CBC, ADHD, & Homework: A Case Study

1. CBC, ADHD, & Homework:A Case Study The Case of “Jared” • 15 year old, 9th grade male with history of BD classification in 6th grade and medications for ADHD (not current at the time of CBC) • Low to middle SES dual parent family in a rural farming community • Youngest of 3 boys, all with ADHD diagnoses • History of alcoholism in family • Public high school with 800 students from surrounding communities

2. The Case of Jared:Background Information • Teachers’ perceptions of Jared very negative (“I can’t stand him in my classroom;” “He needs to be in a classroom for BD kids”) • Mom very concerned about Jared being placed in BD classroom • Parents and teachers had parallel concerns about • Jared not getting what was needed from each other (structure at home, attention in class) • Disruptive behaviors interfering with demonstration of skills • Failure to communicate about schoolwork

3. The Case of Jared:Behavioral Concerns Presenting Behaviors: • School: Disruptive, out of seat, lack of productivity, rudeness, disrespect toward teachers • Home: Failure to bring homework home, rarely initiated homework Target Behaviors for CBC: • School: In-seat work completion, sitting quietly, raising hand when necessary • Home: Bring homework home and initiate by 8 pm

4. The Case of Jared:Intervention Issues for CBC • Multi-component intervention developed to increase continuity between home and school: • Home-note system (increased communication) • Self-monitoring (in-school and out-of-school behaviors) • Positive reinforcement (allowance tied to work completion) • Adult support (regular check-in with teachers, parent, and consultant) • Intervention initially implemented across 2 academic subjects; ultimately implemented across 4 subject areas

5. The Case of Jared:Process Issues for CBC • Prior to CBC, little communication occurred between parent and teachers • There was a history of negativity between parent and teachers • Parent and teachers seemed to hold each other responsible for problems • There was an obvious a lack of clarity about academic expectations

6. The Case of Jared:Strategies Used by Consultant • Drawing distinct similarities across settings • Structuring an intervention that required cooperation and communication across parties • Increasing responsibility for successful outcomes by including all participants, including Jared, in CBC and in the plan • Making the problem solving process overt

7. The Case of Jared:Behavioral Outcomes Behavioral Focus: • Goals were achieved at home and at school • Jared began bringing his homework home and behaved appropriately in the classroom • His math teacher reported that “Jared is right where we want him” • Jared began to come in after school for help; teachers reported increased motivation • His grades improved from 4 D’s to 3 A’s and one D

8. Percentage of Nights Per Week Jared Completed Homework Treatment Baseline Percentage of Nights Per Week Jared Completed Homework 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Weeks

9. The Case of Jared:Relational Outcomes Relational Focus: • Jared’s parents and teachers viewed each other in a more positive light as both had fulfilled their responsibilities as consultees • The teachers were able to see an obvious change in behavior and appreciated Jared as a student; agreed that a BD resource room placement was unnecessary • Jared’s mother came to see her son as having academic potential as his grades improved

10. The Case of Jared:General Outcomes • Parent and teachers shared in the ownership of defining the problem and developing an intervention, but Jared took responsibility for problem solution • Teachers began making positive comments about Jared • Mom and teacher reported satisfaction with knowing more about work and expectations • Generalization to other settings/academic subjects began to further increase shared responsibility