# What is the Conners 3rd Edition (Conners-3)?

Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-the-conners-3rd-edition-conners-3-and-what-does-it-assess
Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited

The Conners 3rd Edition (Conners-3) is a widely used, structured rating questionnaire that helps clinicians understand attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and related behaviours in children and young people aged about 6 to 18 years. It gathers information from parents, teachers and the young person themselves, comparing observations across home and school against age-matched norms. It assesses areas such as inattention, hyperactivity, learning problems, executive functioning and peer relationships — but it is one tool within a wider assessment and never a diagnosis on its own.

*A widely used questionnaire that gathers the voices of parents, teachers and the child themselves to understand attention, behaviour and learning.*

## In short
The **Conners 3rd Edition (Conners-3)** is a well-established, structured rating questionnaire that helps clinicians understand attention, hyperactivity, impulsivity and related behaviours in children and young people, typically aged **6 to 18 years**. It gathers information from several viewpoints — parents, teachers, and (for older children) the young person themselves — so that a fuller picture emerges across home and school. It is one piece of a careful assessment, never a diagnosis on its own.

## What the Conners-3 assesses
The Conners-3 focuses closely on the behaviours linked with **attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)** and conditions that often appear alongside it. The rating forms cover areas such as inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity, learning problems, executive functioning (planning, organising and getting started on tasks), aggression, and peer or family relationships. Because the same child can behave quite differently at home and in the classroom, the Conners-3 deliberately draws on **multiple raters** — a parent or carer, a teacher, and the young person — to compare observations across settings. The responses are compared with age-matched and gender-matched norms, which helps a clinician judge how a child's profile sits relative to peers of the same age. The result is not a label but a structured snapshot that guides further conversation and assessment.

## How it fits into a wider assessment
A questionnaire alone never diagnoses ADHD or any other condition. The Conners-3 is one trusted tool among many — used alongside clinical interview, developmental history, observation and other measures — by a qualified clinician who weighs everything together. Think of it as one carefully designed lens that helps the whole picture come into focus.

## The Pinnacle way
This is general information, not a diagnosis — a clinical [AbilityScore®](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated) and any diagnosis are formed only at a Pinnacle Blooms Network centre, under qualified clinician care, never from an app or form. Our team uses validated tools such as the [Conners-3](/conners-3) alongside structured clinical assessment, and where attention or learning support is helpful we draw on services like [behavioural therapy](/behavioural-therapy) within an individualised plan.

## Trusted sources
The American Academy of Pediatrics and HealthyChildren guidance on ADHD evaluation in children; CDC information on ADHD and how it is assessed using information from parents and teachers; NICE guidance on the recognition and assessment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

**Next step —** If you have questions about your child's attention, behaviour or learning, book a developmental assessment so a qualified clinician can build the full picture and guide any support.

## Sources
- AAP HealthyChildren — ADHD evaluation in children: https://www.healthychildren.org
- CDC — ADHD diagnosis and assessment: https://www.cdc.gov
- NICE — recognition and assessment of ADHD: https://www.nice.org.uk

## Connected topics and perspectives
- Assessments: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/assessments
- Parent: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent
- Definition: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/definition
- Measure: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/measure
- Screen: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/screen
- Early Clarity: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/early_clarity

## Related question paths

### Understand the subject
- At What Age Is the Conners 3 Used for a Child?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-is-the-conners-3-developmental-assessment-used-for-a-child

### Understand assessment
- Should My Child Have a CONNERS-3 Assessment?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-my-child-have-a-conners-3-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve
- When is the Conners 3 indicated, and what are its early-childhood limits?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/when-is-the-conners-3-indicated-and-what-are-its-strengths-and-limits-in-early-childhood
- How the Conners-3 compares with the AbilityScore developmental assessment: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-does-the-conners-3-compare-with-the-abilityscore-developmental-assessment
- Standardised tools for assessing ADHD in early childhood: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/which-standardised-tools-are-used-to-assess-adhd-in-early-childhood
- Validated outcome measures for ADHD in early childhood: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/which-validated-outcome-measures-are-used-to-study-adhd-in-early-childhood