The WURS-61 is the original, full-length form of the Wender Utah Rating Scale, published by Ward, Wender and Reimherr in 1993. An adult rates 61 descriptions of their own childhood behaviour on a five-point scale from 'not at all' to 'very much', to support the retrospective assessment of childhood ADHD - a requirement when diagnosing ADHD in adults. Only 25 of the 61 items are scored in the standard method: Ward and colleagues selected the items that best separated adults with ADHD from controls, and that scored subset is the WURS-25.
02 - Scoring & cutoffs
How scoring works.
Standard scoring sums the 25 selected items (each 0-4, range 0-100). In the original validation, a cutoff of 46 or more identified 86% of adults with ADHD while correctly classifying 99% of normal controls and 81% of adults with depression. The remaining 36 items are not scored; in practice, administering the WURS-61 yields the same score as administering the WURS-25, plus additional unscored clinical context. Retrospective self-report is memory-dependent, and high scores also occur in other conditions, so the score supports - never replaces - a structured diagnostic assessment.
Current adult ADHD symptoms per DSM-5; pairs naturally with a retrospective childhood measure.
04 - When to use it
Right tool, wrong tool.
Reach for it when
-Assessing childhood ADHD retrospectively in adults, where diagnostic criteria require evidence of onset before age 12
-Cross-checking a current-symptom screen (ASRS-5) against recalled childhood behaviour
-Adding clinical context alongside the scored WURS-25
Reach for something else when
-Diagnosing ADHD - the WURS-61 supports a diagnostic interview, it does not replace one
-Reliable measurement of current symptoms - use the ASRS-5 or ASRS-6
-Objective verification of childhood behaviour - the score reflects adult recall, which is fallible
-Children and adolescents - the WURS is a retrospective adult instrument
-Any use that reproduces the item text without verified copyright permission
05 - Confidence & precision
Reading the score with care.
The WURS-61 has no standard error of measurement or minimally important change. The 25-item score is read against the cutoff of 46 as a binary screen; small movements near the threshold should not be over-interpreted. Because the score depends on decades-old recall, repeat administrations may shift for reasons unrelated to symptom change. Treat the result as supporting evidence within a broader assessment, not as a standalone outcome measure.
06 - Limitations
What it cannot tell you.
The score reflects an adult's recollection of childhood, decades after the fact; recall bias and the reconstructive nature of memory limit its reliability.
High scores are not specific to ADHD - elevated scores also appear in depression, bipolar disorder and other conditions.
The instrument was designed around the Utah criteria for adult ADHD, which differ from current DSM-5 conceptualisation; the WURS-61 may capture a narrower phenotype than contemporary diagnostic practice assumes.
Only 25 of the 61 items are scored; the remaining 36 are unscored clinical context and cannot be added to produce a more sensitive total.
The cutoff of 46 was derived in the original 1993 validation sample and has not been re-validated against DSM-5 criteria.
Reproducing the item text requires copyright permission that has not been verified for this page.
07 - Licensing, explained
How licensing works.
The Wender Utah Rating Scale is copyright Ward, Wender & Reimherr (1993), all rights reserved. We could not verify permission to reproduce the item text, so this page does not include the questionnaire. Aisel offers an interactive version of the scored 25-item subset on the WURS-25 page, and the ASRS-5 provides a free current-symptom screen for adult ADHD.
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