The Effects of School-Based Interventions for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analysis 1996–2010

The authors thank Elizabeth A. Koenig (Syracuse University) for her assistance with the literature search and coding of studies.

Abstract.

A meta-analysis evaluating the effects of school-based interventions for students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder was conducted by examining 60 outcome studies between 1996 and 2010 that yielded 85 effect sizes. Separate analyses were performed for studies employing between-subjects, within-subjects, and single-subject experimental designs. The overall mean effect sizes for dependent measures of behavior were positive and significant for within-subjects (0.72) and single-subject (2.20) designs, but not for between-subjects (0.18) designs. Mean effect sizes for academic outcomes were positive but not significant for between-subjects (0.43) and within-subjects (0.42) design studies, but were positive and significant for single-subject (3.48) design studies. Contingency management, academic intervention, and cognitive-behavioral intervention strategies were all associated with positive effects for academic and behavioral outcomes. Other moderators (e.g., school setting, publication status) are discussed along with implications for school-based management of students with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and future treatment studies for this population.

Notes

* Article used in the meta-analysis.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

George J. DuPaul

George J. DuPaul, PhD, is a professor of school psychology and chair of the Department of Education and Human Services at Lehigh University. His research interests include assessment and treatment of ADHD in school settings, early intervention for young children at risk for ADHD, and assessment and treatment of college students with ADHD.

Tanya L. Eckert

Tanya L. Eckert received her PhD in school psychology from Lehigh University in 1996 and is an associate professor of psychology at Syracuse University. Her research interests include examining procedures for assessing academic and behavioral problems, developing classroom-based interventions, and measuring the acceptability of assessment and intervention procedures.

Brigid Vilardo

Brigid Vilardo, MEd, is a school psychology doctoral student at Lehigh University. She is completing her predoctoral internship at Munroe-Meyer Institute in Omaha, Nebraska, and expects to graduate from Lehigh in May 2013. Her interests include working with families of children with behavioral concerns, including ADHD, and coordinating care between home, school, and health care settings.