A randomized trial tested a program called STAND. It is a skills-based behavior therapy for parents and teens, blended with motivational interviewing. The study included 128 adolescents with ADHD, aged 11 to 15, in a large, ethnically diverse city in the eastern United States. Most were Hispanic. Some were randomly assigned to STAND and the rest to their usual treatment.
Right after treatment, parents of the STAND teens reported large gains in organization, time-management and planning skills (d=1.12) and in ADHD symptom severity (d=.81), plus a moderate drop in parenting stress (d=.60). Parents also reported smaller gains in home behavior and homework habits. Most families finished the program, with about 85 percent completing every session (85.1%).
Six months later, some gains held up. Organization and planning skills (d=1.01), ADHD symptoms (d=.63) and parenting stress (d=.52) were still better. Gains in behavior contracts, privileges and homework recording were not maintained.
The improvements showed up only in parent reports and direct observation. Teachers and teens reported no change, and there was no real effect on school grades.
Source: Margaret H. Sibley, Paulo A. Graziano, Aparajita B. Kuriyan, et al.. Parent–teen behavior therapy + motivational interviewing for adolescents with ADHD.. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology (2016). doi:10.1037/ccp0000106