• Norm Group Options
• Interpretation Guidelines
  • Step 1: Examine the Response Style Analysis
  • Step 2: Examine the Associated Clinical Concern Items
  • Step 3: Interpret the CAARS 2 Scales
  • Step 4: Review Item-level Responses on the CAARS 2 Scales, Impairment & Functional Outcome Items, and Additional Questions
  • Step 5: Integrate and Compare CAARS 2 Results (Across Raters and Across Time)

This appendix summarizes the interpretation sequence; see chapter 4, Interpretation, for more details.

Norm Group Options

• Choose one Principal Reference Sample and up to two Additional Reference Samples.
  
  
  • Principal Reference Sample: Normative Sample (Combined Gender, Males, or Females)
    
    
  • Additional Reference Sample(s):
    
    
    • Normative Sample (Combined Gender, Males, or Females)
      
      
    • ADHD Reference Sample (Combined Gender, Males, or Females)
  
  
• Normative Age Groups will automatically be selected based on the age of the rated individual (in years): 18–24, 25–29, 30–39, 40–49, 50–59, 60–69, or 70+.

Interpretation Guidelines

Step 1: Examine the Response Style Analysis — identify possible concerns about how the rater approached the CAARS 2 based on the following:

• Negative Impression Index (validity scale): “Warrants follow-up” (Self-Report: raw score ≥ 6; Observer: raw score ≥ 7) or “Within the expected range” (Self-Report: raw score < 6; Observer: raw score < 7).
  
  
• Inconsistency Index (validity scale): “Warrants follow-up” (raw score ≥ 4 for both Self-Report and Observer) or “Within the expected range” (raw score < 4 for both Self-Report and Observer).
  
  
• Omitted Items: Displays the number of omitted items and whether scales were prorated or unable to be scored as a result (see appendix B for additional information about omitted items).
  
  
• Pace: “Warrants follow-up, unusually fast” (≥ 15.0 items per minute), “Typical pace; not a cause for concern” (1.0 to 14.9 items per minute), or “Warrants follow-up, unusually slow” (< 1.0 item per minute).
  
  

Step 2: Examine the Associated Clinical Concern Items — identify issues that may warrant prompt follow-up. In addition to general guidelines in the report, specific response frequencies in appendix F can be used to describe how commonly an item was rated at this level or higher by individuals in the Principal Reference Sample.

• Critical Items: Suicidal thoughts/attempts; Self-injury. Any rating above 0 (“Never”) is flagged for follow-up.
  
  
• Screening Items: Anxiety/worry; Sadness/emptiness (Self-Report) or Sadness (Observer). In general, any rating of 2 (“Pretty much true; Often/Quite a bit”) or 3 (“Completely true; Very Often/Always”) is flagged for follow-up. For older adults (ages 70+), a rating of 1 (“Just a little true; Occasionally”) on the Sadness item is also flagged.
  
  

Step 3: Interpret the CAARS 2 Scales — focus on the core and associated features of ADHD.

T-scores (reported with confidence intervals [CI; 90% (default) or 95%]) and percentiles are provided. Text guidelines for Content Scales and DSM Symptom Scales are based on T-scores: Very Elevated (≥ 70), Elevated (65 to 69), Slightly Elevated (60 to 64), or Not Elevated (< 60). Text guidelines for the ADHD Index are based on probability scores: Very High (90 to 99%), High (60 to 89%), Borderline (40 to 59%), Low (10 to 39%), or Very Low (1 to 9%).

1. Examine the Content Scales: Inattention/Executive Dysfunction, Hyperactivity, Impulsivity, Emotional Dysregulation, and Negative Self-Concept.
   
   
2. Examine the DSM Symptom Scales.
   
   
   • ADHD Inattentive Symptoms, ADHD Hyperactive/Impulsive Symptoms. T-scores and Symptom Counts are provided.
     
     
   • Total ADHD Symptoms T-score. Based on the total of all items from the two DSM Symptom Scales.
   
   
   
3. Examine the CAARS 2–ADHD Index: Higher probability scores indicate more similarities to scores from individuals in the ADHD Reference Sample than scores from individuals in the General Population Sample.
   
   
4. Review the Profile of CAARS 2 Scales: Consider consistencies and discrepancies among these scores.
   
   

Step 4: Review Item-level Responses on the CAARS 2 Scales, Impairment & Functional Outcome Items, and Additional Questions

• Items by Scale. Items and item-level scores are presented, with an indication of whether the item-level score is higher than expected for the Principal Reference Sample (note that item-level ratings, flags, and elevations for the Associated Clinical Concern Items and Impairment & Functional Outcome Items are found in the Overview section of the report). Some users may choose to review these tables within Steps 1–3.
  
  
• Impairment & Functional Outcome Items. The report Overview lists items, ratings, and whether the rating was elevated (see also appendix F for the full response distributions for reference).
  
  
• Additional Questions. Qualitative review, no scores provided.
  
  

Step 5: Integrate and Compare CAARS 2 Results (Across Raters and Across Time)

• Within a single rater
  
  
• Across multiple raters
  
  
• Across different points in time