what is ACCESS

Program Description

ACCESS – Accessing Campus Connections & Empowering Student Success – is a Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) program designed to give college students with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) the knowledge and skills necessary for academic, personal, and social success.

ACCESS utilizes elements of evidence-based CBT programs for adults with ADHD (Safren et al., 2005; Solanto, 2011) that have been adapted to meet the unique developmental needs of young adults attending college.

The goals of ACCESS are to increase:

  • Knowledge of ADHD
  • Use of time management, organization, planning, and other behavioral strategies
  • Skill in recognizing maladaptive thoughts and replacing them with adaptive thinking
  • Awareness and use of campus resources (e.g., disability services, counseling)

Students who achieve these goals typically display improvements in their behavioral, executive, emotional, academic, and general life functioning.

   

Development

ACCESS was initially conceptualized, developed, and refined in an open clinical trial as part of the College STAR project (Supporting Transition Access Retention), funded by the Oak Foundation, GlaxoSmithKline, and a consortium of private foundations in Greensboro, NC. Under the direction of Dr. Arthur D. Anastopoulos (Principal Investigator, UNC Greensboro) and Dr. Joshua M. Langberg (Co-Principal Investigator, Virginia Commonwealth University), our research team recently completed a comprehensive examination of the benefits of ACCESS in the context of a four-year, randomized controlled trial study, funded by the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) in the U.S. Department of Education. Findings from both trials lend strong support to its efficacy. To assist others interested in implementing ACCESS, we have created a treatment manual, developed training videos, and published our findings in research journals.

ADHD Clinic at UNCG
1100 W. Market St., 3rd Floor
Greensboro, NC 27402
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Privacy Policy

IES Disclaimer - ACCESS is a collaborative project among faculty at UNC Greensboro and Virginia Commonwealth University. This research was supported by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences (R305A150207). The opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily reflective of the position of or endorsed by the U.S. Department of Education.