ADHD in Adolescents (Middle and High School)

Two novel CBTs for adolescents with ADHD: the value of planning skills

“…For inclusion in the study, adolescents had to meet the following criteria: (1) a prior DSM-IV-TR diagnosis of ADHD [28] by a child psychiatrist or certified psychologist, (2) a confirmed ADHD diagnosis on the ADHD sections of the diagnostic interview schedule for children for DSM-IV parent version (DISC-IV) [29]. The DISC-IV is a structured diagnostic interview based on DSM-IV, which establishes ADHD group membership based on a diagnostic algorithm, including a check for the presence of cross-situational impairment, (3) between 12 and 17 years old, (4) attending secondary school, (5) sufficient understanding of the Dutch language (adolescents and parents), (6) a full scale IQ (FSIQ) >80 measured by the short version of the Dutch Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-III) [30], (7) in case the adolescent already received pharmacological treatment for ADHD, it had to be stable for 4 weeks prior to pre-testing. Adolescents were requested not to change medication status and dose between pre-and post-assessment.…”

“…whenever the adolescent was not motivated enough to finish a session, MI was conducted by discussing pros and cons of treatment until the adolescent indicated to have enough motivation for the treatment to continue, (7) in the attitude of the therapist: therapists were learned to use MI by emphasizing the autonomy of the adolescent, collaborate with them rather than taking an expert role, evoke and elicit reasons and concerns about change instead of imparting advise and, finally, to show empathy in a MI manner [51]. A final similarity between both treatments was that adolescents could earn a reward, which they got from their parents (e.g., doing an activity with their friends or family, choosing desert for a week or getting a present), when they attended all treatment sessions.…”

“…In addition, increasing motivational deficits in adolescence [6] put a challenge on tasks with delayed reinforcement, such as paying attention in class or completing homework assignments. Therefore, it is not surprising that adolescents with ADHD are more likely to demonstrate more disruptive classroom behavior, show lower academic and occupational achievement, have higher suspension rates, drop out of school and have lower high school graduation rates than their typically developing peers [7]. Next to these academic problems, adolescents with ADHD show comorbid disorders that persist into adulthood with the most prevalent being oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), anxiety and mood disorders [2,3,8].…”