Factors Influencing Teacher Acceptability of Evidence-Based Interventions for the Treatment of ADHD

Abstract

The current study examined ratings of teacher-rated acceptability of three evidence-based interventions commonly used for children diagnosed with ADHD. Teachers (n = 170) from five suburban elementary schools were asked to rate each of the following interventions: pharmacological treatment, home-school communication programs, and token economy/response cost techniques. In addition, teacher factors were examined as potential predictors of intervention acceptability and included: type of certification, amount of training specific to students with ADHD, number of students taught with ADHD, total years of teaching experience, and perceived systems support necessary for intervention implementation. Results indicated the home-school communication program received the highest ratings of intervention acceptability. Examination of teacher factors revealed special educators reported higher rates of acceptability for pharmacological treatment and token economy/response cost interventions in comparison to general educators. Further, findings demonstrated lower levels of perceived systems support necessary for intervention implementation predicted higher rates of acceptability in the home-school communication intervention. The opposite relation, however, was observed in the token economy/response cost intervention, as greater perceived systems support necessary for intervention implementation predicted greater acceptability. Findings are discussed within the context of previous research and potential applications for school professionals.