The overall goal of our research is to introduce into a new context, the primary care pediatric office, an effective parent training program to diminish behavioral symptoms in young preschool children at risk for later diagnoses of Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Our focus is upon the early identification and treatment of pre-ADHD symptoms in very young children. This application is to support the development and conduct of a pilot/feasibility study of the procedures that will be followed in the subsequent multi-site randomized controlled trial. We will target young children who display symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention but who have not received or been referred for a diagnostic workup. These symptoms will be elicited in routine screening at the 2 year-old well-child visit to the pediatrician. Parents who report pre-ADHD symptoms will participate in one of three groups by random assignment: (1) standard pediatric care; (2) a group that receives information about parenting strategies in the form of a parenting workbook (information only); and (3) a group that receives the same information as the previous group and also meets for a 15 week parent training program (intervention). The first two groups are designed to approximate the range of responses typical of primary care pediatricians when a parent reports pre-ADHD symptoms in a preschool child. The outcome of this development project will be a standardized screening and intervention protocol designed specifically for use in the setting of a pediatric primary care office with 2 year-old children displaying early symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity, and inattention. Innovative features of this protocol include: 1) transporting an effective parent training program into a pediatric office setting; 2) utilizing a screening model instead of a referral based system; and 3) targeting young preschool children who exhibit early symptoms but who have not been diagnosed as having Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.
| McMenamy, Jannette; Sheldrick, R Christopher; Perrin, Ellen C (2011) Early intervention in pediatrics offices for emerging disruptive behavior in toddlers. J Pediatr Health Care 25:77-86 |
