Refinement of an Organizational Skills Intervention for Adolescents with ADHD for Implementation by School Mental Health Providers

School Ment Health. 2011 Sep 1;3(3):143-155. doi: 10.1007/s12310-011-9055-8.

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to modify, test, and refine the Homework, Organization, and Planning Skills (HOPS) intervention for adolescents with ADHD for use by school mental health (SMH) providers. Ten SMH providers from three school districts implemented the HOPS intervention with 11 middle school students with ADHD. Parent and teacher ratings of materials organization and homework management were collected pre- and post-intervention and treatment fidelity was assessed. SMH providers and teachers participated in focus groups and provided feedback on ways to improve the feasibility and usability of the HOPS intervention. Students made large improvements in organization skills (d = 1.8) and homework problems (d = 1.6) according to parent ratings however, no improvements were observed on teacher ratings. Qualitative data generated from coding the focus groups and audio-recorded HOPS sessions were combined with the quantitative results to systematically refine the HOPS intervention for further evaluation of intervention effectiveness and disseminability.

Keywords: ADHD; Adolescents; Homework; Intervention; Organization; Time-Management.