This was a small pilot meant to develop and test a new treatment. Researchers adapted an existing parent training program, called PCIT, so that parents also learned to coach their child through strong emotions. They tried it while treating nine young children who had ADHD. The children were 3 to 7 years old and met the criteria for ADHD based on reports from both a parent and a teacher. Mothers, and in some cases fathers, took part as the ones being trained. The families were recruited in the Baltimore and Washington, DC area and were described as mostly well educated. The first six children got the earlier version of the program, and the next three got the new version. One of the first six families dropped out before the end, so results were reported for eight children.
Most of the children showed clear improvement in outward behavior problems, as rated by parents (a score that fell from about 70.50 before treatment to 59.88 after, where 70 marks the clinical range). About half still showed that improvement six months later (61.0). Most parents also got better at positive parenting, and most children improved at managing emotions and at daily functioning. But parents' harsh or negative talk did not follow the same pattern; only one mother clearly reduced it. The study had no comparison group, and all changes were measured within the same families.
Source: Chronis-Tuscano A, Lewis-Morrarty E, Woods K, et al.. Parent–Child Interaction Therapy With Emotion Coaching for Preschoolers With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Cognitive and Behavioral Practice (2016). doi:10.1016/j.cbpra.2014.11.001