Comparison of Parent Report and Direct Assessment of Child Skills in Toddlers.
Parent checklists match direct toddler testing across diagnoses, yet combining both gives the fullest picture of language and fine-motor skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked 60 parents of toddlers to fill out a short checklist. The list covered language and fine-motor items like 'puts two words together' and 'draws a line.'
Next, a trained examiner tested the same skills with toys and small tasks. Kids were about two to three years old. Some had autism, some had other delays, and some were typical.
What they found
Parent scores and test scores landed in the same ballpark for every group. The numbers were not significantly different.
When parents and tester disagreed, it was usually because Mom or Dad said the child could do the skill, but the child did not show it during the short test.
How this fits with other research
Bhat (2024) looked at 2,644 older kids with ASD and still found 81 % agreement between parent report and direct motor scores. That larger sample extends the toddler finding: dual methods keep catching kids the other view misses.
Bong et al. (2021) blended a 10-minute parent chat with a 15-minute play test to screen for ASD. Their high accuracy fits the present message: one source is good, two is better.
Kremkow et al. (2022) reviewed tablet games that score toddler movements automatically. Those tools aim to replace live testing, yet the current paper reminds us parents still spot skills a camera might never see.
Why it matters
You can trust parent report for a quick snapshot, but do not skip direct testing. The toddler who will not stack blocks for a stranger may do it every day at home. Use both pieces to write goals that fit real life and catch gaps a single visit can hide.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: There are unique challenges associated with measuring development in early childhood. Two primary sources of information are used: parent report and direct assessment. Each approach has strengths and weaknesses, particularly when used to identify and diagnose developmental delays. The present study aimed to evaluate consistency between parent report and direct assessment of child skills in toddlers with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) across receptive language, expressive language, and fine motor domains. METHOD: 109 children were evaluated at an average age of two years; data on child skills were collected via parent report and direct assessment. Children were classified into three groups (i.e., ASD, Other Developmental Disorder, or Typical Development) based on DSM-IV-TR diagnosis. Mixed design ANOVAs, with data source as a within subjects factor and diagnostic group as a between subjects factor, were used to assess agreement. Chi square tests of agreement were then used to examine correspondence at the item level. RESULTS: Results suggested that parent report of language and fine motor skills did not significantly differ from direct assessment, and this finding held across diagnostic groups. Item level analyses revealed that, in most cases of significant disagreement, parents reported a skill as present, but it was not seen on direct testing. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that parents are generally reliable reporters of child language and fine motor abilities in toddlerhood, even when their children have developmental disorders such as ASD. However, the fullest picture may be obtained by using both parent report and direct assessment.
Research in autism spectrum disorders, 2017 · doi:10.1016/j.rasd.2017.08.002