Wender Utah Rating Scale - 61 items (WURS-61)
What it is
The WURS-61 is the full-length version of the Wender Utah Rating Scale, a retrospective self-report measure used to assess childhood ADHD symptoms in adults. It asks individuals to reflect on how they felt and behaved as children (approximately ages 6–10), providing a comprehensive picture of early ADHD-related difficulties.
The WURS-61 includes all 25 scored items from the WURS-25, along with an additional 36 items that broaden the clinical picture. While the additional items are not included in the standard summary score, they provide supplementary information useful in clinical contexts.
How is it used
- Suitable for adults aged 18 and over
- Takes approximately 20–30 minutes to complete
- Used as part of a comprehensive adult ADHD assessment
- Particularly useful when greater clinical detail about childhood presentation is needed
- The 25 scored items are used to calculate the summary score; the additional 36 items provide supplementary clinical context
What do the scores mean?
Scoring on the WURS-61 is based on the same 25 items used in the WURS-25. Each item is rated on a five-point scale from 0 (not at all or very slightly) to 4 (very much), giving a scored total ranging from 0 to 100.
The same cut-off scores apply as for the WURS-25:
- Score of 36 or above: Indicative of a childhood history of ADHD symptoms; 96% sensitivity and 96% specificity in the original validation (Ward et al., 1993)
- Score of 46 or above: A more conservative threshold that improves specificity for distinguishing ADHD from depression and anxiety presentations
The extended items in the WURS-61 do not contribute to the summary score but may assist in building a fuller picture of the individual's childhood experience.
Developer
The WURS was developed by Paul H. Wender and colleagues. The full 61-item scale and its psychometric properties are described alongside the 25-item version in the original and subsequent validation work.
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.
Reimherr, F. W., Marchant, B. K., Gift, T. E., Steans, T. A., & Wender, P. H. (2022). ADHD and the Utah criteria. Neuropsychiatric Disease and Treatment, 1853–1874.