Sensitivity and Specificity of an Executive Function Screener at Identifying Children With ADHD and Reading Disability

• Published in: Journal of attention disorders 2021-01, Vol.25 (1), p.134-140
• Main Authors: Karr, Justin E., Kibby, Michelle Y., Jagger-Rickels, Audreyana C., Garcia-Barrera, Mauricio A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity - diagnosis; Child; Dyslexia - diagnosis; Executive Function; Female; Humans; Learning Disabilities; Male; Sensitivity and Specificity
• ISSN: 1087-0547; 1557-1246
• DOI: 10.1177/1087054718763878

Objective: This study evaluated the sensitivity/specificity of a global sum score (GSS) from the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, Executive Function screener (BASC-2-EF) at classifying children with/without ADHD and/or reading disability (RD). Method: The BASC-2 Teacher/Parent Rating Scales (TRS/PRS) were completed for children (8-12 years old; 43.1% female) with no diagnosis (n = 53), RD (n = 34), ADHD (n = 85), co-morbid RD/ADHD (n = 36), and other diagnoses (n = 15). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses evaluated the sensitivity/specificity of the BASC-2-EF GSS at discriminating between children with/without ADHD or RD. Results: Area under the curve (AUC) scores indicated the sensitivity/specificity of the BASC-2-EF GSS at discriminating between children with/without ADHD (TRS: AUC = .831, p < .001; PRS: AUC = .919, p < .001), with/without RD (TRS: AUC = .724, p = .001; PRS: AUC = .615, p = .101), and with ADHD or RD through post hoc analysis (TRS: AUC = .674, p = .006; PRS: AUC = .819, p < .001). Conclusion: The findings support utilizing the BASC-2-EF GSS when differentiating ADHD from RD and typical development.