The Conners 4 has numerous applications, including the clinical assessment of individuals, as a tool for screening groups, for treatment/progressmonitoring, and for use in scientific research.
Assessing an Individual
The Conners 4 can be used as a screening tool or as part of a comprehensive assessment of ADHD in youth. Although rating scale data alone are notsufficient for making an ADHD diagnosis, rating scales are regarded as an essential component of a multi-method, multi-informant ADHD evaluation. TheConners 4 can inform clinical diagnosis and treatment planning by providing information on the nature, frequency, and/or severity of core and associatedADHD symptoms, the degree to which such symptoms deviate from age- and gender-based norms, and functional impairments related to those symptoms. The DSMSymptom Scales can assist clinicians in determining when the symptom criteria (DSM ADHD Criterion A) for the Predominantly Inattentive, PredominantlyHyperactive/Impulsive, or Combined Presentations of ADHD are present. The DSM Total ADHD Symptoms scale provides a dimensional look at overall symptomsof ADHD without consideration given to a particular DSM presentation. Finally, the Conners 4–ADHD Index provides a probability score that presents thedegree to which the obtained score was likely to come from a population of ADHD respondents rather than a population of general population respondents. Theprovision of the different rater forms facilitates multi-informant assessments that enhance the quality of evaluations by offsetting possible informantbiases, generating more comprehensive information, and providing evidence for the pervasiveness of symptoms across settings.
Identifying Educational Classifications
The Conners 4 can help identify appropriate educational classifications and/or services for students within a school system. Practitioners would need toconsult with their state's or school district's specific criteria for eligibility with regards to determining the need for services under Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA 2004) orSection 504. To facilitate determination, it would be best to obtain a detailed set of information from multiple raters, as well as multiple sources ofinformation such as observations, social-developmental history, and prior academic performance.
Screening a Group of Individuals
In some instances, the assessor may wish to obtain information about a group instead of an individual. For example, in school-based interventionprograms, the Conners 4 can be used to screen a group of individuals who require different levels of support—from high-quality instruction to trainingservices in key areas such as social skills, impulse control, or executive functioning. The Conners 4–Short and Conners 4–ADHD Index forms were developedfor screening purposes. High scores suggest that additional considerations are needed. For example, high scores on the Conners 4–Short form might indicatethe need for a more thorough evaluation.
Evaluating an Intervention
Results from the Conners 4 can inform decisions about the effectiveness of a pharmacologic or psychosocial treatment for ADHD, whether evaluating asingle person’s response to treatment or examining the efficacy of a treatment approach via group comparison studies. It is best to use the full-lengthConners 4 to obtain a more comprehensive evaluation to build and inform an appropriate treatment plan. Conners 4 results can be collected at the beginningof an intervention to provide baseline data. Repeated administrations at several points throughout the intervention can help clinicians and programmanagers evaluate whether a particular intervention is associated with symptom or functional improvement. Results from these types of evaluations can behelpful in supporting the need for continuing or modifying a treatment program.
Use in a Research Context
The Conners 3 has been used in scientific studies of ADHD, including clinical trials (e.g., Blader et al., 2013; Christiansen et al., 2014; Haydicky etal., 2017). The Conners 4 is also expected to play an important role in the scientific study of ADHD in youth, including research on the course of ADHDthrough the lifespan, the neurobiology of the disorder, and the efficacy of treatments. The Conners 4 offers researchers several advantages. First, thescales were carefully developed to measure a wide spectrum of symptoms, behaviors, and outcomes associated with ADHD. Second, the scales’ excellentpsychometric properties can increase researchers’ confidence in the reliability and accuracy of its use for participant screening, group assignment, andassessment of changes in ADHD symptoms over time. Third, the Conners 4 provides a rich source of data and statistical information, as well as dataexporting features. Finally, the Conners 4 is an efficient standardized test with a short administration time, varying from 5 to 20 minutes, depending onthe form used.
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