The Conners scales as a test to evaluate ADHD

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most talked about conditions in recent times. This allows parents and teachers to be alert when detecting cases in minors, but when making a diagnosis it is necessary to use useful and reliable standardized instruments such as the Conners scales.

This resource allows us to determine the presence or absence of certain behaviors and manifestations typical of ADHD. Thus, based on the frequency of appearance and the relevance of these symptoms, it is concluded whether or not this neurodevelopmental disorder exists. In fact, Such measures are the most used instruments in the evaluation of ADHD. (Amador et al.2002).

What are Conners scales?

These scales are a series of psychometric evaluations designed to detect the possible presence of ADHD. They were created by the doctor in psychology C. Keith Conners in 1969. And, although initially his objective was to measure the impact of pharmacological treatment in hyperactive children, they soon began to be used in the evaluation prior to treatment.

The basis of this tool is hetero-observation. In other words, collects information provided by parents and teachers, who are the figures who spend the most time with the child and best know their typical behavior. They list a series of statements that describe the main symptoms of ADHD and these adults respond with how frequently they are present in the child.

We find, then, two main versions of the Conners scales: the scale for parents and the scale for teachers. Besides, each of them is presented in two formats (original and abbreviated), so in total we have 4 instruments. However, there is also a self-report scale for older children and adolescents.

How are they applied?

As we said, it is the parents and teachers who record the frequency with which each behavior or symptom on the list occurs. For it, a Likert-type scale is used ranging from “not at all” or “not true” (0 points) to “a lot” or “always true” (3 points).

The number of items to complete depends on the version used, since the original scale for parents has 93 items (48 in the abbreviated version) and the teacher scale includes 39 items (28 in the abbreviated version).

According to the website of Pearson Clinicalthis evaluation tool performs an analysis in different aspects as the following:

Anxiety.Impulsivity.Hyperactivity.Executive function.Emotional indulgence.Behavioral problems.Learning problems.Peer relationships.

It can be applied to children between 6 and 18 years old and is done in a relatively short time (between 5 and 20 minutes depending on the version used).

In addition, a manual shared by the Veracruz Department of Special Education explains that, when correcting it and obtaining the scores, both the child’s age and gender are taken into account, in order to provide a reliable interpretation. By adding the scores of all the items, a measure is obtained that is compared with the corresponding reference population.

Usefulness of the Conners scales to evaluate ADHD

This instrument allows us to evaluate the presence of symptoms of hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention, as well as the presence of other behavioral or social problems and difficulties. Besides, helps the professional achieve a complete understanding of the child’s behaviors and habits and their areas of difficulty.

Not only is it a good tool screening that evaluates the presence of ADHD and approaches the diagnosis; also facilitates the development of treatment or intervention plans and allows monitoring of progress or changes (CADAH Foundation, 2013). For example, it helps determine whether the child needs to be included in special educational programs or whether medication or psychotherapeutic intervention needs to be modified.

Now, although it shows reliability and validity, apart from being a very useful evaluation tool, by itself it is not enough to establish a diagnosis (Ocampo, 2016).

In reality, the standardized scores it provides indicate how atypical the child’s behaviors are based on the reference population; but the diagnosis will come only after evaluating whether the criteria set by the DSM-V or another diagnostic manual are met.

Final recommendations

In short, if there is a suspicion that a child may have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, this is one of the first tools to use. However, it is worth knowing that has limitations. For example, certain types of ADHD occur with masking of symptoms that makes their detection more difficult (Walters, 2018).

Furthermore, it is always important to review the personal history of each patient and conduct a clinical interview to complete the information, in order to avoid errors. Despite this, the Conners scales are a useful and reliable alternative that facilitate the diagnosis, treatment and supervision of ADHD.

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