Full-Spectrum ADHD Research
Attention-deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common mental health disorders in childhood. For most of these patients, the condition persists into adulthood and is associated with academic, interpersonal and developmental challenges. As part of our Mental and Behavioral Health Institute, researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Center for ADHD are working to better understand and support individuals with ADHD and attention concerns with leading-edge clinical research that improves outcomes.
With researchers and clinicians co-located under the same roof, the Center for ADHD is a premier location for both the study and treatment of ADHD. As one of few dedicated ADHD centers nationally, we offer numerous evidence-based ADHD interventions for patients ranging in age from preschool to young adulthood.
Our Research
The research team focuses on the full spectrum of ADHD, from etiology to development to the complete range of behavioral and medication interventions. With the aim of identifying treatments that can lead to outcomes, researchers collaborate with clinicians across these and other disciplines:
- Behavioral health, psychology and psychiatry
- Educators and school partners
- General and developmental-behavioral pediatrics
- Social workers
- Speech therapists
Current areas of research in the Center for ADHD include:
- Expanding an intervention from a randomized control trial aimed at improving driving outcomes for teens with ADHD. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, this trial demonstrated a strong effect of driving interventions using simulators and eye-tracking devices to train adolescents with ADHD to shorten glances away from the roadway, thereby reducing crashes. Now the team is developing a virtual reality version of the intervention.
- Pilot studies on modifying behavioral interventions to improve emotional regulation in children with ADHD.
- A randomized controlled trial to improve organization and materials management to improve school outcomes in autistic middle schoolers.
- Studies for children with cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS). As the only ADHD center with a CDS clinical service, Cincinnati Children’s offers research studies, evaluation and treatment for children, adolescents and young adults with this specific profile of symptoms.
- Work to identify resilience factors that contribute to positive outcomes for students with ADHD as they transition from elementary to middle school.
Research By the Numbers
Our ADHD researchers collaborate with clinicians throughout Cincinnati Children’s to conduct research aimed at improving outcomes for patients with ADHD. With dozens of publications in leading journals and millions in funding annually, researchers can quickly bring these treatments from idea to implementation for patients.
