Objective The National Institute of Mental Health's recently initiated 5-year, multisite, multimodal treatment study of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (MTA) is the first major clinical trial in its history focused on a childhood mental disorder. This article reviews the major scientific and clinical bases for initiating the MTA. Method A selective review of the literature is presented in the service of describing the estimated prevalence of ADHD among children and adolescents, its core clinical features, evidence concerning psychopharmacological and psychosocial treatment effects, and related research issues and trends leading to the development of the MTA. Results Despite decades of treatment research and clinical practice, there is an insufficient basis for answering the following manifold question: under what circumstances and with what child characteristics (comorbid conditions, gender, family history, home environment, age, nutritional/metabolic status, etc.) do which treatments or combinations of treatment (stimulants, behavior therapy, parent training, school-based intervention) have what impacts (improvement, stasis, deterioration) on what domains of child functioning (cognitive, academic, behavioral, neurophysiological, neuropsychological, peer relations, family relations), for how long (short versus long term), to what extent (effect sizes, normal versus pathological range), and why (processes underlying change)? Conclusions The important scientific, clinical, and public health issues nested within this manifold question provide both the impetus and scaffolding for the MTA. J. Am. Acad. Child Adolesc. Psychiatry , 1995, 34, 8:987–1000.

NIMH Collaborative Multisite Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD: I. Background and Rationale

The author first presents an overview of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) as it presents in adolescents. He reviews what is known about the predominantly inattentive subtype in adolescents, the persistence of symptoms into this developmental phase, and comorbid disorders in adolescent patients with ADHD. The author then reviews treatments for adolescents with ADHD for which there is some empirical support in the scientific literature. He first discusses common assumptions concerning the treatment of ADHD and evidence for or against these assumptions. Information on therapies that have been shown to be ineffective or the benefit of which is unproven are then described. These include cognitive-behavioral therapy and social skills training. The author then presents an overview of what is known about the medication treatment of ADHD and discusses how this information is applicable to adolescents with the disorder. Four main classes of drugs are discussed: stimulants, noradrenergic reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic antidepressants, and antihypertensive agents. The author then reviews the use of several psychosocial interventions, including contingency management strategies, parent training in behavior management methods, and teacher training in classroom management, and discusses how these strategies can best be used for adolescents with ADHD. The author then discusses the use of combined treatment with psychosocial interventions and medication. Finally, information on the use of physical exercise as therapy for adolescents with ADHD is discussed.

Adolescents with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: an overview of empirically based treatments.

Psychosocial Interventions in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: This article reviews rational approaches to treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children, including pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments. Implications for clinical practice are discussed. Data Sources: We searched MEDLINE, PsychINFO, Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health, Educational Resources Information Center, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects for relevant literature published in English from 1967 to 2007 on preschool ADHD. We also reviewed the references cited in identified reports. Study Selection: Studies were reviewed if the sample included at least some children younger than 6 years of age or attending kindergarten, the study participants had a diagnosis of ADHD or equivalent symptoms, received intervention aimed at ADHD symptoms, and included a relevant outcome measure. Data Extraction: Studies were reviewed for type of intervention and outcome relevant to ADHD and were r...

Psychopharmacological and other treatments in preschool children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: current evidence and practice.

A previous review of alternative treatments (Tx) of ADHD--those other than psychoactive medication and behavioral/psychosocial Tx--was supplemented with an additional literature search focused on adults with ADHD. Twenty-four alternative Tx were identified, ranging in scientific documentation from discrediting controlled studies through mere hypotheses to positive controlled double-blind clinical trials. Many of them are applicable only to a specific subgroup. Although oligoantigenic (few-foods) diets have convincing double-blind evidence of efficacy for a properly selected subgroup of children, they do not appear promising for adults. Enzyme-potentiated desensitization, relaxation/EMG biofeedback, and deleading also have controlled evidence of efficacy. Iron supplementation, magnesium supplementation, Chinese herbals, EEG biofeedback, massage, meditation, mirror feedback, channel-specific perceptual training, and vestibular stimulation all have promising prospective pilot data, many of these tests reasonably controlled. Single-vitamin megadosage has some intriguing pilot trial data. Zinc supplementation is hypothetically supported by systematic case-control data, but no systematic clinical trial. Laser acupuncture has promising unpublished pilot data and may be more applicable to adults than children. Essential fatty acid supplementation has promising systematic case-control data, but clinical trials are equivocal. RDA vitamin supplementation, non-Chinese herbals, homeopathic remedies, and antifungal therapy have no systematic data in ADHD. Megadose multivitamin combinations are probably ineffective for most patients and are possibly dangerous. Simple sugar restriction seems ineffective. Amino acid supplementation is mildly effective in the short term, but not beyond 2-3 months. Thyroid treatment is effective in the presence of documented thyroid abnormality. Some alternative Tx of ADHD are effective or probably effective, but mainly for certain patients. In some cases, they are the Tx of choice, and initial evaluation should consider the relevant etiologies. A few have failed to prove effective in controlled trials. Most need research to determine whether they are effective and/or to define the applicable subgroup. Some of them, although not safer than standard Tx, may be preferable for an etiologic subgroup.

Alternative treatments for adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Previously published studies report an improvement in hyperactivity following exposure to vestibular semicircular canal stimulation under eyes-open, lights-on conditions (conditions that provide visual feedback). To separate the effectiveness of vestibular stimulation from that of visual stimulation, 30 primary school children who met the criteria for having attention deficit disorder with hyperactivity were enrolled in a split-sample Latin square crossover study. The effects of just vestibular stimulation and of just visual stimulation were compared with the effect of combined vestibular and visual stimulation. Behavior ratings showed significant improvement at the end of the last treatment and at follow-up one year later; this is not easily explained by statistical regression, history, or the placebo effect. The most improvement was with solitary vestibular stimulation, which showed large effect sizes; however, differences from the other two conditions failed to reach significance at traditional p levels.

D L Clark

Papers

Vestibular and visual rotational stimulation as treatment for attention deficit and hyperactivity.