School-Based Social Skills Interventions for Youth With ADHD: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Objective Children and adolescents frequently struggle with social skills performance in academic settings, which can negatively impact quality of life. As such, social skills training is frequently recommended; however, the effectiveness of school-based social skills training has not been synthesized. As such, the purpose of the current study was to evaluate the empirical evidence pertaining to both stand-alone and multimodal school-based social skills programs for students with ADHD, and to assess the effects of potential moderating variables. Method: A systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted of studies between the years of 1975 and 2023 following the recommendations of the Cochrane Foundation and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA). Results: Seventeen studies, single-case, within group, and between-group designs met the established inclusion criteria, with 10 included in the meta-analysis. The findings revealed small to large effects; however, the overall meta-analytic effect size was negligible (ES = 0.09). The differences in social skills approaches, intensity, parent involvement, and setting did not moderate the effects. Conclusion: These findings underscore the necessity for ongoing exploration and refinement of social skills interventions tailored for youth with ADHD.