Category: ADHD - Child
Melissa Dvorsky, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Children’s National Health System
Washington, District of Columbia
Lauren Haack, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Michael C. Meinzer, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
University of Illinois at Chicago
Chicago, Illinois
Melissa Dvorsky, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
Children’s National Health System
Washington, District of Columbia
Linda Pfiffner, Ph.D.
Professor
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Lauren Haack, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
University of California San Francisco
San Francisco, California
Evidence-based psychosocial interventions including behavior parent training, organizational skills training, and classroom behavior management are well-established for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated impairments (Evans et al., 2018). These interventions involve promoting compensatory skills (e.g., parent management strategies, organizational skills) and engaging adults in contingency management at the point-of-performance (i.e., immediate reinforcement). Despite compelling outcomes from numerous intervention trials, short-term treatment gains often lack generalizability and sustainability (Chacko et al., 2016; Fabiano et al., 2009). Difficulties with parent adherence and inadequate child/adolescent engagement to these well-validated interventions contribute to these limited effects (e.g., Chacko et al., 2013; Haack et al., 2017; Sibley et al., 2022). Moreover, access to and uptake of these interventions continue to be limited globally (Haack et al., 2021).
Technology offers unprecedented opportunities for improving families’ access to and engagement in interventions that work on a large scale. Technology-enhanced interventions have the potential to increase treatment adherence, the generalizability of skills, and sustainability of strategies (Lindhiem et al., 2015), thereby boosting the effectiveness of treatment across settings and ultimately reducing time/cost of care (Schueller et al., 2018). Technology also has great potential for optimizing implementation, fidelity, and training to improve uptake and accessibility of evidence-based practices across settings.
This symposium will present three novel applications of technology across developmental periods, intervention modalities, and settings to promote cross-fertilization of promising approaches for leveraging technology to optimize interventions for ADHD. Technology applications for direct intervention and for clinician training will be presented. Empirical frameworks from implementation science, behavioral economics, and digital health guided these technology augmentations as well as critical stakeholder input, pilot work, and iterative refinement (Hamilton & Finley, 2019). We will present 1) lessons learned, 2) mixed-method results from efforts to define, design, and refine the digital intervention strategies for ADHD, and 3) feasibility trial results.
Findings across studies emphasize the importance of elevating stakeholder input during development. Findings reveal common as well as unique barriers and facilitators for digital interventions and training tools across developmental age, intervention modality, stakeholders, and settings. Acceptability, ease of use, and perceived need among end-users are important considerations for the successful uptake of digital intervention strategies. Together these innovative approaches provide evidence of the usability and feasibility of technology-enhanced intervention strategies for ADHD. Addressing specific challenges associated with implementing technology with adolescents with ADHD and strategies to engage in school settings will also be emphasized.
Presenter: Melissa R. Dvorsky, Ph.D. – Children’s National Health System
Co-author: Randi Streisand, PhD – Children's National/George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Co-author: Amanda H. Steinberg, B.S. – Children's National Hospital
Co-author: Andrea M. Chronis-Tuscano, Ph.D – UMD
Co-author: Linda J. Pfiffner, Ph.D. – University of California San Francisco
Presenter: Linda J. Pfiffner, Ph.D. – University of California San Francisco
Co-author: Melissa R. Dvorsky, Ph.D. – Children’s National Health System
Co-author: Elizabeth Hawkey, PhD – University of California, San Francisco
Co-author: Lauren M. Haack, Ph.D. – University of California San Francisco
Co-author: Sara Chung, PhD – University of California, San Francisco
Co-author: Liz Owens, PhD – University of California, San Francisco
Co-author: Aya Williams, PhD – University of California, San Francisco
Co-author: Emma Huston, BS – University of California, San Francisco
Co-author: Jasmine Lai, BS – University of California, San Francisco
Presenter: Lauren M. Haack, Ph.D. – University of California San Francisco
Co-author: Jasmine Lai, BS – University of California, San Francisco
Co-author: María Fernanda Arriaga Guerrero, Psic. – Autonomous University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Maria Elena Urquidez Valdez, PhD – University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Dulce Karely Alcaraz Beltrán, Lic. – University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Evelyn Clarissa Zúñiga Rivera, MC – University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Dulce Maria Ledesma Saldaña, Profa. – University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Korinthya Delgado García, Profa. – University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Elva Moreno Candil, Profa. – University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Jassiel Ulises Martinez Beltran, RC – University of Sinaloa
Co-author: Eva A. Araujo, PhD – University of Sinaloa