ADHD Rating Scale--IV: Checklists, Norms, and Clinical Interpretation [Spiral-bound]

Arthur D. Anastopoulos (Author), G.J. Dupaul (Author), Thomas J. Power (Author), Robert Reid (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 15, 1998

The ADHD Rating Scale-IV is a reliable and easy-to-administer instrument both for diagnosing ADHD in children and adolescents and for assessing treatment response. Containing 18 items, the scale is linked directly to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria for ADHD. This convenient 8" x 11" lay-flat manual provides three versions of the scale: a parent questionnaire on home behaviors (English), a parent questionnaire on home behaviors (Spanish), and a teacher questionnaire on classroom behaviors. Pages are formatted for easy photocopying, and permission to reproduce the scale as often as needed is included in the purchase price. This manual also incorporates the following essential features that never before have been published in full:
* Information on the scale's development and how to use it
* Scoring profiles for boys and girls aged 5-17
* Nationally representative norms for both parent and teacher ratings
* Factor analysis data and findings on reliability and validity
* Clinical interpretation guidelines for screening and and diagnosis
* Clinical interpretation guidelines for treatment evaluation
NOTE ABOUT PHOTOCOPY RIGHTS: The publisher grants individual book purchasers nonassignable permission to reproduce the rating scale in this book for clinical use with their clients. For details and limitations, see copyright page.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At Massachusetts General Hospital, we have found the ADHD Rating Scale to be extremely helpful in assessing ADHD and monitoring treatment. The scale has several advantages, including close correspondence to diagnostic criteria and relative freedom from contamination by symptoms of other disorders. DuPaul and his colleagues are to be commended for their rigorous efforts at establishing the psychometric properties of the scale and establishing standardized norms by gender and age for both parent and teacher versions." --Thomas Spencer, MD, Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School

"Psychologists working with children with ADHD need reliable and valid assessment tools to develop the best intervention programs. The ADHD Rating Scale- IV promises to provide the quality psychometric properties that will lead not only to correct diagnosis, but also to options for treatment in community and school settings. I strongly recommend this timely and important scale." --Thomas R. Kratochwill, PhD, Professor, School Psychology Program, Director, Educational & Psychological Training Center, University of Wisconson-Madison

"DuPaul and colleagues have compiled an impressive array of data on the utility of the ADHD Rating Scale-IV. Their systematic inclusion of predictive validity statistics (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive power, negative predictive power) for the Scale is quite helpful for investigators and clinicians. The clear definitions of these terms, and their applicability to clinical decision making, are highlights of the work. Most impressive are the relatively high negative predictive power figures for the Scales, meaning that clinicians may be able to effectively rule out ADHD in certain settings --an important clinical goal." --Stephen P. Hinshaw, PhD, Professor of Psychology; Director, Clinical Psychology Training Program, University of California, Berkeley

From the Publisher

NOTE ABOUT PHOTOCOPY RIGHTS: The Publisher grants individual book purchasers nonassignable permission to reproduce the rating scale in this book for clinical use with their clients. For details and limitations, see copyright page.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Spiral-bound: 80 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press (October 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1572304235
• ISBN-13: 978-1572304239
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #869,905 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valid and inexpensive ADHD rating scale., March 17, 2007

By 

Britton Miles "ADHD Counseling" (Montgomery, AL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: ADHD Rating Scale--IV: Checklists, Norms, and Clinical Interpretation (Spiral-bound)

Description: The ADHD IV Manual enables one to discover if a school-aged child or teen has ADHD. The manual includes parent and teacher rating forms for ADHD, and norms for boys and girls at different ages.

Background: ADHD is usually diagnosed using the standard for psychiatric diagnoses, the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Forth Edition" (DSM-IV). These criteria are based on and revised to reflect the most recent research. By norming the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, Professor DuPaul made the diagnosis of ADHD far easier and more reliable.

Expert Recommendation: I first bought the ADHD-IV manual when a well-known investigator on the treatment of ADHD, Russ Barkley of Harvard University, recommended the ADHD-IV checklist at the Sandestin, Florida ADHD conference in 2000.

This test costs less: Dr. DuPaul's test protocol cannot be copyrighted because he used the DSM-IV criteria as the text of this test. So, there's no additional expense for using the test beyond the purchase price of the manual. One doesn't have to pay more for extra test protocols. The SNAP and the Connors Rating Scales are good tests of ADHD, but they add a cost for protocols. The Connors Rating Scales starter kit cost from five to ten times the price of the ADHD-IV manual and requires that one pay approximately $2 for each additional form.


Drawback- the ADHD-IV has no medication scale.

Importance of medication: In the late 1990s, the Multimodal Treatment studies compared the effectiveness of every known promising treatment for ADHD, pooling subjects from many medical schools across the US. The Multimodal studies found that titrating stimulant medication was, by far, the most effective treatment for ADHD. Psychological treatments can add by further improving both treatment effectiveness and long-term results.

Limits of Medication: According to Bill Pelham of the University of Buffalo, stimulant medications appear to "normalize" ADHD children, but doesn't treat all symptoms. Carolyn Webster-Stratton of the University of Washington showed that helping these children learn to recognize emotions and to respond well to problem situations can produce an impressively better long-term outcome.

Cautions about medication: Bill Pelham (called `Mr. Ritalin' on the television-newsmagazine 20-20) said that overmedication of stimulants should be suspected if the child loses his or her sparkle. If a child diagnosed as ADHD gets worse when given stimulant medication, more easily angered or hyper, one might be wise to have the child evaluated to rule out a possible bipolar disorder. If stimulant medication increases tics or cursing, rule out Tourette's Syndrome. If medication doesn't help and the child is obsessed with specific topics, has severe interpersonal problems and tremendous difficulty recognizing the emotions of others, rule out Asperberger's Syndrome. Asperberger's is like ADHD on steroids. It has symptoms similar to that of ADHD, but to an extreme. It is quite rare, but early intervention can help.

Connors included a medication scale: The Connors Rating Scales have a subscale that measures the effect of medication on ADHD. That scale may make the Connors more useful for titrating medication. However, as noted before, the Connors Scales are much more expensive.

In summary, the ADHD-IV scale is the most cost-effective instrument available for screening for ADHD. It's derivation from the DSM-IV makes it valid and reliable. The cost of using it is limited to the price of the manual.

More information: Those who wish to learn more about ADHD rating scales might be interested in a succinct article on the topic by Dr. Jay A. Salpekar in the Summer 2006 edition of Children's National News: an electronic newsletter for pediatricians. Some other sources of reliable information on ADHD are ChADD (Children and Adults with ADHD) and the National Institute of Mental Health.

4 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars review of the "ADHD Rating Scale-IV" by George Dupaul, ed., April 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: ADHD Rating Scale--IV: Checklists, Norms, and Clinical Interpretation (Spiral-bound)

A very useful book for pediatricians and other health care professionals taking care of children. If you buy the book, you can use the forms in your practice.