Can parent training tame ADHD in preschoolers? new study investigates
NCT ID NCT04627415
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Jun 26, 2026
Summary
This study tests whether a behavioral parent education program (PEAK) can help reduce ADHD symptoms in 180 children aged 3 to 5 who show early signs of the condition. Parents will receive the training either face-to-face or online, and researchers will compare outcomes to a waitlist group. The goal is to see if teaching parents specific strategies improves child behavior, parenting skills, and family stress levels.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Behavioral parent education program (PEAK)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could provide an effective early intervention for young children at risk of ADHD, reducing symptoms and improving parent-child relationships.
- What could go wrong
- This is an early-stage trial with 180 participants, so results may not apply to all families. The intervention relies on parent engagement, which can vary widely.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 180 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Sep 2020
- Expected to finish
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Dec 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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3 to 5 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * 3- to 5.11-year old children with clinically significant symptoms of ADHD. * Children had to have met DSM-5 criteria for one of the three presentations of ADHD based on clinical interview and parent and teacher behavior ratings, including parent and teacher report of elevated levels of impairment at home and school (i.e., score greater than 90th percentile on one or more Conners Early Childhood Rating Scale subscales relevant to ADHD). Exclusion Criteria: * A diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), pervasive developmental disorder, intellectual disability, neurological damage, or significant motor or physical impairments. * Children needed to be enrolled in a pre-school or day care setting at least 2 days a week unless otherwise unable to enroll (e.g. behavioral problems, lack of services for unrelated disability) in order to establish the presence of symptoms across two settings.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Lehigh University
RECRUITINGBethlehem, Pennsylvania, 18015, United States
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
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