Innovative strategies for students with ADHD: How to employ best practices without losing student interest

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a health condition that is characterized by developmentally unsuitable degree of distraction, impulsivity, and over activity resulting in functional destruction across two or more scenarios. This study focused on development of innovative approaches for students with ADHD. The study involved a meta-analysis method for assessing results from research conducted previously on this subject. The study focused on the data obtained on this subject since 2000. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of best practices in academic achievement for students with ADHD served in the pre-K–12 educational setting. This study applied a meta-analysis method for reviewing previous studies on students with ADHD. In order to fill this academic gap of research, the study addressed the following hypotheses. 1. H1: School-based interventions have a positive impact on achievement of ADHD students. 2. H0: School-based interventions do not have a positive impact on achievement of ADHD students. 3. H2: Effect size varies as a function of school-based academic interventions. 4. H0: Effect size does not vary as a function of school-based academic interventions. 5. H3: Effect size varies as a function of school-based contingency management interventions. 6. H0: Effect size does not vary as a function of school-based contingency management interventions. 7. H4: Effect size varies as a function of school-based cognitive-behavioral interventions. 8. H 0: Effect size does not vary as a function of school-based cognitive-behavioral interventions.;The subjects for this study were between the ages of 7 to 18, which is when most students are diagnosed with ADHD. The studies had to have at least 10 subjects included in the analysis. The studies had to have a control group or a pretest-posttest measures that calculated the effect size. When the three behavioral interventions with n>60, emerged, it showed that intensive data-based academic interventions (IDAI) and the traditional data-based academic intervention (TDAI) were the most effective treatments (ES=0.6), relative to the daily report card (ES=.34) and multiple behavioral interventions (ES=.53). The research literature pertaining to interventions for students with ADHD suggested several implications for practice.