TY - JOUR T1 - How to use: a rating score to diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder JF - Archives of disease in childhood - Education & practice edition JO - Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed SP - 159 LP - 162 DO - 10.1136/adc.2008.139766 VL - 93 IS - 5 AU - S Carter AU - H Syed-Sabir Y1 - 2008/10/01 UR - http://ep.bmj.com/content/93/5/159.abstract N2 - Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a neurodevelopmental condition where affected children have problems with attention, impulsiveness and hyperactivity. The Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: fourth edition (DSM-IV) requires the presence of at least six out of nine behavioural features that must have been present for at least 6 months, are present in all settings, had onset before the age of 7 and are causing significant distress or impairment.1 The UK prevalence is thought to be between 3% and 5%.2–4 A diagnosis of ADHD will have significant implications for education, the family setting and possible drug therapy, and therefore should be made with confidence.Box 1 Selecting a behaviour rating scale – useful questionsIs it broad band (looking at a range of child psychiatric diagnoses) or narrow band (looking to identify one or two child psychiatric diagnoses)?How long will it take a parent/teacher/child to fill in?How long will it take the clinician to score and is there accompanying computer software to aid this?How valid is the rating scale – are the sensitivities and specificities available?Are normative data available for the scale?However, a diagnosis of ADHD cannot be made quickly with a blood test, brain scan or recognition of obvious clinical signs. Rather, it requires an assessment process whereby information is gathered on the child’s behaviour and functioning in a number of settings and situations. Much of this information can be gained at a detailed clinical interview, but the use of behaviour rating scales has become common practice. This is partly because such scales allow data to be gathered in a systematic fashion often from absent parties (eg, parents not attending the clinic appointment, school teachers or support workers) in a time efficient manner. Currently, the SIGN guideline5 mentions rating scales but does not specifically comment on their … ER -