Panel Discussion 8 - Dissemination of an Evidence-based Program for College Students with ADHD: Challenges and Lessons Learned

A decade ago, the field began to witness a palpable increase in the number of reports describing the development and pilot testing of cognitive-behavioral interventions for college students with Attention-Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Although findings from these investigations have been promising, questions remain with respect to how research-based, campus-specific programs can be initiated, delivered, and sustained in real world college settings where resources and staffing may be limited, and student enrollments are diverse.
Accessing Campus Connections and Empowering Student Success - is a research-based program based on cognitive-behavioral principles designed to give college students with ADHD the knowledge and skills necessary for academic, personal, and social success. Published findings lend support to its: (1) efficacy in bringing about improvements in academic, personal, and social functioning; and (2) conceptual foundation.

As pandemic restrictions eased, numerous conversations were conducted with individuals interested in implementing ACCESS, including campus-based staff and off-campus professionals working with ADHD populations. Emerging from these discussions were innovative models for: (1) in-person and/or online delivery of ACCESS, (2) a two-day training sequence that allows college staff to create and sustain ACCESS programs on their own campuses, including HBCUs; (3) training off-campus professionals to incorporate ACCESS into their services for college students with ADHD; and (4) adaptations of ACCESS for use with other populations, including those with Autism Spectrum features.

In addition to ACCESS staff, individuals from diverse universities and state agencies involved in the above activities will discuss: the challenges they have faced; how these challenges were addressed; their appraisal of the need for and sustainability of such services; and the successful collaborations formed between the research team and campus administrators and support staff. Although discussed in the context of the ADHD population. lessons learned from these experiences are applicable to others interested in bringing clinical research findings into real world settings.