MULTIMETHOD ASSESSMENT OF ATTENTION-DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER - THE DIAGNOSTIC UTILITY OF CLINIC-BASED TESTS

Investigated the utility of two clinic-based tests, the Matching Familiar Figures Test (MFFT; Kagan, 1966) and a version of the Continuous Performance Test (CPT; Gordon, 1983), in the assessment of children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). At a group level of analysis, scores on the CPT and MFFT were found to share little variance with parent and teacher report on several behavior rating scales used to evaluate ADHD. Further, clinic test scores, either alone or in combination, resulted in classification decisions that frequently disagreed with a diagnosis of ADHD based on parent interview and behavior-rating-scale data. The limited utility of currently available tests in the evaluation of ADHD suggests the need to develop clinic-based measures of sufficient ecological validity, which can be used in conjunction with parent and teacher report.