title: The reliability and validity of the English and Spanish Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD and Normal behavior rating scales in a preschool sample: continuum measures of hyperactivity and inattention.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the reliability and validity of the English and Spanish versions of the Strengths and Weaknesses of ADHD-symptom and Normal-behavior (SWAN) rating scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  Parents of preschoolers completed both a SWAN and the well-established Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) on two separate occasions over a span of 3 months; instruments were in the primary language of the family (English or Spanish).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Psychometric properties for the English and Spanish versions of the SWAN were adequate, with high internal consistency and moderate test-retest reliability. Skewness and kurtosis statistics for the SWAN were within the range expected for a normally distributed population. The SWAN also demonstrated adequate convergent and discriminant validity in correlations with the various subscales of the SDQ.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychometric properties of both the English and Spanish versions of the SWAN indicate that it is a reliable and valid instrument for measuring child attention and hyperactivity. The stability of ratings over time in this preschool sample was moderate, which may reflect the relative instability of these characteristics in preschool children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, University of California, Irvine, 101 Academy Way, Suite 150, Irvine, CA 92617, USA. klakes@uci.edu
authors.forename: Kimberley D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Lakes
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Swanson
authors.forename: Matt
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Riggs
mesh_terms: D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006948:Hyperkinesis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index