Search

This is the fourth international preparatory study designed to develop International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF, and Children and Youth version, ICF-CY) Core Sets for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Examine functioning of individuals diagnosed with ASD as documented by the ICF-CY in a variety of clinical settings. A cross-sectional study was conducted, involving 11 units from 10 countries. Clinical investigators assessed functioning of 122 individuals with ASD using the ICF-CY checklist. In total, 139 ICF-CY categories were identified: 64 activities and participation, 40 body functions and 35 environmental factors. The study results reinforce the heterogeneity of ASD, as evidenced by the many functional and contextual domains impacting on ASD from a clinical perspective.

Purpose: The Conners Rating Scales are widely used in research and clinical practice for measuring attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated problem behaviors, but country-specific norms are seldom collected. The current study presents the standardization of the Swedish Conners 3VR Rating Scales. In addition, we compared the Swedish norms to those collected in the U.S. and Germany. Material and methods: The study included altogether 3496 ratings of children and adolescents aged 6-18 years from population-based samples. Results: The scores obtained for the Swedish Conners 3VR showed satisfactory to excellent internal consistency for most subscales and excellent test-retest reliability. Across-informant correlations were modest. Cross-country comparisons revealed that aggression symptoms rated by teachers and ADHD symptoms rated by parents differed between Sweden, Germany and the U.S. Executive functioning deficits also varied as a function of rater and country, with German and Swedish teachers reporting increasing behavior problems with age, whereas a decrease was observed in the U.S. For some subscales, the observed cross-cultural differences were large enough for a child to be classified as being within the normal range (t-score <60) in one country and within the clinical range (t-score>70) in another country. Conclusion: The present study shows that the Swedish adaptation of the Conners 3VR provides consistent and reproducible scores. However, across-informant ratings were only modest and significant cross-cultural differences in scoring were observed. This emphasizes the need for multi-informant assessment as well as for national norms for rating instruments commonly used within child and adolescent psychiatry research and clinical settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This is the fourth and final study designed to develop International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF, and children and youth version, ICF-CY) core sets for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). To investigate aspects of functioning and environment of individuals with ADHD as documented by the ICF-CY in clinical practice settings. An international cross-sectional multi-centre study was applied, involving nine units from eight countries: Denmark, Germany, India, Italy, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and Taiwan. Clinicians and clinical researchers rated the functioning level of 112 children, adolescents and adults with ADHD using the extended ICF-CY checklist version 2.1a. The ratings were based on a variety of information sources, such as medical records, medical history, clinical observations, clinical questionnaires, psychometric tests and structured interviews with participants and family members. In total, 113 ICF-CY categories were identified, of which 50 were related to the activities and participation, 33 to environmental factors and 30 to body functions. The clinical study also yielded strengths related to ADHD, which included temperament and personality functions and recreation and leisure. The study findings endorse the complex nature of ADHD, as evidenced by the many functional and contextual domains impacted in ADHD. ICF-CY based tools can serve as foundation for capturing various functional profiles and environmental facilitators and barriers. The international nature of the ICF-CY makes it possible to develop user-friendly tools that can be applied globally and in multiple settings, ranging from clinical services and policy-making to education and research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The Conners Rating Scales are widely used in research and clinical practice for measuring attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and associated problem behaviors, but country-specific norms are seldom collected. The current study presents the standardization of the Swedish Conners 3 ® Rating Scales. In addition, we compared the Swedish norms to those collected in the U.S. and Germany., Material and Methods: The study included altogether 3496 ratings of children and adolescents aged 6-18 years from population-based samples., Results: The scores obtained for the Swedish Conners 3 ® showed satisfactory to excellent internal consistency for most subscales and excellent test-retest reliability. Across-informant correlations were modest. Cross-country comparisons revealed that aggression symptoms rated by teachers and ADHD symptoms rated by parents differed between Sweden, Germany and the U.S. Executive functioning deficits also varied as a function of rater and country, with German and Swedish teachers reporting increasing behavior problems with age, whereas a decrease was observed in the U.S. For some subscales, the observed cross-cultural differences were large enough for a child to be classified as being within the normal range (t-score <60) in one country and within the clinical range (t-score > 70) in another country., Conclusion: The present study shows that the Swedish adaptation of the Conners 3 ® provides consistent and reproducible scores. However, across-informant ratings were only modest and significant cross-cultural differences in scoring were observed. This emphasizes the need for multi-informant assessment as well as for national norms for rating instruments commonly used within child and adolescent psychiatry research and clinical settings.

Background: One in four individuals with intellectual disability (ID) are additionally diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) that may not be recognized und thus remain untreated until adulthood. Diagnosing ASD in adults with ID is challenging and there is a lack of specific diagnostic measures., Methods: The Diagnostic Behavioral Assessment for ASD (DiBAS) is a DSM-5/ICD-10 based caregiver-report screener consisting of 20 Likert-scaled items. This study evaluates the item validities and -difficulties, and the scale's feasibility and validity in a clinical, adult ID sample (N = 91) from 8/2009 to 12/2011., Results: The DiBAS was applicable in all individuals (100 %) and yielded an adequate diagnostic validity reflected by ROC analysis and an AUC of 0.808. Using a cut-point of 30, the sensitivity and specificity values were 83 % and 64 %, the agreement with the final diagnostic classification was 74 %, and Cohen's kappa was 0.469. Single item analysis revealed 12 valid DiBAS variables that predominantly could be assigned to the social interaction and non-verbal communication domains; item difficulties varied from 0.21 to 0.84. The scale's internal consistency was appropriate (Cronbach's alpha 0.749)., Conclusions: The DiBAS is a promising psychometrical sound scale of high feasibility to screen for ASD in adults with ID, which could be further specified by single item analysis., (© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.)