A systematic review published in Review of Education looks at the evidence from randomized controlled trials of the effectiveness of interventions for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in school settings.
Twenty-eight studies were included in the review and were sorted into eight categories of school-based intervention for ADHD. They were analyzed for effectiveness according to a range of different ADHD symptoms, difficulties, and schools outcomes. The eight categories of intervention were: combined/multiple component; cognitive training; daily report card; neuro-feedback; relaxation; self-monitoring; study and organization skills training; and task modification. The review found that:
- The strongest evidence of beneficial effects was found for interventions that combine multiple components. There was a large effect size (+0.79) for improved ADHD symptoms rated by teachers and parents, and a small effect size for (+0.30) for parent- and teacher-rated academic outcomes.
- Interventions involving daily report cards also showed some promise for academic outcomes (ES= +0.68).
- There was a beneficial effect on academic outcomes for neuro-feedback interventions, and mixed findings for relaxation and self-monitoring interventions.
The authors suggested that the findings, viewed together with other reviews, would indicate that daily report card was perhaps a useful strategy in school settings.