The Role of Parental Report in the Screening and Assessment of Young Children

Abstract

This paper reviews research focusing on the role of parental report in screening and assessment of young children. Specific issues discussed include the relationship between parent report and the child's tested performance, variables that may affect parent-professional agreement, the effect of such disagreement on the usefulness of parent report, and how and when parent report should be used. We discuss the role of parent report in screening, assessment, and program planning. We make specific recommendations for the systematic use of parent report in early intervention efforts.