Usefulness of a clinician rating scale in identifying preschool children with ADHD.
OBJECTIVE
To ascertain the psychometric properties and clinical utility of the Behavioral Rating Inventory for Children (BRIC), a novel clinician inventory for preschoolers.


METHODS
Completion of the BRIC for 214 preschoolers follows 2 evaluation sessions, generally separated by less than 2 weeks. Items are submitted to a Principal Components Analysis (PCA) with Varimax rotation. Test-retest reliability and validity relative to other measures are assessed.


RESULTS
PCA yields a 2-factor solution representing a "Symptom Triad" and a "Mood/Sociability Factor." Test-retest reliability of the triad and factor are .78 (p <.001) and .55 (p < .001), respectively. Correlations between parent and teacher ratings of ADHD-related behaviors and the Symptom Triad range from .39-.47 (all p <.001); similar correlations are found with laboratory measures of activity level (r = .35-.49, all p <.001).


CONCLUSIONS
The Symptom Triad of the BRIC appears to be a reliable and valid tool that may assist researchers and clinicians in studying and diagnosing ADHD in preschoolers, particularly in cases where teacher ratings are unavailable. J. of Att. Dis. 2010; 13(5) 479-488.
Gopin
Chaya
C
City University of New York, USA.
Healey
Dione
D
Castelli
Katia
K
Marks
David
D
Halperin
Jeffrey M
JM
D000339:Affect / Q000502:physiology; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D025341:Principal Component Analysis; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000592:standards*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012919:Social Behavior; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires