Adapting the Summer Treatment Program Components to Engage and Treat Male Caregivers of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Abstract

Background: The Summer Treatment Program (STP) includes an emphasis on teaching children sports skills and it embeds effective contingency management within recreational sports activities. It also includes a weekly parent training group. Due to clinical observations of infrequent male caregiver attendance in STP parent training group meetings, the clinical team developed the Coaching Our Acting-Out Children: Heightening Essential Skills (COACHES) program.

Objective: Describe the evolution of the COACHES program and how STP methods informed the approach.

Method: Using a narrative and systematic review approach, the adaptation of the STP procedures to be embedded within a parenting program aimed at supporting male caregivers is described. Treatment outcome studies evaluating the impact of the COACHES program will be identified and described to demonstrate the promise of this approach as a clinical intervention.

Results: Initial program development included pilot testing in the STP, focus group feedback elicited from potential participants, and a series of studies that evaluated the efficacy of the COACHES program. As a stand-alone extension of the STP, the COACHES program demonstrates improvements in caregiver parenting behaviors and child-focused outcomes. Five treatment outcome papers are reviewed.

Conclusions: There is evidence in support of the COACHES program as an effective approach for teaching male caregivers parenting strategies to support children with ADHD. Future directions include continued evaluation of the COACHES program, including extensions to other developmental levels and embedded activities.