Topic: Trait vs Context: What Factor Analysis Can Tell Us about Symptoms of ADHD

Presented by:

Dr. Alice Charach, MD, MSc
Head, Neuropsychiatry Team Outpatient, 
Department of Psychiatry, The Hospital for Sick Children 
Associate Scientist, Research Institute
Assistant Professor, University of Toronto, Department of Psychiatry

and

Dr. Annie Dupuis, PhD
Biostatistician, Child Health Evaluative Sciences
The Hospital for Sick Children
Assistant Professor, Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto 

Objectives

• Describe the semi-structured parent interview measure used for diagnosis of ADHD
• Discuss how to apply factor analysis and cluster analysis in diagnostic measures
• Discuss clinical utility of factor analysis using example of ADHD diagnostic interview

About the presentors:

Dr. Alice Charach is head of the Neuropsychiatry Team in the Outpatient Department of Psychiatry at The Hospital for Sick Children, specializing in treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and associated disorders. She is an associate scientist with The Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute. Her primary area of research is long-term follow up of children with ADHD, investigating adherence to medication and effectiveness of stimulant treatment. 

Prior to joining the staff at SickKids, Dr. Charach spent 15 years consulting to community-based children’s mental health agencies. She continues working with Kinark Child and Family Center in Simcoe County. She has developed expertise working on multidisciplinary teams, integrating biological, psychological and social/community interventions for disturbed children. She has also worked with local school boards in helping to develop comprehensive early identification and intervention programs. 

Dr. Charach has been active in undergraduate, post-graduate and continuing medical education programs in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto. She is also an associate faculty member and a tutor for the Clinical Epidemiology Program of the Department of Health Policy Management and Evaluation. 

Dr. Annie Dupuis is a biostatistician at The Hospital for Sick Children and the Research Institute at Bloorview Kids Rehab. She is also an assistant professor at the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. 

In 2001, she obtained her PhD in biostatics at the University of Toronto and then completed her post-doctoral fellowship at The Hospital for Sick Children in 2003. Dr. Dupuis has developed expertise in cystic fibrosis, autism spectrum disorders, and ADHD; her research interests also include Schwachman-Diamond syndrome, learning disabilities, and muscular dystrophy. She has experience in the analysis of large databases, sample size determination, hierarchical models, longitudinal data analysis, categorical data analysis, survival analysis, cluster analysis, factor analysis, the development of diagnostic rules and measurement norms, and graphical methods. 

Dr. Dupuis has made numerous research contributions to notable peer reviewed publications including Journal of Pediatrics, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Bone Marrow Transplant, and Journal of Advanced Nursing. Her research is funded by the Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Autism Speaks, and the Alva Foundation.