(PS11-B35) Systematic Review of the Quality of Multiple Baseline Studies of Parent Training for Children with ADHD

ADHD-related impairment within the parent-child relationship became particularly evident during the COVID-19 pandemic when abrupt transitions to remote school required parents to assume the role of teacher in addition to that of primary caregiver. Behavioral parent training (BPT) interventions are well-suited to address the needs of families of children with ADHD during times of emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic, yet most families do not access BPT. This may be a result of the discrepancy in recommendations regarding the effect of BPT due to variability in inclusion criteria, with some systematic reviews excluding single-subject design studies. The purpose of this review was to analyze the quality of multiple baseline studies for BPT for children with ADHD according to the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) standards.

This systematic review includes a subset of papers identified through a larger meta-analysis. For this study, papers were required to meet the following inclusion criteria: the efficacy of a BPT intervention was assessed using a multiple baseline design, published in a peer-reviewed journal, participants were diagnosed with ADHD or described as having significant symptoms of ADHD, participants had an IQ of 70 or greater, participants were under the age of 18 years old, published in English. Each eligible paper was evaluated by the following WWC criteria: inter-assessor agreement (IAA) was reported at minimum acceptable values, at least one eligible outcome was reported, the independent variable was manipulated by the researcher, sufficient data points in each phase, all cases had baseline data before the intervention was administered for the first of at least three cases, the data are organized in a way that allows for vertical comparison, training phase data is present if applicable, and case continue to have baseline data at/after the interventions was administered to the preceding case.

Six papers were identified that met inclusion criteria, encompassing 20 children. Most papers reported IAA at minimum acceptable values. Across all papers the independent variable was manipulated by the researcher and eligible outcomes were identified. Most papers included sufficient data points and cases. Training phases were found in two papers and applicable data was collected. Of the six papers reviewed all would be classified as strong evidence.