The purpose of this study was to investigate current practices used by clinicians when diagnosing children with AD/HD as well as to explore possible relationships between practices, professional disciplines, opinions, and theoretical leanings.;The study utilized a researcher designed questionnaire mailed to licensed Psychiatrists, Pediatricians, Clinical Psychologists, and Counselors in Virginia. The sample included 274 professionals.;Hypotheses examined relationships between professional discipline and use of assessment methodologies, consultation practices, and classification system preferences, as well as relationships between opinions about classification and assessment of AD/HD and practitioners' opinions about assessment practices.;It was found that physical examination was the only variable with any practical significance that was able to differentiate between the professional disciplines with regard to their preferences and utilization of specific methodologies for the assessment of AD/HD. Results revealed a negative relationship between one's confidence in assessing AD/HD and a practitioner's use of an interview in an assessment.;It was also found that practitioners were no more likely to engage in consultation with other professionals from their respective disciplines than from other disciplines, (2) those professionals who subscribed to a categorical system of classification were no more likely to utilize clinical techniques in assessment while those who subscribed to a dimensional model showed no preference for normative tools, and (3) physicians were no more likely than mental health professionals to subscribe to a categorical system of classification, while mental health professionals showed no preference towards a dimensional model of classification.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:wm.edu/oai:scholarworks.wm.edu:etd-1526 |
| Date | 01 January 1998 |
| Creators | Thompson, Roberta Waller |
| Publisher | W&M ScholarWorks |
| Source Sets | William and Mary |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects |
| Rights | © The Author |
Page generated in 0.0017 seconds