This study evaluated the Conners 4 Parent Report as a screening tool for ADHD in children and adolescents with tic disorders (mean age 10.6 years; 76.7% male), using DSM-5 clinician diagnosis as the reference standard in a registry-based sample from the Calgary Child Tic Registry.
Among 73 participants (42.5% met ADHD criteria), ROC analysis showed excellent diagnostic performance (AUC = 0.91). A Conners 4 Total ADHD Symptoms T-score cut-point of 60 yielded 87% sensitivity and 81% specificity.
- Small single-centre sample (n=73) limits generalisability. - Only the parent-report form was evaluated; teacher or self-report versions were not assessed. - ADHD diagnosis relied on clinician interview without structured diagnostic instruments, which may affect reproducibility.
In children with Tourette syndrome or other tic disorders, a Conners 4 Parent Report T-score ≥60 on the Total ADHD Symptoms subscale performs well as a screen for ADHD and can guide referral for full diagnostic evaluation. Routine use of this cut-point in tic disorder clinics is supported by the data.
