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ADHD Assessment for Your
Child?
ADHD
Assessment: Page #1
 ADHD
assessment of your child will begin with a multisource, multimethod
approach. Usually, clinical interviews with parents and children,
supplemental information from school reports, rating scales completed
by teachers and parents, and neuropsychological test data are
frequently used. In addition, ADHD assessment frequently incorporates
the use of structured and semi structured interviews. Generally,
adults are considered to be the best informants of disruptive
behaviors in an ADHD assessment. However, children and adolescents may
also provide important data in reference to internalizing symptoms and
some of the more infrequent behavior problems such as some of the more
antisocial acts.
ADHD assessment
also utilizes rating scales to facilitate the systematic acquisition
of information about the child's behavior in different settings in a
cost-effective manner. Most of these rating scales are standardized
and provide scores that are comparable to other children (and also in
adults) in their peer group. The systematic use of these ADHD
assessment instruments helps ensure that a complete set of specific
behaviors is assessed at different points in time, to ensure the
accuracy of an attention deficit hyperactivity (ADHD) diagnosis. The
high rate of symptoms shared by other psychological diagnoses
(comorbidity) makes it absolutely essential to use these rating
scales.
There is a growing
number of rating scales used to determine whether an individual or
child has ADHD. Some of the more common ADHD assessment tools are the
Conners scales and the Achenbach scales, which are available in both
parent and teacher versions, and possess a good solid basis in
researching the norms (normal behaviors) of the specific peer groups.
The Conners Teacher’s Rating Scale-Revised (CTRS-R) is a 28-item scale
that is more for children 3 to 17 years of age. It is a good scale in
differentiating between hyperactive children and normal children
(which are clinically referred to as non-hyperactive children) and
learning-disabled children. It is also sensitive to medication
effects. The Conners Parent Rating Scale (CPRS.-R) contains 48 items
and has data supporting the scale’s ability to differentiate groups of
ADHD children from normals as well as being sensitive to the effects
of treatment. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) is a 138-item
parent report questionnaire that has been found to be useful for
children between the ages of 4 to 16 years old. This ADHD assessment
tool assesses a broad range of behavior problems and competencies and
generates T-scores for two broadband factors (i.e. internalizing and
externalizing). The CBCL is also available in the more recently
developed Teacher Report Form which is similar to the parent form and
is usually used for children aged 4 to 18 years old for the assessment
of ADHD.
ADHD assessment
tools and rating scales have several limitations and a diagnosis of
ADHD should not be based upon this data alone. Interviews by trained
mental health clinicians with children and their parents form the core
of the diagnostic process. Interviews usually follow a loosely
structured format that is flexible enough to allow for the in-depth
exploration of relevant clinical information by the clinician. It is
absolutely essential that the interviewer correctly inquire about all
of the symptoms of ADHD as there are many common comorbidities
(overlapping symptoms with other diagnosis) making it imperative that
the interview will follow a somewhat structured questioning format.
ADHD
Assessment Page #2
Some
information from DSM-IV-TR Mental Disorders Diagnosis, Etiology &
Treatment
Additional
Information and webpage by
Paul Susic
MA
Licensed Psychologist Ph.D. Candidate
(Health and Geriatric Psychologist)
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