Past Projects

Cultural Variations in Parental Literacy About ADHD

Recruitment for this study is now closed.

This study examined how first-generation Chinese Canadian parents and European Canadian parents understand attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). It also aimed to find out if an existing and translated informational pamphlet on ADHD could help improve their knowledge and beliefs. When the study began, Chinese Canadian parents generally knew less about ADHD and felt there was more stigma associated with it compared to European Canadian parents. After reading the pamphlet, Chinese Canadian parents showed bigger improvements in their ADHD knowledge and became more open to medication as a treatment. For both groups, reading the pamphlet actually led to a slight increase in ADHD stigma. The study suggests that simply providing information (like a pamphlet) can help improve mental health understanding among ethnic minority groups. However, to be truly effective, future resources need to be tailored to address specific areas where people lack knowledge and developed with methods to actively reduce the negative perceptions and stigma around ADHD. Published in Transcultural Psychiatry (2025) .

The Alert Program for Attention Regulation in Children With ADHD

Recruitment for these studies are now closed.

Study 1: Many children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) also have sensory processing difficulties, yet there are few evidence-based interventions that target both. We explored the feasibility of a 4-week group intervention using “How Does Your Engine Run?”®—The Alert Program for Self-Regulation (AP) for children with ADHD and sensory processing difficulties. The AP taught families to recognize child arousal states and to use sensorimotor strategies to manage levels of alertness. Treatment acceptability and satisfaction were high. Compared to pre-treatment and control group, large effects were found in which families increased their knowledge and use of sensorimotor strategies, and improved child ADHD symptoms after participating in the AP, and these effects were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Families that reported greater knowledge and use of strategies were those with children that had greater under-responsive/sensory-seeking profiles and those with children with greater conduct problems. Results published in the Journal of Child and Family Studies.

Study 2: Children with ADHD and their parents participated in an 8-week group intervention based on The Alert Program® for Self-Regulation (AP). Families were taught to recognize child arousal states and to use sensorimotor strategies to manage levels of alertness. The AP was received positively by parents and children with improvements in regulation strategies and child attention at home, but more work needs to be done to generalize the effects to school and other peer settings. Results published in Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry.

Mindful Parenting Intervention for ADHD

Recruitment for this study is now closed.

Behavioural parent training (BPT) is an evidence-based intervention that teaches parenting strategies to manage child behaviour problems. Mindfulness is the practice of focusing attention on the present moment in an open and accepting way. We examined the effect of enhancing BPT with mindfulness to better support parents’ self-regulation while managing challenging child behaviours. To do so, we are amongst the first who compared mindfulness-enhanced BPT and standard BPT among parents of children with ADHD. We found that both groups helped parents feel more confident in their parenting and helped their kids improve in their ADHD difficulties. Furthermore, parents in the mindful group improved in their self-regulation and parenting practices over and above those in the standard group. This shows some important benefits to enhancing BPT with mindfulness. Results published in the Journal of Attention Disorders.

ADHD Research Database

Predicting Use of Medications for Children with ADHD: The Contribution of Parent Social Cognitions

Recruitment for this study is now closed.

While stimulant medications are one of the most effective first-line treatments for ADHD, many parents feel uncomfortable about giving their children prescription drugs. We examined how parents’ knowledge and beliefs about ADHD and ADHD medications affected medication use for their kids. We found that parents who are more knowledgeable about ADHD and hold fewer negative beliefs about ADHD and stimulant medications were more likely to start and continue medication, as prescribed, for their kids. This highlights the need to provide more education about ADHD and also address all parents’ concerns about their treatments, and do a better job of reducing stigma. Results published in the Journal of the Canadian Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

Mindset Study

Parental Cognitions and Mental Health Treatment Attitudes

Recruitment for this study is now closed.

IIn regards to the mental health care of children, parents are key gatekeepers and agents of change. To optimize treatment engagement and the child’s health outcomes, we need to understand the beliefs and attitudes of parents about mental health treatment.

Webinar Study

Web-based Single Session Intervention for Parenting Child Behavioural Difficulties

Recruitment for this study is now closed.

Online single-session interventions (SSIs) are a valuable and accessible alternative to more traditional, multi-session, in-person treatment approaches. We seek to evaluate the benefits of a SSI online presentation about parenting. We are partnering with the Kelty Mental Health Resource Centre on this project.