45.2 THE EFFECTIVENESS OF PARENT TRAINING AS A TREATMENT FOR PRESCHOOL ATTENTION-DEFICIT/HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER: A MULTI-CENTER RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL OF THE NEW FOREST PARENTING PROGRAM IN EVERYDAY CLINICAL PRACTICE

Objectives: Parent training is recommended as first-line treatment for ADHD in preschool children. The New Forest Parenting Programme (NFPP) is an evidence-based parenting program developed specifically to target preschool ADHD. This talk will present fresh results from a multicenter trial designed to investigate whether the NFPP can be delivered effectively for children who are referred through official community pathways in everyday clinical practice. Methods: A multicenter randomized controlled parallel arm trial design was incorporated. There were two treatment arms, NFPP and treatment as usual. NFPP consisted of eight individually delivered parenting sessions where the child attended three of the sessions. Outcomes were examined at three time points as follows: T1, baseline; T2, week 12, postintervention; and T3, 6- month follow-up. Children (N = 165; ages 3-7 years) with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD, informed by the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA), were recruited from three child and adolescent psychiatry departments in Denmark. Randomization was on a 1:1 basis and stratified for age and gender. Results: The primary endpoint showed a change in ADHD symptoms as measured by the Preschool ADHD-Rating Scale (Preschool ADHD-RS) by T2. Secondary outcome measures included the following: effects on this measure at T3; T2 and T3 measures of teacher-reported preschool ADHD-RS scores; parent- and teacher-rated scores on the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire; direct observation of ADHD behaviors during child's solo play; observation of parent-child interaction; parent sense of competence; and family stress. Conclusions: This trial will provide evidence on whether NFPP is a more effective treatment for preschool ADHD than the treatment usually offered in everyday clinical practice.