Wender Utah Rating Scale for ADHD - 25 WURS-25
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The WURS-25 is a widely used 25-item self-report screener designed to assess childhood ADHD symptoms retrospectively in adults. Adapted from the original 61-item Wender Utah Rating Scale, the WURS-25 focuses on the most predictive behavioral and emotional indicators of childhood ADHD—including impulsivity, inattention, mood regulation, and difficulty with schoolwork. Respondents rate how much each item applied to them as a child, producing a total score from 0–100. A score of 46 or higher is the validated cutoff that suggests a positive screen for childhood ADHD. Importantly, the WURS-25 is not diagnostic; it provides historical context that supports, but does not replace, full ADHD assessment in adulthood.
Type: Retrospective ADHD screener
Population: Adults recalling childhood symptoms
Length: 25 items
Format: Self-report
Completion Time: 5–7 minutes
Administer once during ADHD evaluation to capture childhood history, with re-use only if the initial assessment was incomplete or unclear. Rarely repeated, as responses should not change over time May be re-administered only if an initial assessment was incomplete or unclear
Foundational Context
Diagnosing ADHD in adults requires establishing that symptoms were present in childhood. The WURS was developed to support this requirement by giving adults a structured way to report on early life behaviors. The short-form WURS-25 emerged from psychometric analyses identifying the most discriminative items from the full 61-item scale, maintaining strong sensitivity and specificity while reducing burden.
The WURS-25 captures emotional and behavioral traits historically associated with the Utah Criteria for ADHD, which emphasize not only inattention and hyperactivity, but also mood lability, disorganization, impulsivity, and difficulty with self-regulation. Because retrospective reporting is inherently subjective, the WURS-25 should be interpreted within a multi-method diagnostic approach.
What the Assessment Measures
The WURS-25 assesses retrospective childhood behaviors related to:
- Inattention and distractibility
- Hyperactivity and restlessness
- Impulsivity
- Emotional dysregulation
- Irritability and temper
- Academic difficulties
- Social conflict or interpersonal challenges
- Disorganization and forgetfulness
All items contribute to one total score; no subscales are used in standard scoring.
Interpretation Guidelines
Score range: 0–100
Higher scores reflect stronger recollections of childhood ADHD-related symptoms.
Validated cutoff:
- ≥46 → Positive screen for probable childhood ADHD (McCann et al., 2000)
Important interpretation notes:
- The WURS-25 cannot confirm childhood ADHD—its utility is in supporting diagnostic formulation
- Retrospective self-report can be affected by memory bias, mood, or current functioning
- Should be integrated with developmental history, collateral information (when available), and structured ADHD evaluation
- High scores may reflect other childhood conditions (e.g., mood disorders, conduct-related issues)
Psychometric Properties
Reliability
- Strong internal consistency
- High item–total correlations
- Stable factor structure across multiple validation studies
Validity
- Good sensitivity and specificity for differentiating ADHD vs. non-ADHD adults
- Predicts clinician-diagnosed childhood ADHD with fair-to-strong accuracy
- Validated both in clinical and community samples
Administration Considerations
- Best administered as part of a comprehensive adult ADHD evaluation
- Useful when childhood records or parental reports are unavailable
- Should be contextualized rather than treated as historical fact
- Some individuals may over- or under-report due to mood, insight, or self-concept
- Can complement other measures such as ASRS, CAARS, or structured interviews
Limitations
- Retrospective recall is vulnerable to bias
- Emotional items may inflate scores in adults with depression, anxiety, or trauma histories
- Not suitable as a stand-alone diagnostic tool
- Does not assess current ADHD symptoms
Copyright
© Ward, Wender & Reimherr (1993). All rights reserved.
References
- Ward, M. F., Wender, P. H., & Reimherr, F. W. (1993). The Wender Utah Rating Scale. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150(6), 885–890. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.150.6.885
- Kouros I, Hörberg N, Ekselius L, Ramklint M. Wender Utah Rating Scale-25 (WURS-25): psychometric properties and diagnostic accuracy of the Swedish translation. Ups J Med Sci. 2018 Dec;123(4):230-236. doi: 10.1080/03009734.2018.1515797. Epub 2018 Oct 29. PMID: 30373435; PMCID: PMC6327570.
Disclaimer
This article is for educational purposes only and does not replace diagnostic evaluation or medical advice. The WURS-25 should be interpreted alongside clinical interviews and corroborating evidence.
Permissions
The WURS and WURS-25 are copyrighted instruments requiring appropriate citation for use. Reproduction or distribution of item content may require permission from the rights holders or publisher.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can the WURS-25 diagnose ADHD?
No. It screens for possible childhood ADHD but is not diagnostic.
Should adults repeat the WURS-25?
No. Childhood history does not change.
Does a low score rule out ADHD?
Not necessarily—memory limitations can impact reporting.
Why does the cutoff vary across studies?
Some samples use slightly different thresholds, but 46 is the widely accepted standard.
Are there subscales?
No. The WURS-25 uses a single summed score.
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