Reliability and validity of the child and adolescent functioning impairment scale in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Timely Interventions for Children with ADHD through Web-Based Monitoring Algorithms

The aim of this study was to evaluate an automated trigger algorithm designed to detect potentially adverse events in children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), who were monitored remotely between visits. We embedded a trigger algorithm derived from parent-reported ADHD rating scales within an electronic patient monitoring system. We categorized clinicians’ alert resolution outcomes and compared Vanderbilt ADHD rating scale scores between patients who did or did not have triggered alerts. A total of 146 out of 1738 parent reports (8%) triggered alerts for 98 patients. One hundred and eleven alerts (76%) required immediate clinician review. Nurses successfully contacted parents for 68 (61%) of actionable alerts; 46% (31/68) led to a change in care plan prior to the next scheduled appointment. Compared to patients without alerts, patients with alerts demonstrated worsened ADHD severity (β = 5.8, 95% CI: 3.5–8.1 [p < 0.001] within 90 days prior to an alert. The trigger algorithm facilitated timely changes in the care plan in between face-to-face visits.

Cross Validation of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder-After School Checklist

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)-After School Checklist (ASK) by comparing the results of the Comprehensive Attention Test (CAT) and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) Scale and then by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve.

Methods

We performed correlation analyses on the ASK and CAT results and then the ASK and CGI-S results. We created a ROC curve and evaluated performance on the ASK as a diagnostic tool. We then analyzed the test results of 1348 subjects (male 56.8%), including 1201 subjects in the general population and 147 ADHD subjects, aged 6-15 years, from kindergarten to middle school in Seoul and Gyeonggi province, South Korea.

Results

According to the correlation analyses, ASK scores and the Attention Quotient (AQ) of CAT scores showed a significant correlation of -0.20--0.29 (p<0.05). The t-test between ADHD scores and CGI-S also showed a significant correlation (t=-2.55, p<0.05). The area under the ROC curve was calculated as 0.81, indicating good efficacy of the ASK, and the cut-off score was calculated as 15.5.

Conclusion

The ASK can be used as a valid tool not only to evaluate functional impairment of ADHD children and adolescents but also to screen ADHD.

[Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in childhood/adolescence and impairments associated with daily life: French data from the European Lifetime Impairment Survey]

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has a 3-5 % prevalence in Europe and North America. It is associated with functional impairment and can have a negative impact on social and family relationships and daily living. The experiences of children/adolescents with ADHD in Europe, as reported by parents/caregivers who completed the online Lifetime Impairment Survey (LIS), were evaluated. The LIS was conducted in France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, and the UK to assess the extent to which the daily lives of children/adolescents (aged<20 years) with ADHD are affected by their disorder as reported by parents/caregivers. Participants to the survey were recruited by email from the GfK Global Online Panel, which consisted of a database of 487,533 members (including 85,512 members in France). The control group comprised parents/caregivers of children/adolescents without ADHD. Treatment for ADHD, as perceived by parents/caregivers of children/adolescents with ADHD, was also reviewed. Data from France are described here. In France, 157 (79 with ADHD, 78 without ADHD) parents/caregivers completed the LIS. Median age at diagnosis was 6.0 years (mean [SD], 6.4 [3.18] years) as reported by parents/caregivers; pharmacological treatment was prescribed for 46.8 % (37/79) of children/adolescents with ADHD. Compared with the control group, ADHD was associated with significantly greater impairment across all domains studied (P<0.001), except problems in home life. General impairment scale data demonstrated that more parents/caregivers of children/adolescents in the ADHD group than the control group thought that experiences during childhood/adolescence and unhappy memories would have a negative impact on their child in adult life (29-32 % vs 9-12 %, respectively). Issues that affected school/education were associated with perceived greater impairment in the ADHD group than the control group. Several limitations should be taken into account when reviewing these data, including the lack of questionnaire validation (although developed by expert consensus). In addition, the survey was conducted online and, as such, was more likely to recruit individuals who were well-educated, computer-literate, and willing to participate in the survey. Survey participants may also have had greater awareness of ADHD and the associated symptoms and impairment, and greater motivation to seek diagnosis or treatment, than the general population. Furthermore, diagnosis of ADHD and history of diagnosis were parent-/caregiver-reported and the results may have been influenced by recall bias or subjective reporting given that the survey did not directly assess the opinions of the children/adolescents with the disorder. These data provide insights into the negative impact that ADHD imposes on all aspects of life for children/adolescents in France with the disorder. Moreover, ADHD is believed to have a negative impact later in the patient's life. Further progress is needed in France and across Europe to provide a more effective and consistent approach to the treatment of patients with ADHD and to meet the expectations regarding management and treatment for the families concerned.

Daily life impairments associated with self-reported childhood/adolescent attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and experiences of diagnosis and treatment: results from the European Lifetime Impairment Survey

The Lifetime Impairment Survey assessed impairment and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children/adolescents from six European countries. Parents/caregivers of children/adolescents aged<20 years with ADHD (ADHD group; n = 535) and without ADHD (control group; n=424) participated in an online survey. History of ADHD diagnosis was self-reported. ADHD and control groups were compared using impairment and symptom scales; higher scores indicate greater impairment. Mean (SD) age at ADHD diagnosis was 7.0 (2.8) years, following consultation of 2.7 (2.6) doctors over 20.4 (23.9) months. Parents/caregivers (64%; 344/535) reported frustration with some aspect of the diagnostic procedure; 74% (222/298) were satisfied with their child's current medication. ADHD had a negative impact on children/adolescents in all aspects of life investigated. The ADHD group had a higher mean (SD) school impairment score (2.7 [0.7]) compared with the control group (2.1 [0.7]; P<0.001) and were more likely to be in the bottom of their class (P<0.001). These data provide insights into impairments associated with ADHD in childhood/adolescence, and identify areas for improvement in its management and treatment.

Measurement of Impairment among Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder as Part of Evaluating Treatment Outcome

This study assesses the impairment and treatment outcome of children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in an outpatient child psychiatry clinic, using multiple sources, including the Children Global Assessment Scale (C-GAS).

METHODS

A total of 20 children, aged 4 to 16 years, were recruited serially in 2010 from the Child Psychiatric Unit of the Psychiatric Hospital, Manama, Bahrain. The children received a diagnosis of ADHD using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR). The children were assessed with the C-GAS by a blinded investigator, initially at the beginning of the treatment and then one year later.

RESULTS

The parents of the patients reported improvement in all cases; the improvement in impairment after one year, assessed using the C-GAS, was significant for all of the cases (P = 0.001) and low for those with comorbidity (P = 0.07).

CONCLUSION

Measurement of improvement using the C-GAS was a suitable method of collecting data, and hence should be included in routine clinical practice for both ADHD diagnosis and outcome measurement.