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Assessment
and Diagnosis of ADHD
& Other Childhood Disorders
Teaching
of Psychology
Other Interests
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Click here to see a
complete list of publications and presentations
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Factors Influencing the Referral and Diagnosis of
Childhood Disorders Below is a
diagram that illustrates the general process through which a child who
is experiencing problems is identified, diagnosed, and receives
treatment. First, someone, usually a teacher or parent, must recognize
the problem behavior(s) and then seek preliminary consultation (i.e.,
screening). If there appears to be evidence of significant impairment in
important areas of the child’s functioning, then he or she would be
referred for a formal evaluation conducted by the family physician or a
relevant specialist (e.g., school psychologist, clinical psychologist,
psychiatrist). Based on a thorough assessment (hopefully),
recommendations are communicated to the parents and possibly the school.
From this point, the child may receive any interventions that appear
warranted. My research with both Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder and Asperger’s Disorder has generally focused on factors that
impact the earlier stages in this process (identification, referral and
assessment).
Knowledge
and Misperceptions of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder (ADHD):
I am interested in factors contributing to the accurate assessment and
diagnosis of ADHD. With
the increasing prominence of ADHD in the professional and popular
literature, psychologists are often faced with many inappropriate
referrals from parents and teachers. Understanding inappropriate
referrals and inaccurate diagnoses is likely to have important
implications for the child, the family and the school.
In addition to studying assessment and referral processes, I
have also focused on potential barriers to effective treatment.
In particular, I am interested in identifying factors that
influence parents' and teachers' perceptions of treatment
acceptability. Since
these perceptions have been linked to treatment compliance and
ultimately outcome, it is important to identify the specific factors
that might impede an otherwise beneficial intervention.
One factor that may affect both assessment and intervention is
knowledge of ADHD among parents and teachers.
Lack of information or misconceptions may lead to inaccurate
referrals, bias in reporting problem behaviors, or resistance to
certain treatment options. Finding reliable and valid ways to assess
this knowledge has been the main focus of my research.
Since the fall of 1993, my colleagues and I have been
developing and revising a scale that measures knowledge of ADHD within
three specific areas: Symptoms/Diagnosis of ADHD, Treatment
of ADHD, and General Information
about the nature, course and prognosis of ADHD. The resulting scale,
the KADDS, has demonstrated good psychometric properties in samples of
elementary school teachers and parents. The KADDS is unique in that it
differentiates between “lack of information” and misconceptions,
which may provide valuable information for the direction of
educational and psychological interventions. Currently, the KADDS is
being translated into Spanish and is being used in research at several
other institutions. In the future, I intend to examine changes in
knowledge of ADHD as a result of treatment, the effects of knowledge
on treatment compliance and treatment acceptability, and the effects
of educational interventions on diagnosis, referral and treatment.
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Relevant
Papers/Presentations:
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Sciutto, M. J. & Eisenberg, M. (2007). Evaluating evidence for and
against the overdiagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity
Disorder. Journal of Attention Disorders, 11, 106 –
113.
Sciutto, M. J. & Cantwell, C. (2005).
Factors influencing
the differential diagnosis of Asperger’s disorder and autism.
Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 17, 345 –
359.
Sciutto,
M. J., Nolfi, C. J., & Bluhm, C. A.
(2004).
Effects
of Child Gender and Symptom Type on Elementary School Teachers’
Referrals for ADHD.
Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 12, 247 - 253.
Sciutto, M. J., Harvey, A., Collins, S., & Terjesen, M. D. (2004,
August). Factors influencing school psychologists’
diagnosis of Asperger’s Disorder and Autism.
Poster presented at the 112th annual meeting of the
American Psychological Association, Honolulu, Hawaii.
Sciutto,
M.J., Terjesen, M.D., Levine, T., & Perlstadt, S. (2001,
November).
The role of knowledge and efficacy in the differential
diagnosis of ADHD. Poster
presented at the 35th annual meeting of the Association
for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Philadelphia.
Sciutto, M.J., Terjesen, M.D. & Frank,
A.S.B. (2000). Teachers’ knowledge and misperceptions
of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Psychology in the Schools, 37,
115-122.
Sciutto, M.J., Terjesen, M.D., Bender, A.S. & Scardapane, J.R.
(1995, August). Teachers' knowledge and attitudes
regarding ADHD: Validation of the KADDS. Poster
session presented at the 103rd annual meeting of the
American Psychological Association, New York, NY.
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Related Projects
Sciutto, M.J. & Terjesen, M.D. (2000, August).
A psychometric review of measures of ADHD in early
childhood. Poster
presented at the 108th annual meeting of the American
Psychological Association, Washington DC. Manuscript in
preparation.
Gibson, D., Terjesen, M.D., & Sciutto,
M.J. (1999, November). Utility of the ECADDES with
preschoolers receiving special education services. Poster
presented at the 33rd annual meeting of the Association
for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, Toronto.
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Teaching
of Psychology: I am also interested in issues related to the teaching
of psychology. Specifically,
I am interested in the interaction between cognitive and affective
variables in education, particularly in quantitative/methodology
courses. Affective
variables such as anxiety and interest are particularly important in
demanding classes such as statistics and research methods.
Unfortunately, students often enter these classes with negative
expectations, fears, and disinterest. If their negative expectations
and fears are not alleviated early, they approach the class with an
emphasis on “survival” rather than learning. If this happens, the
students then are less likely to utilize and value research in the
future, a consequence that is clearly counterproductive to psychology
as a science. Accordingly,
my research has focused on the affective characteristics that students
bring to these classes and ways that instructors can promote positive
changes in these areas. I
have focused on two categories of factors that may influence these
outcomes: specific (i.e., classroom techniques or strategies) and
non-specific (interpersonal or relationship oriented factors). |
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Relevant
Papers/Presentations:
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Sciutto, M.J.
(2002). The method and statistics methods portfolio: A resource for the
introductory course and beyond. Teaching
of Psychology, 29, 213 - 215.
Sciutto,
M. J. & Nosik-Reitz,
M.R.
The student-professor working alliance and educational outcomes.
Manuscript under review.
Sciutto,
M.J.
(2001, August). Student-professor
working alliance and educational outcomes. Poster presented at
the 109th annual meeting of the American Psychological
Association, San Francisco, CA.
Nosik,
M.R. & Sciutto, M.J. (2001,
April). The working
alliance: A predictor of interest in higher education. Poster presented at the annual
meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, Washington, DC.
Sciutto, M.J.
(2000, November). The
working alliance in higher education.
In C. Padesky (Chair), Navigating the therapeutic
alliance: Implications for education and supervision.
Symposium presented at the 34th annual meeting of
the Association for the Advancement of Behavior Therapy, New
Orleans.
Sciutto,
M.J.
(2000). Demonstration
of factors affecting the F-ratio.
Teaching of Psychology, 27, 52 - 53.
Sciutto, M.J. (1999, August).
Methodology across the curriculum. In S. K. Webster
(Chair), Toward a well-integrated research-rich
undergraduate psychology curriculum: One department's
journey. Symposium presented at the annual
convention of the American Psychological Association,
Boston, MA.
Hart, K.E. & Sciutto, M.J. (1996).
Criterion-referenced measurement of instructional
impact on cognitive outcomes. Journal of
Instructional Psychology, 23,
26-34.
Sciutto, M.J. (1996). Effects of Behavioral Instruction on Affective
Outcomes in Undergraduate Statistics Courses.
Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Hofstra
University, New York.
Sciutto, M.J.
(1995). Student-centered methods for decreasing
anxiety and increasing interest level in introductory
statistics classes. Journal of Instructional
Psychology, 22, 277-280.
Sciutto, M.J.,
Solomon, R.M. & Basso, G.W. (August, 1996). Behavioral
instruction and affective learning outcomes in
undergraduate psychology courses. Poster
presented at the annual convention of the American
Psychological Association, Toronto, ON.
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For Copies of
Abstracts or Reprints of the above, send request to: sciutto@muhlenberg.edu
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Other Areas of Interest:
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