Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale
The Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale is an informant measure used in child ADHD pathways. This page is for clinics. It is not a child self-test and not a diagnosis.
Overview
What is the Vanderbilt?
NICHQ's Vanderbilt scales gather parent and/or teacher ratings of ADHD-related behaviours and selected classroom or comorbidity items. They structure informant evidence for a clinician. They do not replace interview, impairment review, or developmental assessment.
Development and clinical use
The Vanderbilt scales were developed for primary-care ADHD evaluation and are widely used in paediatric pathways. Parent and teacher versions exist. Scoring keys and follow-up forms should be taken from official NICHQ materials.
- Respondent
- Parent or teacher
- Population
- School-age children
- Publisher
- NICHQ
- Not adult ASRS
- Different instrument
- Clinical role
- Informant evidence
- Diagnosis
- Clinician-led
Administration
A focused informant experience
A parent, teacher, or other informant completes the authorised form. Children do not typically complete the diagnostic rating as if it were an adult self-report. Multi-informant disagreement is expected and clinically useful.
- One question at a time with visible progress
- Large keyboard-operable response choices
- Previous, next, and answer-review steps
- Clear confirmation that informant answers go to the clinic
The illustration is an informant flow and does not reproduce Vanderbilt items.
Report showcase
Designed to make evidence easy to review
The downloadable synthetic example illustrates report layout using invented response patterns, without patient data or instrument questions.
- Named instrument, version, and provenance
- Item-level response pattern without source wording
- Methodology, references, and clinical boundary
- Responsible clinician review rather than automated conclusions
Clinician review required
Methodology
Understand the measure and its scoring conventions
Official NICHQ materials describe symptom counts and performance items. This page does not independently verify a cutoff or production scoring rule.
References
- NICHQ Vanderbilt scalesNational Institute for Children's Health Quality. Vanderbilt Assessment Scales.
Questions
What clinics ask before they evaluate the Vanderbilt
These answers stay inside educational catalogue scope. They do not replace official manuals or clinician judgement.
Who completes the Vanderbilt?
Typically a parent and/or teacher, not the child as an adult-style self-report. Confirm the exact form.
Does Vanderbilt diagnose ADHD?
No. It is informant evidence for a clinician-led assessment.
Can I complete it here?
No. This landing does not collect informant answers.
Are parent and teacher scores interchangeable?
No. Different settings often disagree. That disagreement is part of the clinical review.