A five-year study of 135 preschool students with symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) found that non-medicinal interventions work effectively to prevent the related behavioral and academic problems in infants.

The study -- the largest of its kind to date -- evaluated early intervention techniques and their ability to decrease aggressiveness and behavior problems, while improving academic and social skills, in children aged three to five.

The interventions, which included individualized programs that emphasized positive support to reinforce behavior at home and school, were highly effective. Specifically, children who received the intervention techniques had:

• A 17-percent decrease in aggression and a 21-percent improvement in social skills at home
• A 28-percent improvement in both categories at school
• Improvements in early literacy skills of up to three times over their baseline status

While medications for ADHD may treat the symptoms, said George DuPaul, professor of school psychology at Lehigh Valley Hospital in Allentown, Pa. and lead author of the study, they do not improve the children’s academic and social skills the way behavioral interventions may.

ADHD, which affects about 7 percent of school-aged children, makes it difficult for children to pay attention and control their behavior. Up to 40 percent of toddlers with ADHD symptoms are suspended from preschool, and 16 percent are actually expelled.

School Psychology Review August 2007 Vol. 36, #2 (Registration Required)

Eurekalert August 21, 2007