Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS-25)
A 25-item retrospective self-report of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms. Rate how you were AS A CHILD for each characteristic. Used as an aid in the retrospective diagnosis of childhood ADHD in adults; administer under clinician oversight.
This is a clinical instrument. It is not publicly self-administered — a clinician assigns it through a secure patient link.
At a glance
What it measures
The Wender Utah Rating Scale (Ward, Wender, & Reimherr, 1993) is a 25-item retrospective self-report: the adult respondent rates how they were as a child on each characteristic, as an aid in the retrospective assessment of childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity symptoms.
A total of 36 or more is the commonly used cutoff for a positive retrospective screen; the original 1993 report used a more conservative cutoff of 46. Retrospective self-report has inherent limits, so the result is one input to a clinical picture rather than a determination.
Psychometric properties
The notes below are reproduced from the platform's psychometrics register for this instrument — the same source-cited reliability, validity, and norms text that accompanies its downloadable report.
High internal consistency (alpha around 0.90) for the 25-item short form (Ward, Wender & Reimherr, 1993).
In the original study, a cutoff score of 46 or higher correctly identified 86% of the patients with ADHD, 99% of the normal subjects, and 81% of the depressed subjects; the lower cutoff of 36 yielded sensitivity and specificity of 96% (Ward, Wender & Reimherr, 1993).
Derived from adults with and without a childhood history of ADHD; a retrospective self-report of childhood symptoms.
Example item
“Active, restless”
Illustrative only. During administration items are presented one screen-set at a time; response-key direction is never shown to respondents.
Scoring & interpretation
Item responses are summed to a total score and compared against published screening cutoffs.
| Band | Threshold | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| Below cutoff | ≥ 0 | Total below 36 is below Ward et al.'s screening cut-point; it does not rule out ADHD and is not a population-percentile comparison. |
| Positive screen | ≥ 36 | Total of 36 or more meets Ward et al.'s screening cut-point (96% sensitivity and 96% specificity in the original validation); further evaluation is needed. At 46, the reported figures were 86% and 99% against the ADHD and normal comparison groups. |
Source & citation
Ward, M. F., Wender, P. H., & Reimherr, F. W. (1993). The Wender Utah Rating Scale: an aid in the retrospective diagnosis of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150(6), 885–890.
Scoring. Ward, Wender & Reimherr (1993) reported sensitivity and specificity of 96% at a total of 36. At 46, the WURS identified 86% of patients with ADHD and 99% of normal comparison participants (and 81% of participants with depression). These are screening-performance estimates from the original validation samples, not population norms.
Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS-25). Ward, Wender & Reimherr (1993). Free for clinical and research use with attribution.
References
- Ward, M. F., Wender, P. H., & Reimherr, F. W. (1993). The Wender Utah Rating Scale: an aid in the retrospective diagnosis of childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150(6), 885-890.