Japanese Physicians, Psychologists Visit UB Summer Program for Children with ADHD

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- Nineteen psychologists, physicians, teachers and parent advocates from Japan are on campus this week to observe the University at Buffalo's innovative Summer Treatment Program for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and learn about state-of-the-art treatments for the disorder.

William Pelham Jr., Ph.D., director of the Summer Treatment Program and UB distinguished professor of pediatrics and psychiatry, said the visitors are involved in an effort to develop national treatment guidelines for ADHD in Japan. Their visit to UB is a continuation of Pelham's work with Japanese physicians, psychologists and educators concerned about the growing incidence of ADHD among children in that country.

A new law analogous to the U.S. Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has just been established in Japan.  Within the next year, all Japanese schools must implement special educational programs for children with ADHD, learning disabilities and autism spectrum disorders.  Several of the visitors are leading educators from centers at Hokkaido University and Osaka Medical University, which are developing programs for children with these difficulties.

A leading authority on ADHD treatment, Pelham has made two trips to Japan, most recently in November with a group of UB ADHD researchers, to help the Japanese establish treatment guidelines and set up a summer treatment program in the city of Kurume.

"The reason for hosting their visit to Buffalo is to introduce to these prominent psychologists, physicians and educators to how we treat ADHD," he says, adding that he hopes the Japanese will be less reliant than U.S. physicians and psychologists on the use of ADHD drugs when treating the disorder.

The Japanese visitors will observe children participating in the UB Summer Treatment Program's academic, sports and field-trip activities. Thirty children are enrolled through mid-August in the eight-week program, which provides intensive behavioral therapy in a summer-camp setting for children with ADHD. Another 80 children are enrolled at Buffalo's School 27 in an ADHD program modeled after the UB summer program. 

The visitors also will attend talks by Pelham and Gregory Fabiano, Ph.D., UB assistant professor of counseling, school and educational psychology, who will discuss how to involve fathers in the treatment of ADHD.

Other presentations will be made by Greta Massetti, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychology, who will discuss early childhood literacy; Lisa Burrows, Ph.D., assistant research professor of pediatrics, who will talk about parent training; Daniel Waschbush, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics, who will discuss ADHD medication; and Martin Hoffman, Ph.D., associate professor of pediatrics, who will talk about peer relationships.

Pelham and other faculty in UB's Center for Children and Families are beginning four new major studies on treatment of ADHD: one involving early intervention with behavior modification, one involving the sequencing of medication and behavior modification, one involving ways of improving individualized educational plans in school settings, and another involving the combination of medication and behavior modification.  The studies involve nearly 300 children, ages 5-12, and are funded by the National Institute of Mental Health, the U.S. Institute of Education Sciences and a pharmaceutical company.

Although most of the current studies focus on non-pharmacological interventions, the UB group led by Pelham conducted the initial trials on ADHD drugs Concerta, Adderall and Daytrana, and has conducted many clinical trials involving other ADHD medication.