Attachment Development and Learning in ADHD: The role of Dopamine

Who can take part

• Voluntary written informed consent of the participant or their legally authorized representative has been obtained prior to any screening procedures
• Children aged 8-12 years, currently attending elementary school
• A prior diagnosis of ADHD, which is again confirmed in routine clinical care with a structured diagnostic interview (K-SADS; (Kaufman et al., 1997)) before the start of the PCT
• Initiation of pharmacological treatment with methylphenidate (MPH) within the past 0-12 months, in accordance with evidence-based Flemish/Dutch guidelines (Emmers et al., 2023; Zorgpad ADHD, n.d.), via a 5-week double-blind, placebo-controlled titration (PCT) procedure as implemented in routine clinical practice. During this PCT, the child was identified as a responder, and an optimal dose of short-acting MPH (SA-MPH) was established. Between completion of the PCT and study start, adjustments in dosage and/or formulation (e.g., switch to long-acting MPH) may have occurred, based on clinical evaluation of therapeutic (side) effects by the treating child psychiatrist at the ADHD clinic of UZ Leuven
• Fluency in Dutch of the child and its primary caregiver

Who cannot take part

• Stimulant medication use (e.g., Ritalin, Equasym) less than 32 hours prior to testing at time points 1 or 2. Children will be asked to refrain from using stimulant medication for at least 32 hours before each testing session
• Current participation in any form of family therapy, mediation, or parenting program at the time of either testing session (T1 or T2), as such interventions may influence child and/or parent behavior and interaction patterns
• IQ below 70, as established through prior WISC-V-NL testing (David Wechsler, 2017)
• Formal diagnosis of co-occurring autism spectrum disorder and/or major neurological disorders, as these conditions may involve distinct learning processes relating to attachment (Odent et al., 2021)
• Use of non-stimulant psychopharmacological treatments (e.g., atomoxetine, antidepressants, antipsychotics, guanfacine, bupropion), with the exception of melatonin, to allow for a controlled comparison of attachment-related measures under stimulant medication versus no-medication conditions, without the potential confounding influence of other psychotropic agents
• Participation in another interventional trial involving an investigational medicinal product (IMP) or device