About Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
What does it look like?
How common is it?
What causes it?
How long does it last?
What treatments are effective?
A review of the evidence
What's new?
Resources
A review of the evidence
The effectiveness of integrated home and school treatment in ADD
Pfiffner LJ, Mikami AY, Huang-Pollock C, Easterlin B, Zalecki C, McBurnett K.
The Bottom Line:
There has been little research done on the most effective treatment for children with attention deficit disorder without hyperactivity or impulsivity. This study showed that a treatment program that provided training to parents, teachers, and children was effective in improving attention, social and organizational skills. The effects of the study were still present at follow up, but they were not as strong as they had been at the end of the study.
|
What problem is being addressed?
A great deal of research has been done on the best treatments for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, a disorder in which there are symptoms both of attention problems and hyperactive and acting out behaviour. One subtype of AD/HD is characterized by fewer acting out behaviours, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. The children still have symptoms of inattention, slowed down thinking, social skills deficits, and problems getting organized, motivated to learn, or persist in tasks. Their condition is called Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD). There has been little research into the best treatments for them.
What intervention is being tested?
The intervention, called the Child Life and Attention Skills (CLAS) Program, was designed especially for children with ADD. The program consisted of parent, teacher, and child components that all used the same basic tools. The parents and teachers learned how to meet each child’s academic and social learning needs by modifying their environment They were taught how to reward the child appropriately and to correct them as necessary. The children were taught social skills like how to make friends and get along with others. They were also taught techniques to get organized, finish assignments, and to reduce their daydreaming and inattention. The children were given gold stars (tokens) when they used their new skills at home or school and then exchanged them for rewards at their group sessions.
What is the real scientific evidence?
This was a randomized controlled trial (RCT) of a behavioural treatment for children with ADD that was used both at home and school. The children and their families were randomly assigned to receive either the CLAS program or to be on the waiting list, or receive usual care. Parents, children, and teachers all received separate but related training components. Parents and teachers filled out rating scales that accurately measure level of inattention, social skills, life skills, and the severity of slow thinking among the children. The children who received the treatment instead of being on the waiting list or receiving treatment as usual, did much better in their attention problems, organizational and social skills. Most of the improvement was maintained at follow up but to a lesser degree than at the end of the study.
The preceding is a summary of:
Pfiffner LJ, Mikami AY, Huang-Pollock C, Easterlin B, Zalecki C, McBurnett K. A randomized, controlled trial of integrated home-school behavioral treatment for ADHD, predominantly inattentive type. Journal of the Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 2007; 46(8): 1041-1050.
^top
