Community Participation in the Treatment Development Process Using Community Development Teams

Abstract

Little literature exists about methods for adapting research-based treatments to typical practice settings. This report describes a 2-step process and associated methods used to adapt a school-based treatment program for middle-school youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) that operates in a controlled setting to one that can operate in a typical practice setting. Step 1 included a feasibility study that yielded important findings regarding potential obstacles to successful implementation. These data, along with original treatment manuals and literature on treatments for youth with ADHD, were utilized for Step 2—the Community Development Team (CDT) process. Data collected about the CDT process indicate that its strengths outweigh potential limitations. These methods are discussed in the context of successful collaborative procedures for developing and evaluating research-based treatments in practice settings.