The Conner's Rating Scales are a collection of scales for assessing ADHD.

The Conner's Rating Scales-Revised (CRS-R) is an assessment instrument that uses observer ratings and self-report ratings to help determine ADHD and problem behavior in children and adolescents. Three versions are available: parent, teacher, and adolescent self-report. Each has a short and a long form available. Also, three screening tools offer the option of administering a 12-item ADHD Index or the 18-item DSM-IV Symptoms Checklist or both. The various versions offer flexible administration options and gather the observations of parents, teachers, caregivers, and the child or adolescent.

According to C. Keith Conners, originator of the scales, the CRS-R has many advantages, including the following:

- A large normative data base helps support the validity (accuracy) and reliability (consistency) of the test; to establish validity and reliability, the test has been administered to more than 8,000 plus students/people. Data have been collected and evaluated. Standardized data are based on the means and standard deviations of groups of children with ADHD and children without psychological problems.

- Multidimensional scales help assess ADHD and the presence of comorbid conditions with links to DSM-IV categories.

- Teacher, parent, and self-report scales are in long and short formats.

- Applicability to managed-care situations quantifies the measurement of a variety of behavior problems.

The tests are used for routine screening in schools, mental health clinics, residential treatment centers, pediatric offices, juvenile detention facilities, child protective agencies, and outpatient settings. They can be used to measure hyperactivity in children through routine screening, provide a look at the child's behavior from those who interact on a daily basis, establish a base point in beginning therapy, and provide normed information to support conclusions, diagnoses, and treatment decisions.

The test is recommended for parents and teachers of children ages 3-17 and self-reports from adolescents ages 12-17. The reading level is 6th through 9th grade, varying with the version. The long version takes about 15-20 minutes to take and the short version about 5-10 minutes. Paper and pencil scores are hand scored.

The following are versions of the Conner's scales, as described in the Conner's manual:

- Conner's Parent Rating Scales Long Version (CPRS-R:L) contains 80 items and is used when parents and caregivers must give comprehensive information for DSM-IV consideration, such as ODD, cognitive/inattention, hyperactivity, anxious, perfectionism, social problems, psychosomatic, Conner's Global Index, DSM symptoms subscales, and ADHD index.

- Conner's Parent Rating Scale Short Version (CPRS-R:S) contains 27 items and covers a subset of scales and items on the long parent form, such as ODD, cognitive/inattention, hyperactivity, and ADHD index.

- Conner's Teacher Rating Scales Revised (CTRS-R:L), the long form, contains 59 items and includes oppositional, cognitive problems/inattention, hyperactivity, anxious-shy, perfectionism, social problems, Conner's global index, ADHD Index, DSM-IV symptom subscales.

- Conner's Teacher Rating Scale (CTRS-R:S) is a quick score test of 28 items and can be used when time is important. Scales include oppositional, cognitive problems/inattention, hyperactivity, ADHD index.

- Conner-Wells' Adolescent Self-Report Scale (CASS-L) contains 87 items and is appropriate for adolescents between the ages of 12 and 17. The scales include family problems, emotional problems, conduct problems, cognitive problems/inattention, anger control problems, hyperactivity, ADHD index, DSM-IV Symptom subscales. The CASS-L includes a Treatment Progress Color-Plot Form for proper age and gender profiling of scale scores.

- Conner Wells' Self-Report Short Form (CASS:S) has 27 items and is designs for adolescents between ages of 12 and 17 and scales for conduct problems, cognitive problems/inattention, hyperactivity, ADHD index.

- Conner's ADHD/DSM-IV Scales includes the following forms: Parents (CADP), 26 items; Teacher (CADS-T), a quick-score form of the scale; and Adolescent (CAD-A).

- When the profile forms are completed, an easy-to-interpret graphical display of results helps present results to parents, teachers, or other relevant parties.

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