Dr. Steven Evans presented at a symposium on “Behavior Analysis and Pharmacotherapy in the Treatment of ADHD: Synergy of Effects” at the Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies annual convention Nov. 20-23 in Philadelphia.
Evans is Professor and Assistant Chair for Graduate Studies in Psychology at Ohio University.
Added Value of Behavioral Therapies for ADHD Treatment in Children and Adolescents
Abstract: The presentations in this symposium focused on the possible synergistic effects of medication and psychosocial treatments. Dr. Evans’ presentation reported the results of a large randomized trial conducted with 326 middle school students with ADHD that was funded by a grant from NIMH to him and Dr. Josh Langberg at Virginia Commonwealth University. The results indicated that there were significant benefits of the school-based treatment program being evaluated (the Challenging Horizons Program) for students with ADHD and these benefits extended for at least one year after treatment ended. Results indicated that medication treatment for ADHD did not provide meaningful benefit to the participants on any of the measured outcomes and did not interact with psychosocial treatments to yield a synergistic effect. These results coupled with the findings from the other presentations in the symposium indicated that there are some additive effects of medication and psychosocial treatment for children with ADHD, but these findings are inconsistent and not adequately understood.
Evans also participated in a Clinical Round Table on “Addressing Functional Impairments in ADHD: Assessment and Treatment Across the Life Span.”
Abstract:The treatment development work that lead to five treatment programs focused on children in the elementary, middle-school, high-school level as well as adults in college and older adults were described. It was expected that participants will learn how to incorporate such interventions in clinical practice or school settings and the challenges in establishing and delivering these interventions. For each intervention, the presenters described impairments targeted; assessments used for selecting patients; treatment methods used; means of delivery for individual patients and, when appropriate, parents, teachers, and significant others; guidelines for establishing interventions in clinical and school settings; and brief summaries of intervention impact. Richard Gallagher served as the moderator and presented on Organizational Skills Training, a clinic-based program for elementary-aged children. Joshua Langberg discussed the middle–school Homework Organization and Planning Intervention. The middle and high school versions of the Challenging Horizons Program were presented by Steven Evans. For college students, Arthur Anastopoulos discussed ACCESS, a CBT group and mentoring program. Finally, at the top developmental stage, Mary Solanto reviewed cognitive behavior therapy for adults addressing executive dysfunction. The life-span perspective helped participants understand ways to address the chronic nature of ADHD while reducing its impact on day-to-day functioning.
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