About the Book
The Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale--Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA) is an empirically based tool for evaluating clinically significant dimensions of child and adolescent executive functioning. Evidence indicates that the BDEFS-CA is far more predictive of impairments in daily life activities than more time-consuming and costly traditional EF tests. The BDEFS-CA offers an ecologically valid snapshot of the capacities involved in time management, organization and problem solving, self-restraint, self-motivation, and self-regulation of emotions. Two parent-report forms are included: a long form (10-15 minutes) and a short form (3-5 minutes). There is also a short clinical interview form based on the short-form rating scale, for use in unusual circumstances where a parent is unable to complete a rating scale. Special features include an ADHD risk index in the long form. Complete instructions for scoring and interpreting the scale are provided.
QUICK VIEW
What does it do?: Provides an ecologically valid assessment of executive functioning deficits in daily life activities.
Age Range: 6-17
Administration Time: Long Form: 10-15 minutes. Short Form: 3-5 minutes.
Format: Parent-report rating scale.
Cost of Additional Forms: No cost--purchasers get permission to reproduce the forms and score sheets for repeated use.
See also the Barkley Functional Impairment Scale--Children and Adolescents (BFIS-CA) and the Barkley Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Scale--Children and Adolescents (BSCTS-CA). Also available: Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale (BDEFS for Adults) and Barkley's authoritative book on EF development and deficits, Executive Functions.
Includes Permission to Photocopy
Enhancing the convenience and value of the BDEFS-CA, the limited photocopy license allows purchasers to reproduce the forms and score sheets and yields considerable cost savings over other available scales. The large format and sturdy wire binding facilitate photocopying.
Age range: 6-17.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
1. Executive Functioning in Children
2. Development of the BDEFS-CA
3. Normative Sample
4. Factor Analysis, Scale Construction, and Item Frequencies
5. Relationship of BDEFS-CA Scores to Demographic Factors in the Normative Sample
6. Reliability
7. Validity
8. Relationship of BDEFS-CA Scores to Impairment
9. Scoring and Interpretation of the BDEFS-CA Forms
Appendix: BDEFS-CA Forms, Interview, and EF Profiles
BDEFS-CA Long Form
BDEFS-CA Short Form
BDEFS-CA Interview
BDEFS-CA Long Form EF Profile (Ages 6–11, Males Only)
BDEFS-CA Long Form EF Profile (Ages 12–17, Males Only)
BDEFS-CA Long Form EF Profile (Ages 6–11, Females Only)
BDEFS-CA Long Form EF Profile (Ages 12–17, Females Only)
BDEFS-CA Short Form EF Profile (All Ages and Both Sexes)
About the Author :
Russell A. Barkley, PhD, ABPP, ABCN, before retiring in 2021, served on the faculties of the University of Massachusetts Medical Center, the Medical University of South Carolina, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Barkley has worked with children, adolescents, and families since the 1970s and is the author of numerous bestselling books for both professionals and the public, including Taking Charge of ADHD and Your Defiant Child. He has also published six assessment scales and more than 300 scientific articles and book chapters on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, executive functioning, and childhood defiance. A frequent conference presenter and speaker who is widely cited in the national media, Dr. Barkley is past president of the Section on Clinical Child Psychology (the former Division 12) of the American Psychological Association (APA), and of the International Society for Research in Child and Adolescent Psychopathology. He is a recipient of awards from the American Academy of Pediatrics and the APA, among other honors. His website is www.russellbarkley.org.
Review :
"Barkley has once again developed a useful, easily administered, and cost-effective assessment instrument. The value of the BDEFS-CA goes beyond the instrument itself; the thorough yet concise manual is also extremely useful. Barkley provides an impeccable presentation of the development of the scale and the methodology for measuring its reliability and validity. He makes a strong case for the relationship between attention disorders and EF deficits and documents the impact of these deficits in many areas of children's lives."--Peg Dawson, EdD, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
"The BDEFS-CA represents a key contribution to our field. This measure will be invaluable for practitioners, educators, and psychology students, who now have another important tool for evaluating executive function processes."--Lynn Meltzer, PhD, Director, Institute for Learning and Development (ILD) and ResearchILD, Lexington, Massachusetts; Harvard Graduate School of Education
"The BDEFS-CA offers a different perspective than existing scales or performance-based measures--it adheres to Barkley's hybrid theory of EF, with the intention of providing ecologically valid and relevant clinical information. Professionals who work with children and adolescents will find this measure useful for identifying EF areas that are affecting everyday functioning. The long form provides the most comprehensive information. The short form and interview format can serve as screening measures and potentially as quick means of progress monitoring. A major advantage of the BDEFS-CA is the ease and cost-effectiveness of using this measure."--Cynthia A. Riccio, PhD, Professor and Director of Training, School Psychology Program, Texas A&M University
"There is a critical need for valid and reliable EF assessment measures. This instrument is an invaluable tool for assessing EF deficits in the daily lives of children and adolescents and also will assist in measuring treatment response. The BDEFS-CA is unique in that it is theoretically and empirically based and focuses on EF in daily living, rather than lab-based performance tasks. The scale is psychometrically sound and provides a summary score as well as specific domain scores that will aid clinicians in developing and monitoring interventions. The BDEFS-CA would be appropriate for graduate assessment courses in school psychology, clinical psychology, counseling, and medical training programs."--Lisa Weyandt, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island-
"Barkley has once again developed a useful, easily administered, and cost-effective assessment instrument. The value of the BDEFS-CA goes beyond the instrument itself; the thorough yet concise manual is also extremely useful. Barkley provides an impeccable presentation of the development of the scale and the methodology for measuring its reliability and validity. He makes a strong case for the relationship between attention disorders and EF deficits and documents the impact of these deficits in many areas of children's lives."--Peg Dawson, EdD, Center for Learning and Attention Disorders, Portsmouth, New Hampshire
"The BDEFS-CA represents a key contribution to our field. This measure will be invaluable for practitioners, educators, and psychology students, who now have another important tool for evaluating executive function processes."--Lynn Meltzer, PhD, President and Director, Research Institute for Learning and Development, Lexington, Massachusetts; Harvard Graduate School of Education
"The BDEFS-CA offers a different perspective than existing scales or performance-based measures--it adheres to Barkley's hybrid theory of EF, with the intention of providing ecologically valid and relevant clinical information. Professionals who work with children and adolescents will find this measure useful for identifying EF areas that are affecting everyday functioning. The long form provides the most comprehensive information. The short form and interview format can serve as screening measures and potentially as quick means of progress monitoring. A major advantage of the BDEFS-CA is the ease and cost-effectiveness of using this measure."--Cynthia A. Riccio, PhD, Professor and Director of Training, School Psychology Program, Texas A&M University
"There is a critical need for valid and reliable EF assessment measures. This instrument is an invaluable tool for assessing EF deficits in the daily lives of children and adolescents and also will assist in measuring treatment response. The BDEFS-CA is unique in that it is theoretically and empirically based and focuses on EF in daily living, rather than lab-based performance tasks. The scale is psychometrically sound and provides a summary score as well as specific domain scores that will aid clinicians in developing and monitoring interventions. The BDEFS-CA would be appropriate for graduate assessment courses in school psychology, clinical psychology, counseling, and medical training programs."--Lisa Weyandt, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of Rhode Island-
