Overview
The research support for each of the interventions used in the Y.E.S.S. Program
is extensive, as several research reviews, books, manuals, and websites document
the evidence for their effectiveness in changing child and parent behavior.
According to Division 53 (The Society of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology)
of the American Psychological Association (APA), two psychosocial treatment
modalities have received sufficient empirical support to meet the criteria of
“well established” treatments for children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD). The first of these treatments is behavioral parenting sessions,
wherein parents work with clinicians to implement skills such as praise, giving
effective instructions, time out procedures, active ignoring skills, and contingency
management strategies. The second treatment approach is behavior modification
in the classroom setting, including teacher consultation, the use of a daily
report card, token or point systems, and time out procedures for infractions
of classroom rules. Similarly, behavioral parenting sessions also have received
“well established” status in the treatment of oppositional defiant
disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder.
All three intervention components in the Y.E.S.S. Program are drawn from the
Summer Treatment Program (STP) for Children with ADHD. The program was recognized
in 1993 as a Model Program in Service Delivery in Child and Family Mental Health
by the American Psychological Association. Because of this recognition, STP
procedures were included as a Multimodal Treatment Study for ADHD (MTA Study)
which is the largest national clinical trial for the treatment of children with
ADHD, sponsored by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) and the U.S.
Department of Education (USDO).
