Abstract
Two important domains that can be impaired in adolescents with ADHD are organization and social functioning; however, the development of interventions to target these areas in adolescents is in the early stages. Currently, small efficacy trials are beginning to be used to conduct preliminary tests on the proposed mechanisms of action for these interventions. These two studies examined the efficacy of organization and social functioning interventions for adolescents with ADHD, as well as the potential mechanisms of action for each intervention. Results from the organization intervention provide support for a significant relationship between performance on the organization checklist and overall GPA; however, there was no meaningful pattern of relationships between achieving mastery of the organization tasks and grades within quarter. Further, results from the social functioning intervention support a moderate relationship between performance on process measures of response to the intervention and outcome measures of social functioning. Results of this study provide implications for modifications to the measures and intervention procedures in future research.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abikoff, H. B., Nissley-Tsiopinis, J., Gallagher, R., Zambenedetti, M., Seyffert, M., Boorady, R., et al. (2009). Effects of MPH-OROS on the organizational, time management, and planning behaviors of children with ADHD. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 48(2), 166–175.
American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (Revised ed.). Washington, DC.
Bagwell, C., Molina, B. S. G., Pelham, W. E., & Hoza, B. (2001). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and problems in peer relations: Predictions from childhood to adolescence. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 40, 1285–1293.
Barkley, R. A. (1998). Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: A handbook for diagnosis and treatment (2nd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.
Barkley, R. A., Edwards, G., Laneri, M., Fletcher, K., & Metevia, L. (2001). The efficacy of problem-solving communication training alone, behavior management training alone, and their combination for parent–adolescent conflict in teenagers with ADHD and ODD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 69, 926–941.
Barkley, R. A., Fischer, M., Edelbrock, C. S., & Smallish, L. (1990). The adolescent outcome of hyperactive children diagnosed by research criteria: I. An 8-year prospective follow-up study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 546–557.
Becker, B. J. (1988). Synthesizing standardized mean-change measures. British Journal of Mathematical and Statistical Psychology, 41, 257–278.
Blachman, D., & Hinshaw, S. (2002). Patterns of friendship in girls with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 30, 625–640.
Evans, S. W., Allen, J., Moore, S., & Strauss, V. (2005). Measuring symptoms and functioning of youth with ADHD in middle schools. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 33, 695–706.
Evans, S. W., Schultz, B., DeMars, C., & Davis, H. (in press). Effectiveness of the challenging horizons after-school program for young adolescents with ADHD. Behavior Therapy.
Evans, S. W., Schultz, B. K., Sadler, J., & Brady, C. (2010). Psychosocial and educational school based interventions for high school students with ADHD. In S. Evans (Chair), Providing evidence-based interventions in secondary schools. Symposium presented at the 44th annual meeting of the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies, San Francisco, CA.
Evans, S. W., Schultz, B. K., White, C., Brady, C., Sibley, M. H., & Van Eck, K. (2009). A school-based organization intervention for young adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. School Mental Health, 1, 78–88.
Evans, S. W., Serpell, Z. N., Schultz, B., & Pastor, D. (2007). Cumulative benefits of secondary school-based treatment of students with ADHD. School Psychology Review, 36, 256–273.
Fabiano, G. A., Pelham, W. E., Waschbusch, D. A., Gnagy, E. M., Lahey, B. B., Chronis, A. M., et al. (2006). A practical measure of impairment: Psychometric properties of the impairment rating scale in samples of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and two school-based samples. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 35, 369–385.
Field, A. (2005). Discovering statistics using SPSS (2nd ed.). London: Sage.
Flanagan, D., Alfonso, V., Primavera, L., Povall, L., & Higgins, D. (1996). Convergent validity of the BASC and SSRS: Implications for social skills assessment. Psychology in the Schools, 33, 13–23.
Gresham, F. M., Cook, C. R., Collins, T., Dart, E., Rasetshwane, K., Truelson, E., et al. (2010). Developing a change-sensitive brief behavior rating scale as a progress monitoring tool for social behavior: An example using the social skills rating system—teacher form. School Psychology Review, 39, 364–379.
Gresham, F. M., & Elliott, S. N. (1990). Social skills rating system. Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Kaufman, J., Birmaher, B., Brent, D., Rao, U., Flynn, C., Moreci, P., et al. (1997). Schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia for school-age children-present and life time version (K-SADS-PL): Initial reliability and validity data. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 36, 980–988.
Kaufman, A. S., & Kaufman, N. L. (2004). Kaufman brief intelligence test (2nd ed.). Circle Pines, MN: American Guidance Service.
Kazdin, A. E., & Nock, M. K. (2003). Delineating mechanisms of change in child and adolescent therapy: Methodological issues and research recommendations. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 44, 1116–1129.
Langberg, J., Epstein, J. N., Girio, E. L., Becker, S. P., Vaughn, A. J., & Altaye, M. (2011). Materials organization, planning, and homework completion in young adolescents with ADHD: Impact on academic performance. School Mental Health, 3, 93–101.
Leckman, J. F., Sholomskas, D., Thompson, W. D., Belanger, A., & Weissman, M. M. (1982). Best estimate of lifetime psychiatric diagnosis: A methodological study. Archives of General Psychiatry, 39, 879–883.
Lipsey, M. W. (1990). Design sensitivity: Statistical power for experimental research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Lipsey, M. W., & Wilson, D. B. (2001). Practical meta-analysis. Applied social research methods series. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
Lorch, E. P., Milich, R., Astrin, C. C., & Berthiaume, K. S. (2006). Cognitive engagement and story comprehension in typically developing children and children with ADHD from preschool through elementary school. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1206–1219.
Marshal, M. P., Molina, B. S. G., & Pelham, W. E. (2003). Childhood ADHD and adolescent substance use: An examination of deviant peer group affiliation as a risk factor. Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, 17, 293–302.
Nock, M. K. (2007). Conceptual and design essentials for evaluating mechanisms of change. Alcoholism, Clinical and Experimental Research, 31, 4S–12S.
Owens, J. S., & Hoza, B. (2003). Diagnostic utility of DSM-IV-TR symptoms in the prediction of DSM-IV-TR ADHD subtypes and ODD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 7, 11–27.
Pelham, W. E., Gnagy, E. M., Greenslade, K. E., & Milich, R. (1992). Teacher ratings of DSM-III-R symptoms for the disruptive behavior disorders. Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 31, 210–218.
Schultz, B. K., Evans, S. W., & Serpell, Z. N. (2009). Preventing failure among middle school students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A survival analysis. School Psychology Review, 38, 14–27.
Sibley, M., Evans, S. W., & Serpell, Z. N. (2010). Social cognition and interpersonal impairment in young adolescents with ADHD. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 32, 193–202.
Sibley, M. H., Pelham, W. E., Evans, S. W., Gnagy, E. M., Ross, J. M., & Greiner, A. R. (in press). Evaluation of a summer treatment program for adolescents with ADHD. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice.
The Psychological Corporation. (2001). Wechsler individual achievement test (2nd ed.). San Antonio: Harcourt Brace & Company.
Zentall, S. S., Harper, G. W., & Stormont-Spurgin, M. (1993). Children with hyperactivity and their organizational abilities. Journal of Educational Research, 87, 112–117.
Acknowledgments
Funding for this research was provided by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (R34 MH074713) to the second author (SWE) and support from the Alvin V. Baird Attention and Learning Disabilities Center at James Madison University.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sadler, J.M., Evans, S.W., Schultz, B.K. et al. Potential Mechanisms of Action in the Treatment of Social Impairment and Disorganization in Adolescents with ADHD. School Mental Health 3, 156–168 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-011-9058-5
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-011-9058-5