His brief is to continue research with children identified at their three-year developmental check as showing early symptoms of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD). This follow-up will attempt to trace the families who failed to engage, or failed to continue with the programme then on offer.
Seven years on, what has happened to them? Dr Daly says, 'I would like to believe that all of these children engaged in some sort of spontaneous recovery. Sadly, I think that is probably not the case.'
Of the initial 1995 screening of 4,500 children in the New Forest area, a final sample of 78 were offered a place on the parenting programme and the mothers were offered home-based, individual therapy, at times which best suited them (often in evening sessions). Yet still many gave up.
This study will look much more closely at the reasons behind that - so far, all Dr Daly's team have to go on are comments offered in the single follow-up phone call that researchers were permitted to make on the original study.
One recurring explanation is the 'magic wand' effect - mothers co-operated with a couple of sessions, didn't see immediate results, and so decided not to stick with it for the 15 weeks or so which would have made a substantial difference.
Another frequent explanation is the father's lack of support - and if the mother chose to use newly learned parenting techniques, that put the child on the receiving end of even more inconsistent parental care, exacerbating behavioural problems.
Mothers who did not take part at all would argue that their child's behaviour was not a problem. 'A lot of mothers said they were confident that their own child's problem was not a development risk, that they could handle it,' said Dr Daly. 'Crucially, should we be worried, or are they just sensible mothers who know they don't need the help?'
His own estimation is that even those who fail to stay the course have better prospects of eventual recovery than those families who choose never to take part at all. This could be partly because early intervention flags up the child as in need of help, or eventually motivates the mother to try to solve her own difficulties (often depression), if not immediately, then some time down the line.
But Dr Daly accepts that many parents just did not believe intervention would do any good. 'A lot of parents said they didn't see how it would work. So a lot of this has to do with challenging the stereotype that there is nothing you can do about AD/HD. It is a huge step to get parents to realise they can take control of their child's behaviour and improve it.'
