The Relation of Direct Home Observations to the Clinic Evaluation of Hyperactive School Age Boys

SUMMARY The relation between clinic behavioral measures and direct home observations was examined as part of the evaluation of twenty hperactive grade school boys. During 1‐hr home visits, frequency counts of shifts in activity, negative interpersonal interactions, and global estimates of “Hyperactivity” were made. These were correlated with teacher and parent rating scales, 4‐day diary reports by the mothers, and with psychiatric playroom and psychologist behavior ratings. The home observations correlated significantly with psychologist's reports as well as with teacher ratings of classroom behavior problem and hyperactivity. These results indicate the validity of some clinic measurements and support the concept of “hyperactivity” as a pervasive, stable characteristic of these children not limited to structured settings.