Correlation between Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Scale and the Draw-a-Man Test in School Children
Author(s): Ochilbek Rakhmanov and Senol Dane*
Abstract
Introduction: The Draw-A-Man Test (DAMT) is a culture free developmental process test to assess children’s nonverbal abilities. It has been widely used to measure their intellectual and psychological development. The possible correlation between the results of DAMT and the attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms was investigated in school-age children.
Methods: Non-probability sampling method was used to select students aged 48-137 months, who are students in private educational institution from Nursery 1-2 and Primary 1-2-3-4 grades. Students were selected from private school in capital city, Abuja, Nigeria. Children were asked to draw a human figure on a piece of paper for DAMT. The Vanderbilt ADHD Diagnostic Rating Scale (VADRS) was used to assess the ADHD symptoms.
Results: There was negative correlation between DAMT and classroom behavioral performance score in VADRS. Additionally, there was positive correlation between DAMT and academic performance score in VADRS. However, there were no correlation between both DAMT-1 and DAMT-2 and other ADHD symptom scores.
Discussion: A previous study showed that decreased DAMT scores were associated with behavioral and cognitive disabilities. The results of present study suggest that DAMT is not convenient to screen the ADHD in school age children. Conclusion: DAMT can be a good indicator for academic and classroom performances related to ADHD but it is not convenient to screen the ADHD symptoms in school age children.