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Practise friendship without pressure

Very low certaintyADHD evidence

Pick one social situation your child wants help with; keep expectations realistic.

Start with the time you have

1 minute

Try one gentle question: 'Is there a friendship situation you want help with?'

How sure the science is

Very low certainty, ADHD evidence

  • We barely know.
  • Small or short trials, and people knew what they were getting.
  • The true effect could be much smaller, or zero.
  • Measured in people with ADHD.
  • 5 trials
  • 270 people
  • children and teens
  • about 12 weeks
  • measured on social-communication skills

EBI re-estimation of youth social skills trials; practical rehearsal is an extrapolation, not a tested substitute for a programme.

The number, drawn

0.250.02 to 0.48youth social-communication skills after full social skills programmesvs passive controls, including waitlist; 5 trials, 270 people. Gosling et al., BMJ accompanying open data, 20250.2 is a small effect, 0.5 medium, 0.8 large. The bar is the 95% confidence interval.

Why it matters

  • NHS guidance suggests rehearsing conversations through role-play and supporting friendships.
  • EBI found only a small short-term effect on social communication from social skills training near 12 weeks, SMD 0.253, with very low certainty.
  • The medium-term estimate came from 2 small trials and was too uncertain to show an effect.
  • A brief rehearsal at home has not been shown to deliver what the programme did.

How to do it

  1. Ask your child which social situation they'd like help with.
  2. Rehearse one simple exchange together, like joining a game or asking a question.
  3. Look for enjoyment and your child's own goals, not a change of personality.

Do not promise that social skills training will reliably improve ADHD or friendships; the evidence is very uncertain.

Putting it into practice

In real life

  • Practise asking, 'Can I join the next round?' if your child wants to.
  • Take turns asking about a shared interest and listening to the answer.

Watch out for

  • Common mistakePractising without the child's interest can feel corrective, so let them choose the goal.
  • Common mistakeBullying is not a social-skills failure, so involve responsible adults if a child is being targeted.

Trusted guides

How we rated it

Evidence grade
C Small or mixed studies, expert consensus or clinical practice. Worth knowing, not worth betting on.
The number
Very low certainty: small short-term gain in social skills from full programmes (SMD 0.253) (Gosling et al., BMJ accompanying open data, 2025)
Benefit
32/100 An editorial priority for the general list, weighted by certainty. It does not predict what will happen for you.
Effort
Quick win

Sources

See this row on the evidence map

Related things

21SafetyTake talk of suicide seriouslyNot ratedADHD evidence31SafetyAsk about bullying and exclusionNot ratedADHD evidence34Mental healthNotice lasting changes in moodNot ratedgeneral health evidence
Back to the hundred
  • General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan.
  • Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you.
  • Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.