Exploring invariance of the measurement and prediction of ADHD behaviors in Latino children

The goal of this study was to determine whether the measurement of children’s externalizing behaviors, as rated by teachers on a short version of the Conners’ Rating Scale, was invariant for Latino and non-Latino children with different language backgrounds and whether those ratings displayed invariant prediction of academic outcomes. The sample included 1,174 children (592 boys, 582 girls) who ranged in age from 38 – 73 months (M = 54.42 months; SD = 4.64 months) at the time of initial assessment. Model fit indices highlighted that teacher ratings displayed fully invariant measurement. Prediction was found to be invariant for all language and literacy outcomes but not for math outcomes. This was due to differences in ratings of oppositional defiant behavior for non-Latino children. Because differences in ratings of oppositional defiant behaviors for non-Latino children led to a lack of predictive invariance on math outcomes, and oppositional defiant behaviors have smaller associations with important outcomes, like a child’s academic achievement, these differences are unlikely to have meaningful clinical implications. Overall, these results suggest that the Conners Teacher Rating Scale-15 Item Version measures externalizing behaviors the same way for children of varying ethnic and language backgrounds. This may have important implications for research and multi-informant assessment.