A developmental index using the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children: implications for the diagnosis and nature of ADHD.
The possible utility of Wechsler's Deterioration Index (WDI) in analyzing children's Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) results was explored in this study. Clinical records of children with learning disabilities (LD) and children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were reviewed to determine if the WDI predicted the presence or severity of the disorders. The ages of the children ranged from 6 to 14. In two independent samples of children with LD (n = 35 and n = 26), the WDI did not predict LD status or severity. The LD samples were mostly male--85% and 57%, respectively. However, the WDI scores did significantly distinguish children with ADHD (n = 10) from nondisabled children (n = 10). The results were cross-validated on an independent sample of children with ADHD (n = 17) when compared to non-ADHD children (n = 22) who experienced significant behavioral difficulties. The ADHD samples were also mostly male--90% and 89%, respectively. The WDI classified only 59% of the children with ADHD and 86% of the non-ADHD children correctly. It is recommended that the WDI be considered a developmental index rather than a deterioration index in children. It is also recommended that significant WDI elevation (greater than .20) be considered to raise the question of ADHD, rather than simply yielding a diagnosis of ADHD.
Bowers
T G
TG
Department of Behavioral Science, Penn State Harrisburg, Middletown 17057.
Risser
M G
MG
Suchanec
J F
JF
Tinker
D E
DE
Ramer
J C
JC
Domoto
M
M
D000124:Achievement; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D007859:Learning Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D011594:Psychometrics; D014888:Wechsler Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*