, 2005). In conclusion, Kim et al. (2005) suggested that combining the use of the CBCL with the ARS-IV could be used by clinicians as a fast and effective method of predicting, identifying, and diagnosing children with ADHD. Although the studies discussed thus far involve the use of psychometric instruments in the diagnosis of ADHD in children, there are proponents of an alternate method of diagnosis. Gordon, Antshel, Faraone, Barkley, Lewandowski, Hudziak, Biederman, and Cunningham (2006) investigated the idea that diagnosis of ADHD by symptom lists, such as those provided by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.) may be more beneficial than diagnosis by psychometric assessments. This proposition is grounded in the observation that the number and frequency of symptoms experienced by an individual is closely associated to the impairment of functioning experienced by the individual. However, results of the study indicated that the average correlation between current symptoms and impaired functioning only accounted for less than 10% of variance (Gordon et al., 2006). Also, symptoms were never able to predict more than 25% of variance in impaired functioning. Furthermore,...

Therefore, based on these findings, it may be suggested that diagnosis of ADHD by symptom lists alone is not effective. Further research could explore how effective diagnostic methods are that combine symptom lists and psychometric instruments.
References

Gordon, M., Antshel, K., Faraone, S., Barkley, R., Lewandowski, L., Hudziak, J.J., Biederman, J., Cunningham, C. (2006). Symptoms vs. impairment: the case for respecting DSM-IV's Criterion D. Journal of Attention Disorders, 9(3), 465-75.

Kim, J.W., Park, K.H., Cheon, K.A., Kim, B.N., Cho, S.C., Hong, K.E. (2005). The child behavior checklist together with the ADHD rating scale can diagnose ADHD in Korean community-based samples. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 50(12), 802-5.

Maves, S.D. & Calhoun, S.L. (2006). WISC-IV and WISC-III profiles in children with ADHD. Journal of Attention Disorders, 9(3), 486-93.

Spencer, T.J., Biederman, J., Mick, E. (2007). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: diagnosis, lifespan, comorbidities, and neurobiology. Ambulatory Pediatrics,…