A brief DSM-IV-referenced teacher rating scale for monitoring behavioral improvement in ADHD and co-occurring symptoms.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the psychometric properties of the 30-item teacher's version of the Child and Adolescent Symptom Inventory Progress Monitor (CASI-PM-T), a DSM-IV-referenced rating scale for monitoring change in ADHD and co-occurring symptoms in youths receiving behavioral or pharmacological interventions.


METHODS
Three separate studies were conducted to determine (a) which items from longer diagnostic instruments were most representative of ADHD and commonly occurring psychiatric syndromes in clinic-referred samples ( N = 406) aged between 3 and 18 years, (b) the reliability and validity of the CASI-PM-T in students enrolled in full-time special education programs at the elementary and middle school levels (N = 169), and (c) the clinical utility of measuring behavioral change in a sample of outpatient ADHD children beginning treatment with stimulant medication.


RESULTS
Internal consistency reliabilities (.71-.94), 2-week test-retest reliabilities (r = .70-.90), and interrater agreement (r = .44-.78) for the CASI-PM-T symptom categories were comparable to the full-length CASI-4. Convergence was also found between corresponding CASI-PM-T categories and consultant diagnoses of ADHD and ODD as well as school functioning measures of grade-point average and suspensions. The CASI-PM-T also demonstrated sensitivity to stimulant medication treatment effects.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings provide preliminary support for the reliability, validity, and clinical utility of the CASI-PM-T.
Putnam Hall-South Campus, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY 11794-8790, USA. joyce.sprafkin@stonybrook.edu
Joyce
J
Sprafkin
Richard E
RE
Mattison
Kenneth D
KD
Gadow
Jayne
J
Schneider
John V
JV
Lavigne
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D002648:Child; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005178:Faculty; D006801:Humans; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013663:Teaching; D016896:Treatment Outcome