The mother of an 8-year-old boy brings the child to the psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner for an evaluation. She states that she thinks her son has ADHD. The mother says the boy’s father is reluctant to try medication and believes the boy just needs to “focus.” The mother wants to try medication and somehow show the father that it will help her son. Which of the following is a tool that could be used to objectively measure behavior changes prior to and during medication administration?

Choice A reason: The Adolescent Self-Report Scale is designed for older children and adolescents to self-report behaviors and is not suitable for an 8-year-old. Choice B reason: The Child Behavior Checklist is a broad measure of behavioral and emotional functioning but may not provide specific ADHD-related behavior tracking. Choice C reason: The Conners Teacher Rating Scale is completed by teachers and can track school behavior, but does not assess behavior at home, which is critical for parent-observed medication effects. Choice D reason: The Conners Parent Rating Scale provides a validated measure of ADHD symptoms at home, allowing objective tracking of behavior changes before and during medication use.