Skip to content

Testing "SupporT for ADHD and Related Treatment" (START) for Families of Children With ADHD

Testing a Novel ADHD Engagement Intervention "START" to Improve Access to Treatment

Status
Completed
Phases
Unknown
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT05796427
Acronym
START
Enrollment
100
Registered
2023-04-03
Start date
2023-07-01
Completion date
2025-11-28
Last updated
2026-07-10

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

ADHD

Brief summary

The randomized control trial (RCT) study includes 2 aims; one being to test whether START increases access to treatment for ADHD. Investigators believe the intervention group will demonstrate improved treatment engagement and access to all treatments compared to controls. The second aim is to explore whether START leads to functional improvements across home, social and academic domains for the child and family. Investigators believe the intervention group will show better functioning including improved family and peer relationships and reduced parent stress compared to controls. Before taking part in our study all participants will undergo a psychiatric evaluation. Eligible participants will be randomized to START while controls receive a pamphlet with ADHD information. Students and staff with related experience who are not mental health professionals will be trained to deliver START. START includes 6 modules, typically delivered over 6 sessions.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALSupporT for ADHD and Related Treatment

Intervention will include 6 modules typically taught over 6-7 weeks. Participants will have up to 3 months to complete the intervention. Modules will provide more knowledge on ADHD, discuss stigma around ADHD, address barriers in receiving care, encourage communication with physician and child, and empower caregivers. Overall, the goal being to improve engagement in ADHD treatment for newly diagnosed or unengaged families. This intervention is mostly targeted towards primary caregivers. However, the last module explicitly includes the child.

Sponsors

Ann & Robert H Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
6 Years to 12 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* The child is greater than or equal to 6 years old and less than or equal to 12 years old * The child has a diagnosis of ADHD confirmed based on clinical psychiatric evaluation with an expert child psychiatrist on the study team (PI or Co-I) * The diagnosis of ADHD is either new (defined as made for the first time by the study psychiatrist OR made for the first time within the prior 3 months by a medical or mental health provider) OR the child has been previously diagnosed but untreated either since diagnosis or for at least the prior 12 months. "Untreated" is defined as having received no therapeutic, medication, or school accommodations specifically for ADHD. * They can understand and complete informed consent and study procedures in English. * Children who have received treatment for other psychiatric conditions may be included if the treatment was specifically for a condition other than ADHD, to be confirmed by the study psychiatrist at enrollment.

Exclusion criteria

* Children with most comorbid (i.e., co-existing) psychiatric conditions with be included, but children with intellectual disability/cognitive impairment or psychotic symptoms will be excluded because these conditions would substantially change the focus of treatment * Children under 6 and over 12 will be excluded because the intervention was specifically designed for school age children in this age group. Developmental, adolescents and preschoolers are considerably different than school age children and may require a different approach for engaging them and their parents in ADHD care. Children under 6 with ADHD symptoms may not yet be diagnosed and may not have the same treatment access or options as children 6 and over. Adolescents over 12 are more independent and an intervention may need to be more focused on the adolescent than our current intervention which is primarily parent focused. * Children who were diagnosed over 3 months ago and already received treatment for ADHD will be excluded since our primary outcome is treatment engagement. * Because this is an intervention only available in English at this time, participants who are not able to complete study procedures in English will be excluded.

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Treatment Utilization3 monthsItems from the National Survey of the Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD and Tourette Syndrome (NS-DATA). Centers for Disease Control (CDC) survey used to evaluate treatment use among children with ADHD and Tourette syndrome.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Symptoms and Functioning3 monthsVanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale (VADRS). 55-item, parent-report questionnaire that assesses symptoms of ADHD and comorbidities as well as functional impairment in multiple domains (academics, family and peer relationships).

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Engagement Objectives3 monthsAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Treatment Engagement Questionnaire. Developed by the PI for the pilot trial to assess engagement objectives directly corresponding to the conceptual model.
Parent ADHD Treatment Preferences3 monthsAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Preference and Goal Instrument (PGI). Validated measure used in ADHD engagement studies that assesses parent perceptions of treatment feasibility, acceptability, and adverse effects for medication and therapy separately, as well as overall treatment goals.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Knowledge3 monthsAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Content Knowledge Questionnaire. 10-item parent quiz developed by the PI for the pilot trial and showing an increase in ADHD knowledge post-intervention.
Parent Activation3 monthsParent-Patient Activation Measure (P-PAM). 13-item, parent-report measure adapted from the well-validated Patient Activation Measure (PAM) with acceptable reliability and validity.
Family Relationships3 monthsNIH Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pediatric Family Relationships Short Form. Created for the NIH PROMIS® using mixed methods, estimates the quality of the child's relationship with family in 8 items on a 5-point Likert scale with strong internal consistency and retest-reliability.
Parenting Stress3 monthsParenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) Brief, 36-item version of the full 120-item PSI, and one of the most common instruments used to measure parenting stress.
Social Risk3 monthsChild Healthwatch Vital Signs (food, housing, utilities)
Parent Self Stigma3 monthsParents' Self Stigma Scale (PSSS) 11-item scale assessing Parents' stigma
Parent Perceived Stigma3 monthsParent Perceived Stigma of Services Seeking Scale (PPSSS) 17-item scale assessing stigma toward seeking services for mental health resources
Child Education3 monthsEducation Activation 10-item scale assessing parents' involvement in child's education
ADHD School Services3 monthAttention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Preference and Goal Instrument (PGI)- School Services. Validated measure used in ADHD engagement studies that assesses school services.
ADHD Stages of Engagement Questionnaire3 monthsSurvey identifies what stage of engagement the participant is in.

Countries

United States

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Jul 11, 2026