[Parent training for parents of children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) does not improve the behavior of children with both high-functioning pervasive developmental disorder and AD/HD].

OBJECTIVE: Parent training (PT) has been developed as psychotherapy for parents who have children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD). We examined PT for parents who have a child diagnosed with a combination of high functioning pervasive developmental disorders (HFPDD) and AD/HD. METHOD: PT was used on parents with children with HFPDD + AD/HD and with children with AD/HD. The effects of PT were evaluated by the behaviors of children and the well-being of parents indicated by The Home Situation Questionnaire and the Subjective WellBeing Inventory, respectively. RESULTS: PT did not improve the behaviors of children with HFPDD + AD/HD. PT did not improve the well-being of parents as indicated by the Subjective Well-Being Inventory. In contrast, PT did improve the behaviors of children with AD/HD and their well-being. CONCLUSIONS: This study indicated that PT developed for AD/HD may not be applied to parents with a child diagnosed with a combination of HFPDD and AD/HD. A new strategy is expected for parents who have a child with HFPDD + AD/HD.