Comparing the Effectiveness of Floortime Play Therapy and Neurocognitive Play Therapy on Memory Function in Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Floortime play therapy and neurocognitive play therapy on working memory performance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control-group design with a two-month follow-up was conducted. The participants included 45 children aged 8–12 years diagnosed with ADHD and referred to counseling clinics in Tehran during the 2025–2026 academic year. Participants were selected purposively and randomly assigned to three groups: Floortime play therapy (n = 15), neurocognitive play therapy (n = 15), and control (n = 15). Memory performance was assessed using the Cornoldi Working Memory Test. The intervention groups received their respective play-based programs, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using mixed-design analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc tests.

Findings: The time × group interaction for memory function was significant, F = 5.78, p < .001, η² = .216, indicating different changes across groups over time. Both Floortime and neurocognitive play therapy groups showed significant improvements compared with the control group. At posttest, memory scores were higher in the Floortime group than the control group (mean difference = 5.94, p = .017) and higher in the neurocognitive play therapy group than the control group (mean difference = 8.52, p < .001). No significant difference was observed between the two intervention groups (p = .622). Improvements remained significant at the two-month follow-up.

Conclusion: Both Floortime play therapy and neurocognitive play therapy effectively improved working memory in children with ADHD, with neither approach demonstrating superiority over the other.