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Assessing Culturally Different Students for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Using Behavior Rating Scales

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Abstract

Behavior rating scales are commonly used in the assessment of attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, there is little information available concerning the extent to which scales are valid with culturally different students. This study explored the use of the ADHD-IV Rating Scale School Version with male Caucasian (CA) and African American (AA) students from ages 5 to 18 years. Teachers rated AA students higher on all symptoms across all age groups. LISREL analysis indicated that scale does not perform identically across groups. This was supported by the results of multidimensional scaling with suggested that there is a different relation between items across groups. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Special Education and Communication Disorders, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, Nebraska

    Robert Reid

  2. School Psychology Program, Lehigh University, Lehigh, Pennsylvania

    George J. DuPaul

  3. University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

    Thomas J. Power

  4. Psychology Department, University of North Carolina-Greensboro, North Carolina

    Arthur D. Anastopoulos

  5. Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Wichita State University, Wichita, Kansas

    Diana Rogers-Adkinson

  6. Department of Special Education, Saint Cloud State University, Saint Cloud, Minnesota

    Mary-Beth Noll

  7. Department of Professional Studies, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

    Cynthia Riccio

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  1. Robert Reid
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  2. George J. DuPaul
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  3. Thomas J. Power
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  4. Arthur D. Anastopoulos
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  5. Diana Rogers-Adkinson
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  6. Mary-Beth Noll
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  7. Cynthia Riccio
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Reid, R., DuPaul, G.J., Power, T.J. et al. Assessing Culturally Different Students for Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Using Behavior Rating Scales. J Abnorm Child Psychol 26, 187–198 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022620217886

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1022620217886

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