Evaluating Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Using Multiple Informants: The Incremental Utility of Combining Teacher With Parent Reports

In a sample of students referred to a school-based Pupil Assistance Committee, the Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity factors of the Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Rating Scale-IV were used to predict diagnostic status, determined by a parent-reported diagnostic interview and teacher rating scale. Results of logistic regression and receiver operating curve analyses indicated that the Inattention and Hyperactivity-Impulsivity factors differentiated students with ADHD from controls and distinguished children with different ADHD subtypes. Symptom utility estimates demonstrated that a single informant approach was best suited for ruling out ADHD, whereas a combined informant method was optimal for positively diagnosing this disorder. Methods for determining the incremental utility of combining teacher with parent reports were demonstrated.