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Convergent validity of three measures of attention-hyperactivity disorder among children with food allergies

University of British Columbia

The aim of the present study was to determine the convergent validity of three instruments thought to assess attention deficits and hyperactivity in children. The Freedom from Distractibility factor from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised, The Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire and the Gordon Diagnostic System were the instruments chosen for the investigation as they are thought to measure attention deficits across a variety of settings and by different means. To examine the relationship, responses were collected for 36 children (26 males, 10 females) in Grades 1 to 7 attending schools in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia and who according to parent reports exhibited behavior patterns similar to the descriptions needed for the diagnosis of Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity Disorder. Results of the analyses are inclusive and need to be followed up in subsequent research. The WISC-R provides a valid and reliable measure of general cognitive ability. Two subtests from the WISC-R, Coding and Digit Span appeared to measure attention, however the Freedom from Distractibility Quotient should not be utilized as a measure of attention. Learning Problems and the Hyperactivity Index on the Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire also serve as measures of attention. In a more general sense the Conners Parent Symptom Questionnaire might be a useful contribution to an assessment battery as a description of a child's behavior from a parent's point of view and as such provides an ecological assessment of behavior. It also allows one to measure behavior over time. The Vigilance and Distractibility total correct and errors of commission would appear to be measures of attention while the Delay task failed to classify the children according to the behavior objectives set out by the study.

Text

2010-09-17

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http://hdl.handle.net/2429/28579

Special Education

University of British Columbia

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