TEENAGERS AND ADHD: IMPROVING THE QUALITY OF LIFE THROUGH AN OUT-SCHOOL PROGRAM

The study explores the efficacy of a specific out-school program named Young People Skills Building Training (YPSBT) for treating teenagers with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Trained education professionals worked together with twenty-two adolescents previously diagnosed with ADHD from the National Hospital System in Liverpool. ADHD is a cognitive multifactorial disorder, partly genetic and partly environmental cause. It is characterized by impairment of the ability of self-regulation, metacognitive planning, cognitive flexibility, self-healing, maintenance of effort, difficulty using strategies and inhibition of inappropriate responses. Impairment of these skills means that the implications in terms of welfare of the pupil in the classroom life are not only on the academic achievement but also on its ability to establish positive social relationships, to be accepted by peers and to reduce the difficulties caused from their behaviour. These aspects are critical during the adolescence when the group membership is essential to the development.The program consists in 12 hours of intensive training designed to gain a better understanding of their disorder. The activities were developed in order to support teenagers in identifying personal ADHD self management goals and to improve their social and emotional wellbeing. Therefore the educators were trained in the use of behaviour modification techniques and cognitive behaviour strategies. Parents ratings detected significant improvements in the pro-social area. Room for improvement were also found in Total Impact of the ADHD in the life, in the level of hyperactivity, in the peer relationship, and on the behavioural difficulties usually associated with the disorder but not in the variable emotion. In conclusion, Young People training program may improve the quality of life of teenagers with ADHD. This study is a result of a cross cultural collaboration between the ADHD Foundation in Liverpool and the University of Salento in Italy.