Date of Award
Fall 2016
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
First Advisor
Gerdes, Alyson C.
Second Advisor
Torres, Lucas
Third Advisor
Saunders, Stephen
Abstract
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a common disorder beginning in childhood, with related symptoms and impairment across settings often persisting into adolescence and adulthood if effective treatment is not provided (Bernardi et al., 2012). Therefore, the early and accurate assessment and diagnosis of ADHD is critical. While the prevalence of ADHD symptomatology has been found to be consistent between Latinos and European Americans (Morgan, Hillemeir, Farkas, & Maczuga, 2014), there is little research on the best practices for assessing ADHD in Latinos. The current study sought to examine the incremental clinical utility of two parent- and teacher-report measures of ADHD symptomatology and functional impairment used to assess ADHD in a sample of Latino children. A sample of Latino schoolchildren (N=53) was recruited to participate in the current study, along with their primary parents and teachers; a comprehensive ADHD assessment was conducted for each participant. Results suggest that teachers in the current sample had a higher rate of agreement with final clinical judgment than did parents in the current sample. Additionally, results suggest that parent- and teacher-reports of functional impairment did not add incremental utility in predicting ADHD diagnostic status, beyond that of parent- and teacher-reports of ADHD symptomatology; follow-up analyses suggest why this may be the case. Lastly, results suggest that teacher-reports of ADHD symptoms and functional impairment added incremental utility in predicting ADHD diagnostic status, beyond parent-reports of ADHD symptoms and functional impairment. Clinical implications of these findings will be discussed.