Integrated Brain, Body and Social Intervention for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) (IBBS)

January 12, 2018 updated by: Yale University

Integrated Brain, Body and Social Intervention (IBBS) for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

The investigators are conducting this randomized trial to determine if IBBS (Integrated Brain, Body, and Social)intervention is an effective treatment for ADHD (attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) in two culturally distinct settings; Hamden and New Haven, Connecticut and Beijing, China. A subgroup of the children in the US will also participate in an EEG study before and after IBBS and will be compared to a group of typically developing children.

IBBS combines computer-presented brain exercises with a physical education curriculum, all of which is designed to be fun, as well as to enhance sustained attention, inhibitory control and other executive capacities.

IBBS is a school-based program in which groups children (composed of children with ADHD, children at risk for ADHD, and typically developing children) alternate between a classroom setting and the gymnasium four days a week for 15 weeks. These mixed age groups will be composed of children with ADHD, children at-risk for ADHD, and typically developing children. Although IBBS takes place in a group setting, the computer game component individualizes instruction to maximize benefit for each child.

During the last year of the grant, we will be introducing a pilot study of an organizational skills training (OST) that will provide individualized parent and child training for improved executive functioning in children randomized to the OST plus home-based program.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Purpose Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a failure to develop age-appropriate executive functions. Children with ADHD struggle to sustain and direct attention, to inhibit response to task-irrelevant stimuli and to contain and down regulate impulsive behavior. ADHD can interfere with healthy emotional and cognitive development. It often has a negative impact not only on a child's academic performance but also on peer and family relationships.

Medications are now widely used to treat ADHD in the US. However, we are evaluating another approach. Based on nearly 30-years of research by scientists at Yale and in China, our Integrated Brain, Body, and Social (IBBS) Intervention for ADHD combines computer-presented brain exercises with a physical education curriculum, all of which is designed to be fun, as well as to enhance sustained attention, inhibitory control and other executive capacities. Work by other investigators has also shown that computer exercises designed specifically to address aspects of neurocognitive dysfunction in ADHD can lead to improvements in working memory and sustained attention; however IBBS is the first intervention to combine advanced computer games with sports activities.

IBBS is a school-based program in which groups of 10 children (Kindergarten, First, and Second graders) alternate between a classroom setting (45 mins) and the gymnasium (45 mins) four days a week for 15 weeks. These mixed age groups will be composed of children with ADHD, children at-risk for ADHD, and typically developing children. Although IBBS takes place in a group setting, the computer game component individualizes instruction to maximize benefit for each child.

Since the social context has a clear impact on the expression of ADHD, we have also incorporated the "Good Behavior Game" (GBG) into these group activities. The GBG is intended to facilitate group participation and to enhance co-operative interactions both in the classroom and the gymnasium. The use of the GBG is another innovative feature of IBBS. Thus far, our preliminary results have shown that IBBS leads to a fundamental increase in cognitive abilities and focused attention.

We are conducting this randomized trial to determine if IBBS is an effective treatment for ADHD in two culturally distinct settings; Hamden, Connecticut and Beijing, China. A subgroup of the children in Hamden and New Haven will also participate in an EEG study before and after IBBS. Typically Developing Children will also be recruited from the community for the optional EEG study in order to ensure that the comparison group is well-matched with regard to age, gender, and intelligence quotient (IQ) to those children with ADHD who have already participated in the EEG study.

During the last year of the grant, we will be introducing a pilot study of an organizational skills training (OST) curriculum for parents and children. We ultimately aim to create a treatment for wide clinical application that can address primary pathology, promote more active and more complete neural development, and normalize developmental interactions with the environment. The treatment will be an aggressive early intervention at the time the relevant brain regions and systems are actively developing and clinical symptoms are first appearing.

We hypothesize in relation to clinical outcomes in the randomized controlled trial that:

  1. Children receiving IBBS as after school program will show significantly greater improvement than children receiving treatment as usual in parent and teacher symptom ratings and laboratory tests of cognition.
  2. Children's EEG data will be sensitive to the effects of IBBS.
  3. Children receiving OST plus the home-based IBBS program will show significantly greater improvement than children receiving the home-based IBBS program alone.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

117

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

    • Beijing
      • Beijing, Beijing, China
        • Peking University
      • Beijing, Beijing, China
        • Capital Medical University
    • Connecticut
      • Hamden, Connecticut, United States, 06517
        • Hamden Public Schools
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06520
        • Yale Child Study Center
      • New Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06520
        • Department of Psychiatry, Yale University

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

5 years to 10 years (CHILD)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Boys and girls between 5 and 10 years of age, inclusive.
  • Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-IV Diagnosis of ADHD (definite, probable, possible) based on a best estimate diagnosis using all available information.
  • IQ of greater or equal to 80 on the Abbreviated IQ Test
  • Currently not receiving any psychotropic medication or on a stable dose of medication prescribed for ADHD (psychostimulants, alpha agonists, atomoxetine, modafinil) for > 4 weeks.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • English is a secondary language
  • Current DSM-IV diagnosis requiring alternative treatment, e.g., Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder, or a psychotic disorder.
  • Presence of serious behavioral problems (tantrums, aggression, self-injury) for which another treatment is warranted or which could be too disruptive of the group treatment settings.
  • Significant medical condition or injury identified by school personnel (that would normally identify these issues such as the school nurse, physical education teacher, or child's primary pediatrician) that would prohibit or limit the child's ability to perform the physical activity component of the IBBS (e.g. uncontrolled asthma or a musculoskeletal injury or condition.)
  • Any restrictions that have been previously identified by the child's pediatrician to school personnel will, of course, be followed.
  • Children with conditions normally prohibiting exercise will be excluded.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: TREATMENT
  • Allocation: RANDOMIZED
  • Interventional Model: PARALLEL
  • Masking: SINGLE

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
EXPERIMENTAL: IBBS
Combination of computer-presented brain exercises with a physical education curriculum designed to enhance sustained attention, inhibitory control and other executive capacities. Groups of 10 students incorporating the Good Behavior Game. Two-hour sessions four days a week: classroom with computers (45-60 mins) plus sports activities in the gymnasium (45-60 mins) extending over a total 15 weeks (60 sessions).
Combination of computer-presented brain exercises with a physical education curriculum designed to enhance sustained attention, inhibitory control and other executive capacities. Groups of 10 students incorporating the Good Behavior Game. Two-hour sessions four days a week: classroom with computers (45-60 mins) plus sports activities in the gymnasium (45-60 mins) extending over a total 15 weeks (60 sessions).
NO_INTERVENTION: Treatment as Usual (TAU)
Whatever care arrangement the parents have arranged for their child during the same two hour period over the same 15 week period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Improvement in ADHD Severity From Baseline to End of Intervention
Time Frame: End of intervention is at a maximum of 15 weeks from baseline.
ADHD severity was measured by the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham Rating Scale (SNAP)-IV-ADHD consists of 18 items that closely parallel in wording the diagnostic symptoms for ADHD as they appear in the DSM-IV. The range of scores are from 0 to 54. Higher scores indicate greater ADHD severity . The blinded assessors (Clinicians) used clinical judgement to provide an overall rating, based on all available information from the parents, teachers, and the assessors' own direct interactions with the child on the day of the assessment.
End of intervention is at a maximum of 15 weeks from baseline.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Overall Improvement
Time Frame: 15 weeks for a total of 60 IBBS sessions vs. treatment as usual (TAU)
Clinical Global Improvement Scale (CGI-I) - responders vs. non-responders. CGI is a seven point scale with the following anchor point: 1=Very Much Improved, 2=Much Improved, 3=Improved, 4=No change, 5=Minimally worse, 6=Much worse, 7=Very much worse. Participants with a score of 1, 2, or 3 at Endpoint were considered Responders; all others were considered non-responders.
15 weeks for a total of 60 IBBS sessions vs. treatment as usual (TAU)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start

March 1, 2012

Primary Completion (ACTUAL)

July 1, 2016

Study Completion (ACTUAL)

July 1, 2016

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 23, 2012

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 1, 2012

First Posted (ESTIMATE)

March 2, 2012

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (ACTUAL)

January 17, 2018

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

January 12, 2018

Last Verified

January 1, 2018

More Information

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

3
Subscribe