Date of Award

2013

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Psychology

Abstract

ADHD is one of the most frequently diagnosed childhood disorders in the United States today; however, diagnostic specificity remains challenging. Accepted models of ADHD routinely highlight the role of executive function (EF) deficits as a core feature of ADHD. However, performance based measures of EF do not consistently discriminate between ADHD and no-ADHD clinical groups. Research has supported use of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) in discriminating between ADHD and no-ADHD and between subtypes. However, EF deficits can occur for various reasons. Broad range behavior rating scales help identify areas of behavioral concern that may aid clinicians in understanding EF deficits. The purpose of this study was to assess whether using the BRIEF in combination with the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) would better discriminate ADHD from no-ADHD in a clinical population than either measure alone. Participants included 115 children referred to an ADHD evaluation clinic. Contrary to hypotheses, a combination of scales from the BRIEF and BASC-2 did not result in higher diagnostic classification as compared to each measure alone. The best classification rate was found when combining the BRIEF-Behavior Regulation-parent and BRIEF-Metacognitive Index-teacher. This finding is in congruence with best practice guidelines that recommend using multiple raters when assessing for ADHD.

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