Evaluation of the Occupational Therapy Training Program (ETP) for ADHD

Abstract

Research question: The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of the occupational therapy training program ETP-ADHD. Through the training, participants expand their ability to act competently in everyday life and thereby achieve greater independence and personal responsibility.

Method: Fifty-eight primary-school children participated in the study. Thirty-eight children formed the training group and 20 the waiting-list control group. Half of the children in each group also received medication. Parents rated their children's behavior using two questionnaires (SDQ and HSQ) at three measurement points: at the beginning, at the end of the training, and after 6 months.

Results: The findings show that the training produces a clear improvement in the children's everyday family situation. According to parent ratings, hyperactivity in the training group improved significantly compared with the waiting-list control group. The effects were independent of medication use. Thus, ETP-ADHD is a complex training program that acts both on reducing the child's core ADHD symptoms and on improving the family atmosphere.