Academic Skills Groups for Middle School Children With ADHD in the Outpatient Mental Health Setting: An Open Trial

Abstract

Objective To conduct an open trial assessing the initial efficacy of an intervention focusing on increasing skills related to academic performance (planning, organization, studying, homework behaviors) for middle-school children diagnosed with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The intervention is modeled on evidence-based interventions but designed for administration in the outpatient setting. Method Parents and their children diagnosed with ADHD attended 7 weekly group sessions targeting academic, organizational, and homework skills. Parents completed the Homework Problem Checklist and Impairment Rating Scale pre- and post-treatment. Results Following intervention, significant improvements in homework completion and management, as well as reductions in academic impairment and improvements in parent confidence and family relations were reported. Conclusion Despite limitations including small sample size and lack of a control group, our results demonstrate initial efficacy of an academic skills intervention designed for use in the outpatient setting with middle-school children diagnosed with ADHD on clinically relevant outcome measures.

Transtorno do déficit de atenção com hiperatividade e desempenho acadêmico:

“…No estudo número 9 (Ciesielski et al, 2019), após 7 intervenções, mesmo com redução do número de participantes ao final, os autores concluem que a modalidade terapêutica foi importante, pois deixou claras as possibilidades de ganho acadêmico sem medicalização, visto que isso tem sido frequente em crianças com TDAH.…”

A Clinician's Guide to Co-occurring ADHD Among Adolescent Substance Users: Comorbidity, Neurodevelopmental Risk, and Evidence-Based Treatment Options

“…In contrast, TIs induce change primarily by improving the skill set of the child. TIs include social skills training programs, which have been tested in various formats for decades but are not generally successful for ADHD youth (Evans et al, 2014), and an emerging roster of academic skills training programs (e.g., Abikoff et al, 2013; Ciesielski, Tamm, Vaughn, Cyran, & Epstein, 2015). Academic TIs, which impart both general organization skills and specific academic skills (e.g., note taking, school materials organization, homework planning), are now well-established for children with ADHD and considered highly promising for teens as well (see Evans et al, 2016; Evans, Schultz, DeMars, & Davis, 2011; Langberg et al, 2012).…”