# A multidisciplinary intervention targeting pragmatic language and maternal flexibility in Egyptian children with oppositional defiant disorder

## TL;DR

This study explores a new intervention for Egyptian children with ODD that improves language skills and maternal flexibility, reducing behavioral issues.

## Contribution

A novel multidisciplinary intervention targeting both pragmatic language and maternal psychological flexibility in children with ODD.

## Key findings

- Children in the intervention group showed significantly higher pragmatic language scores.
- Maternal psychological flexibility improved in the intervention group.
- ODD severity decreased in the intervention group and remained stable after follow-up.

## Abstract

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is a multifaceted behavioral condition with a growing theoretical and empirical foundation regarding its etiology, risk factors, comorbidities, and developmental trajectories. This complexity necessitates integrated management strategies that simultaneously address co-occurring domains, such as child pragmatic language deficits and maternal psychological inflexibility, beyond the scope of conventional interventions like standard Parent Management Training (PMT). This study aims to determine the outcome of an intervention program that targeted pragmatic skills in children with ODD and their mothers’ psychological flexibility.

A sample of 100 children with ODD was recruited from the Child Psychiatry Clinic and assessed for co-occurring pragmatic language disorders using the Egyptian Arabic Pragmatics Language Test (EAPLT). Of these, 60 children exhibiting pragmatic deficits were randomly assigned to either Group I, which received the intervention program, or group II, which did not (30 per Group). Both groups were assessed twice, before and after the application of the intervention program, using EAPLT for children, the Maternal Psychological Flexibility Scale (MPFS) for mothers, and the ODD Scale (parents’ form). A third assessment was conducted as a follow-up after one and a half months to examine the longevity of the outcome.

The participants in Group I, children and their mothers, showed significantly higher total pragmatic scores and maternal psychological flexibility scores than those in Group II. This improvement led to a decrease in the severity of ODD, as indicated by the ODD scale score among participants in Group I. The positive outcome of the intervention program remained evident for up to one and a half months following the completion of the rehabilitation program.

Implementing this intervention program for children who experience comorbidity between language disorders and emotional/behavioral disorders is recommended.