> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.getrivet.ca/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # SNAP-IV — scoring, cutoffs, and whether it is free to use > The SNAP-IV is public domain, so no permission or fee is needed. How to score the 26 parent-rated items for ADHD and ODD in children 6-18, and what the subscale cutoffs mean. The SNAP-IV is the workhorse pediatric ADHD rating scale. Twenty-six items rated by a parent (or teacher, with different cutoffs), covering the three diagnostic clusters that come up over and over in 6-18-year-olds: inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and oppositional behaviour. ## What it measures Three subscales mapped directly to DSM-IV criteria: * **Inattention** (items 1-9) — careless mistakes, sustained attention, following through, organisation, losing things, distractibility, forgetfulness * **Hyperactivity/Impulsivity** (items 10-18) — fidgeting, leaving seat, excessive talking, interrupting, can't wait turn, "on the go" * **Oppositional** (items 19-26) — temper, arguing with adults, defying rules, deliberately annoying others, blaming others The combination lets you see at a glance whether you're looking at ADHD, ODD, or — often — both. ## When to use it * Initial pediatric ADHD/ODD evaluation * Treatment-response tracking, especially when medication or behavioural intervention starts * Cross-informant comparison — give the parent version, then a separate copy to the teacher, and compare subscale patterns ## How parents fill it out Five to ten minutes. Each item rates a behaviour over the past six months (or since the school year began) on a 0-3 scale (Not at all / Just a little / Quite a bit / Very much). ## Scoring and severity cutoffs Subscale sums with **parent-rated cutoffs** derived from Swanson's canonical average thresholds × item count. | Subscale | Items | Parent cutoff | Per-item average | | ------------------------- | ----- | ------------- | ---------------- | | Inattention | 1-9 | ≥16 | ≥1.78 | | Hyperactivity/Impulsivity | 10-18 | ≥13 | ≥1.44 | | Oppositional | 19-26 | ≥15 | ≥1.88 | ### Teacher cutoffs are higher If you administer this same form to a teacher instead of a parent, apply these higher sum thresholds when you read the result: * Inattention ≥23 * Hyperactivity/Impulsivity ≥16 * Oppositional ≥16 Same instrument, same wording — the population difference (teachers observe a comparison group of classroom peers) is what raises the threshold. A teacher-specific variant of the template isn't in the library yet; for now, capture the teacher's responses on the parent form and apply the higher cutoffs by hand. ## SNAP-IV vs ASRS, and vs the Conners Age decides the first one. The SNAP-IV is the parent- or teacher-rated scale for children and adolescents; the [ASRS v1.1](/clinical-templates/child/asrs-v1-1) is the adult self-report scale. The SNAP-IV also covers oppositional symptoms, which the ASRS does not — useful, because ADHD and oppositional presentations arrive together often enough that measuring only one gives you half the picture. For comorbidity, pair it with the [RCADS](/clinical-templates/child/rcads-parent) for anxiety and depression, or the [SDQ](/clinical-templates/child/sdq-self) for a broader screen across conduct and peer relationships. Against the Conners scales: the Conners is the other widely used pediatric ADHD rating scale, and it is licensed by MHS and paid for per use. Rivet doesn't include it. The SNAP-IV covers the same three domains — inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity and oppositional symptoms — is public domain, and carries no fee for however many families you use it with. If a school board or assessment protocol requires the Conners specifically, you'll be running it wherever you licensed it. ## Is it free to use? Yes. The SNAP-IV is public domain — there is no licence to buy, no permission to request and no fee, whether you use it once or with every family on your caseload. That holds for the parent-rated version here and for the teacher-rated version you may be sent alongside it. That is unusual enough to be worth knowing. Several of the better-known pediatric ADHD scales are copyrighted and priced per administration, which is often what decides whether a practice uses them at all. ## Citation Swanson, J. M. The SNAP-IV is the public-domain version distributed at adhd.net and ADHDProfiles.org. One of the most widely used pediatric ADHD/ODD rating scales worldwide. Public domain. ## Related articles Adult ADHD screener — for clients aging out of the SNAP-IV. Rule out anxiety or depression as a driver of concentration problems. Broader adolescent mental-health screen when you need wide-angle before going specific.