Development of a Family-School Intervention for Young Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

Although numerous studies have evaluated the effectiveness of multi-modal psychosocial interventions for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, these programs are limited in that there has not beeti an explicit focus on the connection between fatnily and school. This study was designed to develop and pilot test a family-school ititervention, Family-School Success-Early Elementary (FSS-EE), for kindergarten and first-grade studetits with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Key components of FSS-EE were family-school behavioral consultatioti, daily report cards, and strategies to improve parent-child relationships atid family involvement in educatioti. FSS-EE was developed using a multistep iterative process. The piloted version consisted of 12 weekly sessions including 6 group meetings, 4 individualized family sessions, and 2 school-based consultations. Families participating in the study were given the choice of placing their childreti on medication; 25% of children were on medication at the time of random assignmetit. Childreti (n = 61) were randomly assigned to FSS-EE or a comparison group controlling for nonspecific treatment effects. Outcomes were assessed at post interventioti and 2-month follow-up. Study findings indicated that FSS-EE was feasible to implement and acceptable to paretits atid teachers. In addition, the findings provided preliminary evidence that FSS-EE is effective in improving parenting practices, child behavior at school, and the student-teacher relationship.

Figure 1

Flowchart of participation from screening to the 2-month follow-up assessment. FSS-EE = Family-School Success—Early Elementary; CARE = Coping with ADHD through Relationships and Education; F = families completing measures; T = teachers completing measures.

Figure 2

Illustration of STRS teacher ratings at follow-up. There were significant differences within the FSS-EE group for children who received follow-up with the same teacher as opposed to those who were followed the next year (with a different teacher). Seasonal effect at follow-up was not significant for children in the CARE group. STRS = Student-Teacher Relationship Scale; FSS-EE = Family-School Success—Early Elementary; CARE = Coping with ADHD through Relationships and Education.