43 Impact of a Virtual Behavioural Support Intervention on improving behaviour, mental health, and Academic Engagement and Motivation for children with ADHD and their families: a Pilot Study

Abstract

Abstract Background Children with ADHD struggle with their academic achievement, well-being, and social functioning. COVID-19 restrictions negatively impacted families of children with ADHD and limited their access to services. This led to the creation of the online ADHD-VIBES program (VIrtual BEhavioural Support Intervention for Children with ADHD). Objectives To determine the efficacy of the ADHD-VIBES program to support families of children with ADHD in behavioural, mental health, academic motivation, and engagement challenges. Design/Methods The ADHD-VIBES program was an online program created to support children with ADHD and their families. It consisted of separate parent and child sessions (1-hour each) for six weeks, targeting the development of self-regulation, positive thinking, communication, problem-solving and executive function skills. To our knowledge, there was no other online program offering the same program content during the pandemic. All children met the following criteria: confirmed ADHD based diagnosis of child on parent ratings on Conners-3 Rating Scale (T-score > 65); IQ score > 80 on the WASI-II abbreviated; and access to technology to join virtual groups. Parents completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-3) and the Parenting Stress Index (PSI-4-SF) questionnaires. Children completed the BASC-3, the Executive Skills Questionnaire (ESQ), and the Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES). All questionnaires were completed at three different time-points: pre-intervention, post-intervention, and two-months after intervention. A survey was completed at the end of the intervention to determine level of satisfaction of parents towards the ADHD-VIBES. Results A total of 12 boys between the ages of 8 to 11 years old (M = 9.62, SD = 0.94), and their caregivers, took part in this program (summer 2021). On the BASC-3, parents reported significantly lower levels of depression and anxiety (F:5.65, p=.016; F:6.21, p=.012) after completion of the ADHD-VIBES program. No significant difference was reported by the children on the BASC-3. On the PSI-4-SF, there was no statistical difference observed (parental distress p=0.244). Improvement associated with executive skills (ESQ) were noticed related to Planning/Preparation (F:4.86, p=.019), Time Management (F:7.08, p=.005) and Goal Directed Persistence (F:5.71, p=.011). On the MES, negative Motivation subscales scores demonstrated a decrease in raw scores (T1=40.78; T2=35.75; T3=30.98; p=.103). Finally, all parents (100%) were satisfied/very satisfied with the ADHD-VIBES intervention. Conclusion The ADHD-VIBES online intervention showed promising improvement on some behavioural issues, and executive function skills. However, future randomized controlled studies with a larger sample size are required to better understand the impact of the intervention for children with ADHD and their parents.