ADD-H Comprehensive Teacher’s Rating Scale (ACTeRS) Second Edition

Rina K. Ullmann, M.Ed., Esther K. Sleator, M.D., and Robert L. Sprague, Ph.D.

ACTeRS is composed of 24 items that cover four factors: Attention, Hyperactivity, Social Skills, and Oppositional Behaviour. The teacher rates the child on each item, using a five-point scale, ranging from “Almost Never” to “Almost Always.” Item scores can be quickly totalled and profiled to obtain percentiles for the four scales. Standardization is based on approximately 2,400 children in kindergarten through eighth grade, and separate norms are provided for boys and girls.

The scale is highly useful in evaluating and monitoring children who can’t seem to pay attention in class. Because it is so quick and cost effective, ACTeRS can be used to screen students or to confirm a suspected diagnosis of ADD or ADD-H. It has proven particularly useful in differentiating children with learning disorders from those with ADD-H.