Assessment Tools for Parent-Child/Adolescent Problems

Many parents will present complaining about a child’s behavior, and may not necessarily identify their behavioral contribution to the problem. It is important to accurately identify both the child problem, as well as the parent problem, including the parent’s concerns and behaviors (verbal and nonverbal) that impact the child’s behavior. In addition to a formal assessment, data gathered from direct observation and a review of school and medical records may be useful.¹ Consulting with others, particularly teachers, is very important. In order to meet criteria for many pediatric mental disorders, symptoms must be present in two or more contexts. Also, behavior problems may be context specific. For instance, problems that occur at home may not occur at school, and vice versa, which is useful information in determining what variables may be triggering or maintaining behaviors of interest.

Self-Report Measures

Child/teen behavior can vary depending upon the context; therefore rating scales are useful for obtaining information from collaterals (e.g., parents and teachers) in different settings. The following measures include both parent and teacher forms:²

• Child Behavior Checklist
  Preschool and school aged measures, including youth self-report and parent and teacher versions are available.
• Conners Ratings Scales
  Both long and short forms are available.
• BASC-2: Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition
• Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory & Sutter-Eyberg Student Behavior Inventory- Revised

Clinician-Administered Assessments

Clinical Interview

Background information should be obtained from parents and teens during a clinical interview. Depending upon the child’s developmental level, children should be interviewed as well. It is important to gather information about:¹

• Parent/child/teen concerns and goals for treatment
• Family background
• Marital status
• Number of children in household
• Family stressors (e.g., financial, mental health, family relationships)
• Developmental history
• Medical history
• Educational history

Direct Observation

Direct observation of the child’s behavior may also be useful for informing diagnosis and treatment. Several recommended direct observation coding systems:

• Dyadic Parent-Child Interaction Coding System (DPICS)
• Revised Edition of the School Observation Coding System

¹Shriver, M. D. (1998). Teaching parenting skills. In. T. S. Watson & F. M. Gresham (Eds.). Handbook of child behavior therapy (pp. 165-182). New York: Plenum Press.

²Eyberg, S. M., O’Brien, K. A., & Chase, R. M. (in press). Oppositional defiant disorder and parent training. In J. E. Fisher & W. O’Donohue (Eds.). Practitioner’s guidelines for evidence based psychotherapy. Kluwer.