Assessment of ADHD: differences across psychology specialty areas

Child psychologists are frequently involved in the assessment of ADHD symptoms among school-aged youth. There is limited information regarding the extent to which psychologists adhere to recommended assessment practices and whether differences exist in assessment strategies among psychologists from different specialty areas (clinical, counseling, and school) and/or who practice in different settings (university, school, or outpatient clinic). A 3 (specialty area) x 3 (employment setting) between-groups design is used wherein 230 child psychologists completed surveys regarding diagnostic practice. Psychologists differ in adherence with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed., text revision) diagnostic criteria, use of clinical interviews, and type of behavior observation. Only 15% of psychologists report using multiple methods consistent with recommended standards of best practice. Differences between groups of psychologists indicate that the diagnosis of ADHD in children is influenced by the type of psychologist conducting the evaluation and the setting in which the evaluation is conducted.