Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale--Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA)
"Barkley has once again developed a useful, easily administered, and cost-effective assessment instrument. The value of the BDEFS-CA goes beyond the instrument itself; the thorough yet concise manual is also extremely useful. Barkley provides an impeccable presentation of the development of the scale and the methodology for measuring its reliability and validity. He makes a strong case for the relationship between attention disorders and EF deficits and documents the impact of these deficits in many areas of children's lives."--Peg Dawson, EdD, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders, Portsmouth, New Hampshire"The BDEFS-CA represents a key contribution to our field. This measure will be invaluable for practitioners, educators, and psychology students, who now have another important tool for evaluating executive function processes."--Lynn Meltzer, PhD, Research Institute for Learning and Development (ResearchILD) and Tufts University"The BDEFS-CA offers a different perspective than existing scales or performance-based measures--it adheres to Barkley's hybrid theory of EF, with the intention of providing ecologically valid and relevant clinical information. Professionals who work with children and adolescents will find this measure useful for identifying EF areas that are affecting everyday functioning. The long form provides the most comprehensive information. The short form and interview format can serve as screening measures and potentially as quick means of progress monitoring. A major advantage of the BDEFS-CA is the ease and cost-effectiveness of using this measure."--Cynthia A. Riccio, PhD, Professor and Director of Training, School Psychology Program, Texas A&M University"There is a critical need for valid and reliable EF assessment measures. This instrument is an invaluable tool for assessing EF deficits in the daily lives of children and adolescents and also will assist in measuring treatment response. The BDEFS-CA is unique in that it is theoretically and empirically based and focuses on EF in daily living, rather than lab-based performance tasks. The scale is psychometrically sound and provides a summary score as well as specific domain scores that will aid clinicians in developing and monitoring interventions. The BDEFS-CA would be appropriate for graduate assessment courses in school psychology, clinical psychology, counseling, and medical training programs."--Lisa Weyandt, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island