Functional Individualized Therapy for Teenagers With Executive Deficits: A Pilot Study

OBJECTIVE:Adolescents who have executive function deficit (EFD) profiles struggle to participate effectively in everyday life, creating a gap in age-expected functioning between them and their peers. This study evaluated the results of an 8-week program of Functional Individualized Therapy for Teenagers with EFDs (FITTED), a metacognitive occupation-based intervention to help adolescents to achieve everyday life goals.
METHODS:Phase 1 screened for the study group (41 adolescents with EFD profiles, 10–14 years old) with Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) parent and self-reports and WebNeuro assessments. Phase 2 implemented the FITTED program in the study group with a cohort design. Participants rated their performance and satisfaction with everyday life goals preintervention, postintervention, and at 3-month follow-up.
RESULTS:Parent reports showed significant differences between pre- and postintervention findings on the BRIEF emotional control scale and between postintervention and follow-up findings on the initiation and plan-organize scales. Significant differences were noted from pre- to postintervention findings for self-reported performance and satisfaction (p < .001), but none were found between posttest and follow-up findings.
CONCLUSION:The FITTED program improved performance and satisfaction with everyday life goals over time. It may be suitable for clinical use among adolescents with EFD profiles. Limitations included a small sample and the use of a single study group. Future studies could evaluate the effectiveness of this program relative to other interventions.