Evidence-Based Psychosocial Treatments for Children and Adolescents With Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to update the series of articles on evidence-based treatment for children and adolescents with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder that have appeared in this journal (Evans, Owens & Bunford, 2014; Pelham & Fabiano, 2008; Pelham, Wheeler, & Chronis, 1998). We completed a systematic review of the literature published between 2012 and 2016 to establish levels of evidence for psychosocial treatments for these youth. We identified articles using criteria established by the Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology using keyword searches of abstracts and titles. Articles were classified according to a modified version of the Division 12 task force guidelines that was used in other reviews in this series. The results revealed that findings are becoming increasingly nuanced with variations in levels of evidence related to ages of the children and characteristics of the specific treatment. In addition, we focused our critique on generalization of treatment effects across settings and time and on sample diversity (with regard to ethnicity and levels of parent education) in relation to the population. Children of parents with higher levels of education than average appear to be overrepresented in the literature. Implications for future treatment development and evaluation and for dissemination research are discussed.