General Information

The Early Childhood Inventories-4 (ECI-4) are parent- and teacher-completed rating scales that allow for the screening of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and other emotional and behavioral disorders described in the American Psychiatric Association's (1994) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Items are worded to be appropriate for children between 3 and 6 years old. The parent and teacher versions of the ECI-4 are highly similar and take between 10 and 15 minutes to complete. Scoring is completed using Score Sheets that provide directions, criterion scores, and rule-out diagnoses. Information below pertains to the parent inventory.

Number of Versions:	2
Version:	Parent Inventory
Author(s):	Kenneth D. Gadow, Ph.D., & Joyce Sprafkin, Ph.D.
Date of Publication:	1996
Material(s) Needed for Test:	Instrument
Manual:	Available
Time to Administer:	10-15 minutes
Charge for one form or kit:	Yes

Purpose and Nature of Test

Construct(s) Measured:	DSM-IV Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, Aggression, Hyperactivity, Conduct Problems
Population for which designed:	Age Range: 3 through 6 years old
Method of Administration:	Individual
Source of Information:	Parent
Subtests and Scores:	ADHD Inattentive Type, ADHD Hyperactive-Impulsive Type, ADHD Combined Type, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Peer Conflict Scale, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Dysthymic Disorder, Autism, Aspergers, Separation Anxiety Disorder, and other Disorders
Number of Items:	108
Type of Scale:	Likert

Technical Evaluation

Norms: 

Sample Size:	531
Population:	Parents of children attending daycare, prechool, and Head Start programs.
Culture/ethnicity:	Caucasian (76%), African-American (15%), Hispanic-American (8%), and Other (1%)
SES Level:	Lower (38%), Middle (38%), and Upper (24%)

Reliability: 

Psychometric information:	Provided for Subscales.
The range of Test-Retest Value:	0.35 to 0.85
The range of Inter-rater reliability:	Not assessed
The range of Internal consistency:	0.59 to 0.93

Validity: 

 Criterion validity was assessed and found to be acceptable.

Practical Evaluation

Scoring Procedure:	Manual and Computer Scoring
Examiner Qualifications and Training Required:	None
Permission Required to Use Instrument:	Yes
If yes, by whom:	Checkmate Plus, Ltd.

Notes

Original Reference(s):

Gadow & Sprafkin. (1997). Early Childhood Inventory: Norms Manual. Stony Brook, NY: Checkmate Plus. Gadow & Sprafkin (2000). Early Childhood Inventory - 4: Screening Manual. Stony Brook, NY: Checkmate Plus.

Other Reference(s):

Gadow, Sprafkin, & Nolan. (2001). DSM-IV Symptoms in Community and Clinic Preschool Children. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 40(12), 1383-1392. Sprafkin, Volpe, Gadow, Nolan & Kelly. (2001). A DSM-IV-Referenced Screening Instrument for Preschool Children: The Early Childhood Inventory-4. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. (In Press). Gadow & Nolan. (2002). Differences between preschool children with ODD, ADHD, and ODD+ADHD symptoms. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 43(2), 191-201. Gadow, K.D. & Sprafkin, J. (2001). The Symptom Inventories: An annotated bibliography. Stony Brook, NY: Checkmate Plus.

Contact

Organization:	Checkmate Plus, LTD
Address:	P.O. Box 696, Department D
City:	Stony Brook
State:	NY
Zip:	11790-0696
Phone:	(800) 779-4292
Fax:	(631) 360-3432
E-mail:	info@checkmateplus.com
Website:	http://www.checkmateplus.com
Other:	Kenneth Gadow - Professor, State University of New York, Stony Brook, NY; Psychiatry - Putnam Hall

Last updated by Violence Institute of New Jersey:  February 2007