The STAR Program: A Description and Analysis of a Multifaceted Early Intervention for Young Children with a Diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

This article describes the first 2 years of a comprehensive early intervention program for young children with a diagnosis of ADHD—the “STAR (Summer Treatment and Research) Program.” Following the program rationale and overview, case examples are presented to illustrate the use of various program components and some typical outcomes. In addition to providing a description of the treatment services for the children and their families, we also describe how the program affected clinical training, and the resources needed to create your own programs. Overall, the STAR early intervention program provided multiple benefits for the children and their families, as well as an excellent forum for preparing young professionals to conduct research and provide services for this population of children. Only short-term benefits have been demonstrated so far, so more sophisticated longitudinal research will be needed to evaluate potential long-term benefits associated with the program.

KEYWORDS:

• Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
• clinical training
• early intervention
• functional analysis
• medication evaluation
• parent training
• sports and social skills

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Erratum

This program was funded in part by the National Institute of Mental Health. We sincerely appreciate the dedicated service of the many undergraduate and graduate assistants that contributed to the program. Finally, we acknowledge the brave and hardworking parents and children that allowed us the privilege of working with them.

Notes

∗Papers produced during the STAR program and cited in the body of the present article.