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Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale (VADRS)

Assess symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children aged 6 to 12 with comprehensive testing in Creyos Health

 

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Benefits for Healthcare Providers

Administer the  Vanderbilt ADHD diagnostic rating scale questionnaire in Creyos Health on its own or part of the Creyos ADHD Condition-Focused Protocol to understand of patient wellbeing.

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Simplify Administration

Administer the VADRS assessment in person or digitally with automated scoring and reporting for an efficient, patient-friendly experience.

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Screen and Assess with an ADHD Protocol

Get access to instant scoring, the complete Creyos ADHD assessment protocol, and trend lines over time—all in one platform.

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More Than 1 in 10 Children Will Be Diagnosed With ADHD

Understanding ADHD symptoms and behaviors can be the difference in long-term outcomes. Administer the Vanderbilt ADHD diagnostic rating scale as part of the Creyos ADHD protocol to measure for 14 distinct markers of ADHD.

Source: Harris, E. JAMA. 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.5159

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VADRS Stats

Preview the Creyos VADRS Sample Report

Designed for parents, the Vanderbilt ADHD rating scale offered through Creyos is a 55-question checklist based on the ADHD diagnosis guidelines established in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

When administered alongside measures of cognitive performance, it allows parents and healthcare providers to:

  • Efficiently measure and track the child’s ADHD symptoms
  • Complete in person or remotely with automated, real-time results
  • Gain comprehensive insight into overall patient wellbeing over time

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VADRS Report

How to Use the Vanderbilt ADHD Rating Scale

Step 1: Explain the Questionnaire

The VADRS was designed to assess ADHD in children ages 6 to 12 and should be used alongside measures of cognitive function to understand the child’s overall wellbeing.

Step 2: Administer Questionnaire

The VADRS assessment contains 55 questions related to criteria for ADHD, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), conduct disorder (CD), and criteria from the Pediatric Behavior Scale for anxiety and depression. It can be administered in person through the Creyos Health platform on an in-clinic device or remotely through a provided link.

Step 3: Review Results

Creyos Health automatically scores VADRS results and provides reports. Higher scores indicate a greater possibility of ADHD diagnosis.

Step 4: Compare With Cognitive Results

Healthcare providers can discuss results with patients and combine with other ADHD assessments, cognitive tasks, and longitudinal tracking to build a complete picture of patient health.

How to use VADRS

The Role of Cognition in Childhood ADHD

Research suggests that children with ADHD often exhibit impairment in their ability to focus, control impulses, and remember information. These cognitive challenges can significantly impact children’s daily lives and academic performance, and are often comorbid with other mental health conditions later in life.

The Vanderbilt ADHD diagnostic rating scale is a vital tool in the comprehension of ADHD in children over time. In fact, VADRS scores for inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity are directly correlated with parent-reported measures of executive function. Learn more about administering the VADRS assessment along with additional ADHD and cognitive functioning tests in Creyos Health.

Source: Becker & Langberg, 2013; Mayer JS et al., 2022

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Simplify Patient ADHD Assessments with Creyos Health

Administer the ASRS, digitized behavioral health questionnaires, and online cognitive tasks—all in one place.

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Frequently asked questions

What is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in children ages 6 to 12?

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects a person’s attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. In children ages 6 to 12, ADHD can manifest as difficulty focusing on tasks, struggling to follow through on activities, constantly fidgeting, talking excessively, acting without considering the consequences, and more.

How is ADHD in children related to cognition?

Cognition differences have been linked with ADHD in children. For example, both the inattention and hyperactivity/impulsivity scores on the VADRS are correlated with parent-reported measures of executive function (Becker & Langberg, 2013), and other DSM-based ADHD scales have been linked with intellectual function (e.g., children diagnosed with predominantly inattentive ADHD tend to score lower in the processing speed index of the WISC-IV; Thaler, Bello, & Etcoff, 2012).

When treating ADHD, cognition has been used as a key outcome measure to gauge progress and adjust intervention plans. In one study, children enrolled in a behavioural program for treating attentional issues improved on Creyos Health measures of cognition more than a control group (Jackson & Wild, 2021), and the cognitive reports have been used to objectively demonstrate progress to parents.

How are ADHD medication for children and cognition connected?

For medication-based treatments such as methylphenidate, objective cognitive measures complement parent rating forms to help determine proper dosages and measure progress. In fact, cognition may mediate the effects of medication on behavioural outcomes such as productivity—that is, medication improves cognition, which goes on to improve visible symptoms of ADHD (see Hawk et al., 2018). Measuring cognition may also be beneficial for long-term follow up with ADHD patients, as maturation of cognitive function can predict ADHD remission (Halperin et al., 2008; Karalunas et al., 2017).

Where did the Vanderbilt ADHD diagnostic rating scale come from?

The VADRS was developed by Mark L. Wolraich, MD, and colleagues in 2003 as a comprehensive tool for assessing ADHD in children aged 6 to 12.

Who uses the VADRS assessment?

Nearly any psychiatrist, clinical psychologist, or neurologist with young patients may find value in administering the VADRS alongside Creyos Health cognitive assessments to gain a fuller picture of a child’s mental and cognitive health in order to inform diagnoses and guide treatments.

How is the VADRS scored?

The VADRS contains 55 questions and takes about 10 minutes for parents to complete. It covers the DSM-IV criteria for ADHD, criteria for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), criteria for conduct disorder (CD), and criteria from the Pediatric Behavior Scale for anxiety and depression. Additional items cover performance in school and relationships with others. Parents rate the severity of each behavior over the past six months on a four-point scale from “never” to “very often,” then scores are tallied to provide guidance on whether or not the criteria for inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and combined types of ADHD have been met. Issues with ODD, CD, and anxiety/depression are also highlighted if cutoff scores are reached.

How does administration and scoring of the VADRS assessment work?

The Vanderbilt ADHD rating scale can be administered on its own or as part of the ADHD Condition-Focused Protocol for a robust assessment that combines age-appropriate questionnaires and cognitive performance measures. The results are automatically assembled in a complete report to indicate 14 markers of ADHD.

When a patient completes the VADRS assessment, providers get immediate insights through easy-to-read reports that combine questionnaire data with cognitive test results for a full picture of patient brain health. Creyos can also use APIs to integrate with a variety of electronic health record (EHR) systems and has a built-in integration with Athenahealth. Our platform automatically collects, scores, and organizes results from each questionnaire and adds them to the patient’s EHR.

What behaviors does the VADRS evaluate?

The VADRS assessment evaluates behaviors related to ADHD in children ages 6 to 12, including inattention (difficulty focusing, staying organized, and following through on tasks), hyperactivity (excessive energy, restlessness, and fidgeting), and impulsivity (acting without thinking, interrupting others, and difficulty waiting).

How can the Vanderbilt ADHD rating scale support patients?

The VADRS should be used as a screening tool to assist primary care providers or mental health professionals in understanding ADHD symptoms in children and monitoring symptoms over time. Any conclusions drawn from the VADRS should be paired with further assessment, such as clinical interviews and observations, additional mental health examinations or assessments, and evaluations of the patient’s level of distress, functional impairment, and/or family history.

What can the VADRS not do?

While higher scores are correlated with a diagnosis of ADHD, the VADRS is not a diagnostic tool on its own. It is a multipurpose tool for screening, identifying, monitoring, and measuring the presence and severity of ADHD symptoms over time.

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