This review looked at helping teens with ADHD move into emerging adulthood, ages 18 to 25. It had no sample of its own. The authors drew on prior research in teens and adults with ADHD. The paper does not say how it searched or how many studies it covered.
The review states that there are no known published treatment studies aimed at this move. So the authors proposed principles, including a full assessment, planning and time skills, help with emotions, and ways to keep people in treatment. Exercise, sleep and diet were more theory-based.
In one cited trial, a parent and teen program called STAND led to gains that were generally large for families of middle school children, compared with usual care. The gain in grade point average was smaller. A short group skills program led to moderate to large gains compared with a control group. The review does not say who was studied in that program. At age 27, 71% of a group with ADHD reported trouble saving money. In a comparison group, 20% did. The review also cites a figure that 80 to 90% of teens stop medication during adolescence.
The authors note virtually no published research on exercise effects, and the sleep link has not been formally tested in emerging adults with ADHD. They suggest clinicians and treatment developers start with assessment, use parent-teen and group formats, and plan ahead for adult services, insurance and accommodations.
Talk to a clinician about your own situation.
The numbers Stats and what the terms mean
The statistics behind the plain-language claims above.
- STAND trial, year not reported: how much more families improved on ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder severity, planner use, parent-child conflict and academic problems than with usual care, d = .65 to 5.15.
- STAND trial, year not reported: how much more grade point average improved than with usual care, d = .25.
- LaCount, 2018: how much a 3-week group organizational skills program improved academic impairment and ADHD symptom severity compared with a control group, d = .59 to .70. What the terms mean:
- d is a measure of how big a difference is between two groups. Roughly, 0.2 is small, 0.5 is moderate and 0.8 is large. A minus sign shows the direction of the change, not its size.
Source: LaCount P, Hartung C, Canu W, et al.. Interventions for Transitioning Adolescents with ADHD to Emerging Adulthood: Developmental Context and Empirically-Supported Treatment Principles. Evidence-Based Practice in Child and Adolescent Mental Health (2018). doi:10.1080/23794925.2018.1518120