Children's Attention Deficit Disorder With Hyperactivity (ADHD) Telemental Health Treatment Study (CATTS)

While telemental health (TMH) programs are increasing nationally to address the inequity of access to psychiatric services, there are few reports of their efficacy, particularly with children. The current proposal will complete the second stage of our program development. In the first stage, we established the feasibility of a TMH service and its acceptability to families and PCPs. In the second stage of program development we will conduct a randomized clinical trial (RCT) that will determine whether it is possible to use technological advances to: 1) improve clinical outcomes for children with ADHD over outcomes achieved in usual PC; and 2) adhere to an EBT protocol implemented through TMH. Future studies will examine whether other types of complicated psychiatric disorders and EBTs are amenable to delivery via TMH. The overall goal of this study is to determine whether an evidence-based model of care can be faithfully implemented when delivered using TMH to children with ADHD living in rural areas and can improve outcomes over treatment as usual (TAU) in PC. ADHD is an excellent focus for assessment of TMH, as PCPs encounter this disorder frequently, EBT guidelines are available, pharmacotherapy is the core treatment and is easily delivered in PC through videoconferencing, and stabilization may be readily achieved for most youth.

This intervention is comprised of 6-tandem-sessions of pharmacotherapy and a behavioral intervention conducted over 4-5 months. The telepsychiatrist makes prescribing decisions during the intervention following consensus guidelines for ADHD treatment. The telepsychiatrist also provides education about how neurobiological deficits of ADHD relate to observed behavioral learning and difficulties. After the 6th session, the PCP resumes care of the patient. The behavioral intervention component is delivered by therapists at each participating clinic. The therapists are trained and supervised remotely by a telepsychologist . The 6-session behavioral intervention consists of approaches to managing children's behaviors and coordination with schools and other community agencies to advocate for the child.

Assess whether using a telemental health service delivery model effects improvement in children diagnosed with ADHD including decreased symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity, opposition and defiance and improved adaptive functioning.

Assess whether using a telemental health service delivery model improves the well-being of caregivers of children diagnosed with ADHD.

Assess the ability of a telemental health service delivery model to improve treatment adherence in families of children with ADHD.

Assess how reliably an evidence-based treatment protocol for the treatment of children with ADHD can be implemented within a brief telemental health service.

Inclusion Criteria: is 5.5 - 12 years of age resides at home with parents/relatives has a dx of ADHD (CBCL DSM-oriented elevation or previous diagnosis of ADHD; C-DISC diagnosis) attends school 80% of time or more (including home-schooled children) speaks English or Spanish and parent speaks English or Spanish Exclusion Criteria: child has a diagnosis of: CD, OCD, psychosis, BPD, Autism, mental retardation, major medical illness resident parent has a drug use problem

Rockhill CM, Carlisle LL, Qu P, Vander Stoep A, French W, Zhou C, Myers K. Primary Care Management of Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Appears More Assertive Following Brief Psychiatric Intervention Compared with Single Session Consultation. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2020 Jun;30(5):285-292. doi: 10.1089/cap.2020.0013. Epub 2020 Mar 11.

Vander Stoep A, McCarty CA, Zhou C, Rockhill CM, Schoenfelder EN, Myers K. The Children's Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Telemental Health Treatment Study: Caregiver Outcomes. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2017 Jan;45(1):27-43. doi: 10.1007/s10802-016-0155-7.

Rockhill CM, Tse YJ, Fesinmeyer MD, Garcia J, Myers K. Telepsychiatrists' Medication Treatment Strategies in the Children's Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Telemental Health Treatment Study. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2016 Oct;26(8):662-671. doi: 10.1089/cap.2015.0017. Epub 2015 Aug 10.

Myers K, Vander Stoep A, Zhou C, McCarty CA, Katon W. Effectiveness of a telehealth service delivery model for treating attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a community-based randomized controlled trial. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2015 Apr;54(4):263-74. doi: 10.1016/j.jaac.2015.01.009. Epub 2015 Jan 29.

Rockhill C, Violette H, Vander Stoep A, Grover S, Myers K. Caregivers' distress: youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and comorbid disorders assessed via telemental health. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2013 Aug;23(6):379-85. doi: 10.1089/cap.2013.0019.

Myers K, Vander Stoep A, Lobdell C. Feasibility of conducting a randomized controlled trial of telemental health with children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in underserved communities. J Child Adolesc Psychopharmacol. 2013 Aug;23(6):372-8. doi: 10.1089/cap.2013.0020.

Vander Stoep A, Myers K. Methodology for conducting the children's attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder telemental health treatment study in multiple underserved communities. Clin Trials. 2013;10(6):949-58. doi: 10.1177/1740774513494880. Epub 2013 Jul 29.