Daily Report Card Intervention and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Single-Case Studies

Abstract

The daily report card (DRC) is a commonly employed behavioral intervention for treating attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in schools. Much of the support for the DRC comes from single-case studies, which have traditionally received less attention than group studies. This lack of attention to single-case studies results in an incomplete review of the literature for this intervention. The present study utilized meta-analytic techniques to examine the DRC as used in single-case studies, with moderating variables explored through hierarchical linear modeling. Fourteen articles, including data on 40 single-subject cases, were included in the analyses. Effect sizes generally illustrated improvement with use of the DRC, with some differences across methods of effect size estimation. Study quality and class type moderated outcomes. Overall, the present study supports the use of the DRC with students who have ADHD, and it provides guidance for using single-case studies in meta-analyses of intervention effects.