Parent and Teacher Ratings of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder in Preschool: The ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version Kara E. McGoey & George J. DuPaul & Erin Haley & Teri L. Shelton Published online: 28 June 2007 # Springer Science + Business Media, LLC 2007 Abstract Efforts for early identification and intervention for children with AD/HD have necessitated the development of rating scales of behavior for the preschool population. The standardization, reliability, and validity data were presented for the ADHD Rating Scale-IV Preschool Version. Parent and teacher ratings were collected on 902 and 977 children 3 to 5 years of age, respectively. Raw scores for the Inattention, Hyperactivity/Impulsivity and Total scores were converted to T-Scores and percentile ranks. Reliability coefficients ranged from 0.80 to 0.95 indicating good test– retest reliability. Concurrent validity with the Conners Teacher Rating Scales: Revised-Short and Conners Parent Rating Scale: Revised-Short ranged from 0.54 to 0.96. The ADHD-Rating Scale-IV appears to be a reliable, valid and user friendly measure for screening preschoolers with behavior problems. Future research is needed to validate its widespread use as a screening and diagnostic tool. Keywords ADHD . Assessment . Behavior rating scales . Screening measures Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) involves the occurrence of inappropriate levels of inattention, hyper- activity and impulsivity (Barkley 1998). Children with AD/ HD have considerable difficulty regulating their behavior in response to situational demands. These difficulties often result in problems with behavior regulation, academic achievement, peer and familial relations. Children are diagnosed at a rate of 4 to 6% in the school age population (Barkley 1998) and 2% in the preschool population (Lavigne et al. 1996). Behaviors associated with AD/HD in the preschool population often result in expulsion from preschool or childcare settings (Blackman et al. 1991). For example, a child of preschool age at risk for AD/HD may change activities often in the classroom, may not complete tasks, may experience many sudden mood changes and temper tantrums, and may lack friends because of aggres- sive behavior and inability to cooperate in play (Campbell 2002; DuPaul et al. 2001). Longitudinal investigations of the stability of problem behavior have yielded compelling evidence for the early identification and intervention of problem behavior. For example, Pierce et al. (1999) followed hard-to-manage preschool children into early elementary school and middle school. Findings indicate that preschoolers with high levels of hyperactivity and aggression who continued with patterns of problem behaviors at-school entry and early elementary school were more likely than control children to meet criteria for an externalizing diagnosis in middle childhood. At elementary age, children with AD/HD are at-risk for developing Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, criminal behavior, poor social status, poor academic achievement and poor familial relations. Given the relative stability of problem behaviors, the debilitating effects of the disruptive behavior and the risk of developing more severe disruptive behavior, early J Psychopathol Behav Assess (2007) 29:269–276 DOI 10.1007/s10862-007-9048-y K. E. McGoey (*) School Psychology Program, Duquesne University, 209A Canevin Hall, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, USA e-mail: mcgoeyk@duq.edu G. J. DuPaul Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA, USA E. Haley University of Wisconsin—Madison, Madison, WI, USA T. L. Shelton University of North Carolina—Greensboro, Greensboro, NC, USA