School-Based Social Skills Interventions for Youth With ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Psychology
• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Psychology

Background:

• Children and adolescents with ADHD often face social skills deficits in academic settings, impacting their quality of life.
• School-based social skills training is a common recommendation, but its effectiveness lacks comprehensive synthesis.
• Understanding the efficacy of these interventions is crucial for supporting students with ADHD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review and meta-analyze the empirical evidence for stand-alone and multimodal school-based social skills programs for students with ADHD.
• To assess the impact of potential moderating variables on the effectiveness of these interventions.
• To provide evidence-based insights for the development of improved social skills programs.

Main Methods:

• A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted, adhering to Cochrane Foundation and PRISMA guidelines.
• Searched for studies published between 1975 and 2023.
• Included 17 studies with various designs (single-case, within-group, between-group), with 10 contributing to the meta-analysis.

Main Results:

• The review identified studies with small to large individual effect sizes.
• The overall meta-analytic effect size for social skills training in students with ADHD was negligible (ES = 0.09).
• No significant moderation of effects was found based on program approach, intensity, parent involvement, or setting.

Conclusions:

• Current school-based social skills interventions for youth with ADHD demonstrate limited overall efficacy.
• There is a critical need for continued research and development of more effective, tailored social skills programs.
• Refining intervention strategies is essential to better support the social development and quality of life for students with ADHD.