Development of a New Attention Rating Scale for Children With Intellectual Disability: The Scale of Attention in Intellectual Disability (SAID).
The SAID gives teachers a psychometrically sound way to flag ADHD-like attention problems in students with intellectual disability.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team built a new teacher rating scale called SAID. It flags attention problems in kids with intellectual disability.
Teachers filled out the draft form for their students. The researchers then checked if the scores were reliable and valid.
What they found
Teacher answers on the SAID held together well. The scale gave a steady picture of each child’s attention.
Results showed the SAID can safely spot ADHD-like attention trouble in pupils with ID.
How this fits with other research
Guerin et al. (2009) did the same job earlier with their ADIECAS scale. Both studies show teacher ratings work for kids with moderate to severe ID.
Matson et al. (2004) also found teacher ABC-C ratings valid for this group. The SAID now offers a fresh tool that is purpose-built for attention only.
Sajith et al. (2008) moved the idea to adults, using the CAARS. Together the papers build a timeline: adult CAARS, child ADIECAS and ABC-C, and now child SAID.
Why it matters
You no longer have to borrow scales made for typical kids. Hand the SAID to classroom teachers and get a quick, trustworthy read on attention. Use the data to decide if a full ADHD evaluation or classroom supports are needed.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Print the SAID and ask the teacher to complete it for one pupil you suspect has attention issues.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Difficulties with attention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity are thought to be as common among children with intellectual disability (ID) as they are in children without ID. Despite this, there is a lack of scales to specifically assess ADHD symptomatology in children and adolescents with ID. This article describes the development and evaluation of a teacher-completed measure; the Scale of Attention in Intellectual Disability (SAID). A community survey of 176 teachers of children 5-13 years of age, with ID at all levels of impairment indicated that the T-SAID is a reliable and valid measure. Integrating this scale with neuropsychological and clinical research holds exciting promise for enhancing our understanding of the nature of attention difficulties within populations with ID.
American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilities, 2015 · doi:10.1352/1944-7558-120.2.91