Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Tests

Abstract

The following entry reviews three prominent assessment tools utilized in the diagnosis and monitoring of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. These instruments include the ADD-H: Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale (ACTeRS), the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES), and the Attention Test Linking Assessment and Services (ATLAS). ACTeRS is a concise teacher-administered rating scale for students in grades K-8, focusing on four factors: Attention, Hyperactivity, Social Skills, and Oppositional Behavior. ADDES provides both School and Home versions, gathering data from teachers and parents across constructs defined in the DSM-III: inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. ATLAS represents a comprehensive, multi-component assessment system designed for children and adolescents aged 8 to 18, integrating performance assessments, interviews, and rating scales from a biopsychosocial perspective.

Keywords

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, ADHD, ACTeRS, ADDES, ATLAS, teacher rating scale, parent rating scale, hyperactivity, inattention, impulsivity, psychometric properties, differential diagnosis, biopsychosocial assessment

Authors

The specific authors for the ACTeRS, ADDES, and ATLAS scales were not provided in the source material. Academic reviews referenced include those by Miller, Oehler-Stinnett, Collins, Olejnik, Chittooran, Meadows, and Grady.

Purpose

The primary purpose of these instruments is the evaluation, diagnosis, and monitoring of treatment efficacy for Attention Deficit Disorders in school-age populations. The ACTeRS is specifically designed as a practical, easy-to-use tool for teachers to monitor treatment and aid in the diagnosis of Attention Deficit Disorder in students from kindergarten through eighth grade.

The ADDES is intended for a broader age range (4.5 to 18 years) and aims to provide a more comprehensive evaluation by incorporating ratings from both parents (Home Version) and teachers (School Version). This dual perspective allows for the assessment of behavioral constructs across different situational contexts.

The ATLAS system is designed not only for diagnosis but also for differential diagnosis and the subsequent development of treatment plans for children and adolescents (8 to 18 years old). It employs a battery of assessments to link evaluation data directly to intervention strategies, offering both general classroom and advanced intervention strategies.

Construct

The ACTeRS measures 24 items related to classroom behavior, which are organized into four distinct factors: Attention, Hyperactivity, Social Skills, and Oppositional Behavior. The separation of Attention from Hyperactivity is a key feature highlighted by the authors, suggesting superior factor purity compared to older scales.

The ADDES explicitly measures three behavioral constructs of attention deficit disorders as defined in the DSM-III: inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity. The expansive item pool across both the Home (46 items) and School (60 items) versions ensures measurement across these three primary areas.

The ATLAS scale approaches ADHD from a biopsychosocial perspective, emphasizing underlying deficits in the prefrontal cortex area of the brain. While this approach aligns with a medical model, the instrument’s components also focus on observable behaviors and environmental cues, reflecting the complex interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors influencing behavioral functioning.

Validity

Validity evidence is most thoroughly reported for the ADDES. Content validity was established through rigorous reviews of ADD descriptors by diagnosticians, educators, and parents. The three-subscale construct validity was confirmed through factor analysis and supported by ratings that successfully differentiated non-ADD children from identified ADD children and youth. Additionally, convergent validity studies demonstrated positive and significant correlations between ADDES measures and similar established measures, such as the revised Conners’ Teacher and Parent Rating Scales.

The ACTeRS is noted for its factor purity and item relevance, which the authors suggest makes it preferable to the Conners’ Rating Scales. For the ATLAS, a significant limitation regarding validity is its inability to differentiate between ADHD and other disorders based solely on the performance-based assessment components.

Reliability

The ADD-H: Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale (ACTeRS) demonstrates high levels of internal consistency. Test-retest reliability coefficients range from .78 to .82 across the four subscales. However, this data was derived from a small sample size of only 80 boys and girls. Interrater reliability coefficients, based on 124 children rated by two teachers, were found to be relatively low: .61 for Attention, .73 for Hyperactivity, .51 for Social, and .59 for Oppositional subscales. These low interrater coefficients raise concerns regarding the instrument’s suitability for independent diagnostic use.

The Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES) exhibits a high degree of reliability across various parameters, including across administrations, between raters (interrater reliability), and both within and among the construct subscale areas (internal consistency).

The Attention Test Linking Assessment and Services (ATLAS) suffers from a lack of reported data. Reviewers noted that there was insufficient information provided concerning the instrument’s reliability, making it difficult to fully assess its stability and consistency.

Factor Analysis

For the ACTeRS, the 24 items are definitively arranged into four factors: Attention, Hyperactivity, Social Skills, and Oppositional Behavior. The authors specifically emphasize the value of separating the Attention factor from the Hyperactivity factor, which is supported by this structure.

For the ADDES, factor analysis was successfully utilized to confirm the theoretical three-subscale construct validity, aligning the scale items with the intended dimensions of inattention, impulsiveness, and hyperactivity as derived from the DSM-III criteria.

Instrument

Test Type: Rating Scale (ACTeRS, ADDES); Comprehensive Assessment Battery (ATLAS)

Format: ACTeRS: Paper-and-pencil and microcomputer versions (utilizing a 5-point Likert-type scale). ADDES: Separate School and Home versions. ATLAS: Multi-component system including rating scales, interviews, and performance assessments.

Language Available: Information not specified in the source content.

Population Group: Students and Youth exhibiting behaviors associated with Attention Deficit Disorders.

Age Group: ACTeRS: Grades K-8. ADDES: 4.5 to 18 years. ATLAS: 8 to 18 years.

Population Details: ACTeRS scores are converted to percentiles with separate profiles for boys and girls. ADDES raw scores are converted to standard scores using conversion tables normed to eight age-sex standardization groups (School version) and nine groups (Home version).

Test Methodology: ACTeRS relies on teacher ratings compared to classmates. ADDES relies on teacher and parent ratings. ATLAS utilizes five primary forms in its comprehensive methodology:

• Mental Health Interview Screener (administered to the parent/guardian)
• Parent/Teacher Attention Report (rating scale)
• Attention Performance Assessment
• Examiner’s Observation Report
• Client Profile Summary Report

Keywords

ADD-H, ADDES Home Version, ADDES School Version, longitudinal comparisons, interrater reliability, standardization sample, performance assessment, learning disabilities, Oppositional Behavior, Social Skills, microcomputer format

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in the source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in the source content.

Correspondence Address: Not provided in the source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Specific information regarding permissions, current fees, and the original publication year for each scale is not provided. Academic reviews of the ACTeRS and ADDES were published in 1995, suggesting revisions or publication around that time. Reviews of the ATLAS were published in 2009.

Reference’s

• Switzky, H. N., & Greenspan, S. (in press). Adaptive behavior, everyday intelligence, and the constitutive definition of mental retardation. In A. Rutatori (Ed.), Advances in special education (vol. 2). Greenwich, CT: JAi Press.
• Miller, R. J. (1995). ADD-H: Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale, Second Edition. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The twelfth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 15-17). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Miller, R. J. (1995). Review of the ADD-H: Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale, Second Edition. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The twelfth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 15-17). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Oehler-Stinnett, J. (1995). Review of the ADD-H: Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The twelfth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 17-20). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Collins, D. (1995). Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale: Home and School Version Rating Forms. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The twelfth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 38-41). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Collins, D. (1995). Review of the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The twelfth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 38-41). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Olejnik, S. (1995). Review of the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale. In J. C. Conoley & J. C. Impara (Eds.), The twelfth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 41-43). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Chittooran, M. M. (2009). Attention Test Linking Assessment and Services. In R. A. Spies, B. S. Plake, & K. F. Geisinger (Eds.), The sixteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 8-11). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Chittooran, M. M. (2009). Review of the Attention Test Linking Assessment and Services. In R. A. Spies, B. S. Plake, & K. F. Geisinger (Eds.), The sixteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 8-11). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.
• Meadows, T. J., & Grady, E. (2009). Review of the Attention Test Linking Assessment and Services. In R. A. Spies, B. S. Plake, & K. F. Geisinger (Eds.), The sixteenth mental measurements yearbook (pp. 11-14). Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements.

Items of the Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Tests

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The specific item content for the ADD-H: Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale (ACTeRS), the Attention Deficit Disorders Evaluation Scale (ADDES), and the Attention Test Linking Assessment and Services (ATLAS) was not provided in the source material.