Diagnoses of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder from Parent R Predict Diagnoses Based on Teacher Reports

For DSM-III attention deficit disorder (ADD), it was previously reported that, when a parent report leads to a diagnosis of ADD, it is highly likely that the teacher report will also be positive. This report seeks to generalize that finding to DSM-III-R attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In a population of 34 children meeting clinical criteria for DSM-III-R ADHD, parents and teachers independently responded to questions about individual ADHD symptoms. Correlations between parents and teachers for individual symptoms were low to moderate; however, there was a 77% probability that the teacher report would result in a positive diagnosis given a positive parent diagnosis. This probability increased to 88% if “broad” teacher diagnoses of ADHD, defined by 35% of the 14 DSM-III-R symptoms, were included. In clinically-referred children, a clinical diagnosis of ADHD based on parent report is likely to be corroborated by a teacher report.