What the Multimodal Treatmeht Study Really Discovered About Intervention for Children Diagnosed With ADHD: Implications for Early Childhood

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has risen as the most frequently used diagnosis for children whose behavior or educational performance places them at risk. This paper reviews the Multimodal Treatment Study for ADHD (the MTA study) with a focus on the intriguing results of the Summer Treatment Program (STP) component of the MTA study. Review of the findings of the MTA study in relation to behavioral inter-ventions used in the study and the combination of behavioral interventions and educa-tional approaches used during the STP provides an insight into effective non-drug-based approaches to assist children diagnosed as ADHD. There is an increasing trend towards identifying children with ADHD symptoms in the early childhood period. This review of research indicates that focusing on behavioral, parental, and educational interventions may provide better outcomes for the child in the long term than through the alternative of a reliance on drugs for behavioral modification. The construction 'of the category now called ADHD originated in the late 1960s inthe United States with the acceptance that a range of behavioral characteristicsdefined the medical disorder without a specific requirement to establish evidence of neurological or biological dysfunction (Barkley, 1998). During the 1990s there was a substantial increase in the use of the diagnosis and treatment with medication worldwide. Significant increases in diagnosis have occurred in the United States, Australia, and an increasing number of countries worldwide (United Nations International Narcotic