Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of the Lifestyle Enhancement for ADHD Program.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of the Lifestyle Enhancement for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Program (LEAP), a novel parent behavior management training program that promotes physical activity (PA) and positive health behaviors and is enhanced with mobile health technology (Garmin) and a social media (Facebook) curriculum for parents of children with ADHD. METHODS: The study included parents of children ages 5-10 years diagnosed with ADHD who did not engage in the recommended >60 min/day of moderate to vigorous PA based on parent report at baseline. Parents participated in the 8-week LEAP group and joined a private Facebook group. Children and one parent wore wrist-worn Garmin activity trackers daily. Parents completed the Treatment Adherence Inventory, Client Satisfaction Questionnaire, and participated in a structured focus group about their experiences with various aspects of the program. RESULTS: Of 31 children enrolled, 51.5% had ADHD combined presentation, 36.3% with ADHD, predominately inattentive presentation, and 12.1% had unspecified ADHD (age 5-10; M = 7.6; 48.4% female). Parents attended an average of 86% of group sessions. On average, parents wore their Garmins for 5.1 days/week (average step count 7,092 steps/day) and children for 6.0 days/week (average step count 9,823 steps/day). Overall, parents and children were adherent to intervention components and acceptability of the program was high. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate that the LEAP program is an acceptable and feasible intervention model for promoting PA among parents and their children with ADHD. Implications for improving ADHD symptoms and enhancing evidence-based parent training programs are discussed.

Parent Behavior Management Training for Child ADHD Enhanced to Address Health Behaviors: Comparison of Telemedicine "Telegroup" Versus In-Person Delivery.

OBJECTIVE: ADHD is associated with suboptimal health behaviors including physical activity (PA). LEAP is a parent BMT group program enhanced to focus on health behaviors, integrated with mHealth technology. Little is known about implementing BMT via telemedicine "telegroups." METHODS: Children ages 5 to 10 with ADHD and their caregiver wore activity trackers and participated in an 8 to 9 week parent BMT and social media group emphasizing PA, sleep, and screen use. A 7-day child accelerometer-wear and parent and teacher measures were completed pre- and post-group. Groups were in-person prior to the COVID-19 pandemic and in telegroup format during the pandemic. RESULTS: Thirty-three families participated in person and 23 participated via virtual telegroup. Group attendance was superior for telegroup with equivalent satisfaction and skill use. Changes in health behavior and clinical outcomes were equivalent. CONCLUSIONS: LEAP is a feasible and novel BMT intervention that can be delivered in an accessible telegroup format with high participation and acceptability.

Non-pharmacological interventions for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents.

Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects approximately 5% of children and adolescents globally and is associated with negative life outcomes and socioeconomic costs. First-generation ADHD treatments were predominantly pharmacological; however, increased understanding of biological, psychological, and environmental factors contributing to ADHD has expanded non-pharmacological treatment possibilities. This Review provides an updated evaluation of the efficacy and safety of non-pharmacological treatments for paediatric ADHD, discussing the quality and level of evidence for nine intervention categories. Unlike medication, no non-pharmacological treatments showed a consistent strong effect on ADHD symptoms. When considering broad outcomes (eg, impairment, caregiver stress, and behavioural improvement), multicomponent (cognitive) behaviour therapy joined medication as a primary ADHD treatment. With respect to secondary treatments, polyunsaturated fatty acids showed a consistent modest effect on ADHD symptoms when taken for at least 3 months. Additionally, mindfulness and multinutrient supplementation with four or more ingredients showed modest efficacy on non-symptom outcomes. All other non-pharmacological treatments were safe; clinicians might tolerate their use but should educate families of childrenand adolescents with ADHD on the disadvantages, including costs, burden to the service user, absence of proven efficacy relative to other treatments, and delay of proven treatment.

Barriers to Increasing Access to Brief Pediatric Mental Health Treatment From Primary Care.

A quality improvement process targeted mental health care uptake and system capacity in an underserved region. The pediatric program created pathways for rapid referral from primary care and schools to four sessions of evidence-based treatments for disruptive behavior and depression with community clinicians. Of 250 referrals, 46 families enrolled in treatments for disruptive behavior and 21 for depression. Many families did not respond or required more intensive treatment. Acceptability of the program was high for participating families, referrers, and clinicians. Brief treatment met most participating families' needs. The process demonstrated barriers to mental health care access and delivery and the need for integrated and multitiered care delivery.

Association of Children's Physical Activity and Screen Time With Mental Health During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Importance: Children's physical activity and screen time are likely suboptimal during the COVID-19 pandemic, which may influence their current and future mental health. Objective: To describe the association of physical activity and screen time with mental health among US children during the pandemic. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional survey was conducted from October 22 to November 2, 2020, among 547 parents of children aged 6 to 10 years and 535 parent-child dyads with children and adolescents (hereinafter referred to as children) aged 11 to 17 years and matched down to 500 children per cohort using US Census-based sampling frames. Children aged 11 to 17 years self-reported physical activity, screen time, and mental health, and their parents reported other measures. Parents of children aged 6 to 10 years reported all measures. All 1000 cases were further weighted to a sampling frame corresponding to US parents with children aged 6 to 17 years using propensity scores. Exposures: Child physical activity, screen time, COVID-19 stressors, and demographics. Main Outcomes and Measures: Mental health using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire for total difficulties and externalizing and internalizing symptoms. Results: Among the 1000 children included in the analysis (mean [SD] age, 10.8 [3.5] years; 517 [52.6%] boys; 293 [31.6%] American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, or Black individuals or individuals of other race; and 233 [27.8%] Hispanic/Latino individuals), 195 (20.9%) reported at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. Children reported a mean (SD) of 3.9 (2.2) d/wk with at least 60 minutes of physical activity and 4.4 (2.5) h/d of recreational screen time. COVID-19 stressors were significantly associated with higher total difficulties for both younger (ß coefficient, 0.6; 95% CI, 0.3-0.9) and older (ß coefficient, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.0-0.7) groups. After accounting for COVID-19 stressors, engaging in 7 d/wk (vs 0) of physical activity was associated with fewer externalizing symptoms in younger children (ß coefficient, -2.0; 95% CI, -3.4 to -0.6). For older children, engaging in 1 to 6 and 7 d/wk (vs 0) of physical activity was associated with lower total difficulties (ß coefficients, -3.5 [95% CI, -5.3 to -1.8] and -3.6 [95% CI, -5.8 to -1.4], respectively), fewer externalizing symptoms (ß coefficients, -1.5 [95% CI, -2.5 to -0.4] and -1.3 [95% CI, -2.6 to 0], respectively), and fewer internalizing symptoms (ß coefficients, -2.1 [95% CI, -3.0 to -1.1] and -2.3 [95% CI, -3.5 to -1.1], respectively). More screen time was correlated with higher total difficulties among younger (ß coefficient, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.1-0.5) and older (ß coefficient, 0.4; 95% CI, 0.2-0.6) children. There were no significant differences by sex. Conclusions and Relevance: In this cross-sectional survey study, more physical activity and less screen time were associated with better mental health for children, accounting for pandemic stressors. Children engaged in suboptimal amounts of physical activity and screen time, making this a potentially important target for intervention.

Developing home-based telemental health services for youth: Practices from the SUAY Study.

INTRODUCTION: There are no published procedural or safety guidelines for home-based telemental health (TMH) therapy with youth, despite the unique challenges and risks of providing services to this population outside of a traditional clinic setting. We developed clinical, logistical, and safety procedures for home-based TMH with youth in the context of a large clinical trial. METHODS: A Targeted Approach to Safer Use of Antipsychotics in Youth (SUAY) study identifies youth ages 3-17 who are prescribed second-generation antipsychotic medication for non-psychotic disorders within large healthcare systems. Prescribing physicians receive psychopharmacology consultation. Patients receive a "navigator" to coordinate treatments and access to TMH if they do not have a local therapist. We optimized access by allowing TMH sessions to take place in the family's home, while providing guidelines for privacy, safety, and in-session crises. RESULTS: Clinical issues included providing flexibility in the treatment modality and engaging families. Logistical issues included remote consenting for treatment and troubleshooting technological problems. Safety issues included crisis and safety planning with the youth and family before and during treatment. DISCUSSION: The provision of home-based TMH therapy for youth requires adaptations to existing TMH procedural and safety guidelines to optimize clinical care, technology coordination, and safety.Trial registration number and trial register: Clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03448575.

Implementation of Home-Based Telemental Health in a Large Child Psychiatry Department During the COVID-19 Crisis.

Objective: Telemental health (TMH) is not well described for mental health service delivery during crises. Most child and adolescent psychiatry training programs have not integrated TMH into their curricula and are ill equipped to respond during crises to their patients' needs. In this study, we present the implementation of a home-based TMH (HB-TMH) service during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We describe the technological, administrative, training, and clinical implementation components involved in transitioning a comprehensive outpatient child and adolescent psychiatry program to a HB-TMH virtual clinic. Results: The transition was accomplished in 6 weeks. Most in-clinic services were rapidly moved off campus to the home. Owing to challenges encountered with each implementation component, phone sessions bridged the transition from in-clinic to reliable virtual appointments. Within 3 weeks (March 20, 2020) of planning for HB-TMH, 67% of all appointments were conducted at home, and within 4 weeks (March 27, 2020), 90% were conducted at home. By week 6 (April 3, 2020), reliable HB-TMH appointments were implemented. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic crisis created the opportunity to innovate a solution to disrupted care for our established patients and to create a resource for youth who developed problems during the crisis. Our department was experienced in providing TMH services that facilitated the transition to HB-TMH, yet still had to overcome known and unanticipated challenges. Our experience provides a roadmap for establishing a HB-TMH service with focus on rapid implementation. It also demonstrates a role for TMH during (rather than after) future crises when usual community resources are not available.

Acute Effects of Parent Stimulant Medication Versus Behavioral Parent Training on Mothers' ADHD, Parenting Behavior, and At-Risk Children.

BACKGROUND: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is present in 25%-50% of parents of children with ADHD, compromising parenting and child behavioral treatment. Efforts to treat multiplex ADHD families have not compared behavioral parenting interventions to parent psychopharmacology without confounds of other treatments. This report describes a pilot early intervention study directly comparing parent lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (LDX) to behavioral parent training (BPT) in families in which the mother had currently untreated ADHD and the young child displayed ADHD symptoms. METHODS: Mothers with ADHD (N = 35) of 4- to 8-year-old stimulant-naive children (N = 35) were randomly assigned to an 8-week trial of LDX (starting at 20 mg/d and titrated to a maximum of 70 mg/d) or BPT. Outcomes included multi-method, multi-informant measures of (1) maternal ADHD symptoms (Conners' Adult ADHD Rating Scales) and impairment (Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale [CGI-S] and CGI-Improvement scale [CGI-I]), (2) parenting (Alabama Parenting Questionnaire [APQ] and Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System, Fourth Edition), and (3) child ADHD symptoms (Conners Parent Rating Scale Revised-Short Form and Conners Early Childhood Scale) and impairment (CGI-S, CGI-I, and Child Impairment Rating Scale). RESULTS: At 8 weeks, both treatments improved mothers' self-reported emotion regulation and mothers' functioning on the CGI, but only LDX improved mothers' self-reported core ADHD symptoms. LDX was associated with improvement in parents' perception of their own ADHD symptoms (Conners Inattention [P < .0001] and ADHD Index scores [P < .0001]) and their child's ADHD symptoms (P = .009). Fifty-six percent of the mothers treated with LDX (n = 10) were "much" or "very much" improved with regard to their adult ADHD based on the CGI-I scores versus 6% of mothers receiving BPT (n = 1; P = .003). BPT improved parenting on self-reported positive parenting (P = .007), inconsistent discipline (P > .0001), and corporal punishment (P = .001), while LDX improved reported inconsistent discipline (P = .001) and corporal punishment (P = .04) on the APQ, consistent with prior research. In contrast to parental LDX, which did not improve observed parenting, BPT was associated with increased positive parenting during child-directed play (P = .0002) and clean-up (P = .04) and less negative parenting (P = .04) during child-directed play. Six percent of children (n = 1) whose mothers were randomized to LDX (n = 18) were "much" or "very much" improved on the CGI-I compared to 35% (n = 16) of those treated with BPT (P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: LDX and BPT each had unique effects on maternal ADHD symptoms and parenting, but modest effects on at-risk children. In general, LDX was more effective at treating mothers' core ADHD symptoms, but both LDX and BPT improved mothers' emotion regulation, and BPT resulted in more consistent effects on parenting measures via both maternal report and direct observation. As most children remained significantly impaired after 8 weeks of unimodal treatment, combination treatment and/or longer treatment duration may be necessary to improve functioning of multiplex ADHD families. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01816074​.

Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep in Children With ADHD.

Background: Children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are at increased risk for poor health and obesity. The authors describe obesity-related movement behaviors in children with ADHD, determine higher risk groups, and compare with children with other disorders. Methods: Physical activity (PA), sleep, and screen time of children with ADHD (aged 6-18 y) were compared with recommendations and with behaviors of children with autism, asthma, and a normative group using 2011 National Survey of Child Health data. Results: Approximately one-third of children with ADHD participated in daily PA and half in sports in the past year. Older children with ADHD were less likely to get daily PA, get enough sleep, and limit screen time to <2 hours per day. Obese children had lower odds of daily PA. Children who had lower socioeconomic status, or severe ADHD, had lower odds of sports participation. Children with ADHD had 50% lower odds of sports participation than children with asthma. Conclusions: Children with ADHD did not engage in recommended amounts of PA, sleep, and screen time. Children with ADHD who are older, poor, obese, and/or with more severe symptoms are at higher risk for suboptimal movement behaviors. These domains represent novel treatment targets in ADHD youth.