Wender Utah Rating Scale


The Wender Utah Rating Scale is a psychological assessment tool used to help diagnose attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in adults. It is a self-report questionnaire that asks individuals to retrospectively recall and rate the frequency and severity of symptoms they experienced during childhood that are characteristic of ADHD. The assessment was released in 1993 after being developed by Paul H. Wender and his colleagues at the University of Utah School of Medicine.

Versions

The WURS exists in two main versions:
  • WURS-61: The original 61-item version, which covers a wider range of symptoms and potential confounding factors.
  • WURS-25: A shorter 25-item version designed for increased efficiency and ease of administration.

    Scoring

The Wender Utah Rating Scale scores the same set of 25 questions in both the abbreviated version and the extended version, which includes an additional 36 unscored questions. Respondents rate each question on a five-point Likert scale ranging from 0 points to 4 points. The cumulative score spans from 0 to 100. A cutoff score of 36 or higher was able to accurately identify 96% of adults with ADHD and 96% of adults without ADHD. When the cutoff score was raised to 46 or higher, the assessment was able to accurately identify 86% of adults with ADHD and 99% of adults without ADHD.