Advantages of Parent-Report Tools: Accuracy + Savings + More

• Information supplied by parents about their children is typically highly accurate.
• Parent-report tools are relatively inexpensive compared with instruments that must be completed by professionals.
• They generally require little training and can be scored by office staff or paraprofessionals.
• Parent-report tools are very flexible; they can be sent home to be completed independently, taken on home visits, completed in child care or preschool settings, or filled out in waiting rooms.
• They are deliberately brief and easy for parents to complete.
• Parent-report tools make use of parents’ unique perspective on their child’s behavior and activities in various natural settings (rather than relying on observation of the child in an unfamiliar setting such as a doctor’s office).
• They fulfill the spirit of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) amendments calling for parents to be partners in their child’s assessment and intervention activities.
• Parent-report tools demonstrate that professionals value parents’ input and provide opportunities to establish cooperative relationships.
• Whether a child is flagged as potentially having a delay or not, high quality parent-report tools—especially ASQ, which is the only one that references developmental milestones—can become effective parent education instruments.