ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to separate sources of observer and situational variance in reporting attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptomatology. METHOD: In a sample of 30 children diagnosed with ADHD, ADHD symptomatology was assessed with the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children-Parent Version (DISC-P), with parents and teachers as informants. Both parents and teachers reported about the child's ADHD symptomatology at home as well as at school. RESULTS: Parents and teachers showed high within-observer cross-situational presence of ADHD symptoms. However, the between-observer agreement on the presence of ADHD symptoms within the same situation (home or school) was low. This pattern held equally true for attention/concentration and hyperactivity/impulsivity symptom scores. CONCLUSIONS: In evaluating ADHD symptomatology, it is important to obtain independent reports about the child's behaviour at school from the teacher and about the child's behaviour at home from the parents.
