researcher. It was observed that using DRO schedule with limited hold can help to increase self-control behavior and produce positive generalization of this behavior to new environments in a child with ADHD.
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