School-Based Interventions for Elementary School Students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Child Psychiatry
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) causes significant academic, social, and behavioral challenges in elementary school children.
• While psychopharmacologic treatments help manage ADHD symptoms, they are often insufficient for improving overall school performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review effective school-based interventions for children with ADHD.
• To identify interventions with the strongest empirical support for enhancing academic and social outcomes.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of school interventions for ADHD.
• Analysis of empirical support for various intervention categories.

Main Results:

• Multiple school interventions, including behavioral strategies, academic interventions, peer interventions, organizational skills training, and self-regulation strategies, are effective for ADHD.
• Classroom behavioral strategies, organizational skills training, and self-regulation strategies demonstrate the strongest empirical support.

Conclusions:

• Medication for ADHD should be supplemented with school-based interventions.
• Collaboration between clinicians and school professionals is crucial for implementing effective interventions.
• Targeting classroom behavior, organization, and self-regulation offers the most robust approach to improving school performance in children with ADHD.