The After-School Treatment Program: A School-Based Adaptation of the Summer Treatment Program

Abstract

ABSTRACT Background Intensive treatments, such as the Summer Treatment Program (STP), were developed to target functional impairments of children with ADHD; however, the STP is limited in that it occurs only in the summer, and families often wish to extend the gains made into the academic year. Implementing treatment in the afterschool setting may reduce logistical barriers for families, as the treatment is embedded within the school which the child attends precluding the need to find time and funds to travel. These programs may be especially important for Latino/Hispanic youth, where both practical and cultural barriers may interfere with obtaining treatment. Objective The goals of the current study were to highlight the components of the STP that were translated to an afterschool treatment program, present the demographics of children served by the program, and include preliminary data based on child- and parent-report. Method The After-school Treatment Program (ATP) was developed in consultation with community stakeholders (e.g. school administrators, teachers) to translate components of the STP to a school-based after-school setting to help ameliorate the mental health gap of children in an elementary school in South Florida. Various components of the ATP were translated from the STP. Many components (e.g., parent training, monitoring treatment progress) were modified in consultation with community stakeholders. Feedback from both children and parents was obtained on how they liked the various components of the program. Results Overall, parents found the program to be helpful in teaching them how to set rules, and children enjoyed the various components and felt welcome at the program. Conclusions Lessons learned include working with community stakeholders to adjust programs, and using a tiered intervention system in school to identify students that have more intensive needs and may require additional assistance in the after-school setting.