Comprehensive versus matched psychosocial treatment in the MTA study: Conceptual and empirical issues

Addressed some factual inaccuracies and presented alternative positions on key issues raised in the article by Greene and Ablon (this issue) on the qu estion, " What does the Multimodal Treatment Study (MTA) tell us about effe ctive psychosocial treatment for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ( ADHD)?" The Greene and Ablon critique does not present for the reader's con sideration the full range of findings from the MTA study, notably those mos t relevant to psychosocial treatment, and articulates a theoretical positio n that effective treatment requires matching treatment to children's assess ed needs, an approach not taken in the MTA study. In this article, I presen t the the full range of findings from the MTA study related to psychosocial treatment effects, correct the misperceptions that exist about the study b ased on limited reviews such as Greene and Ablon's, and review the empirica l and experimental design issues that produced the decision by the MTA inve stigative ream to study the effects of intensive, comprehensive psychosocia l treatment. I argue that the questions asked by the MTA study about psycho social treatment were important, relevant, and were addressed well in the M TA study design.