Parent-Teacher Agreement on Social Skills and Behavior Problems Among Ethnically Diverse Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Thompson et al. (2018) asked parents and teachers to rate the same ethnically diverse preschoolers with autism. They used two common checklists: the Social Skills Rating System and the Child Behavior Checklist.

The team wanted to see how closely the adults agreed on social skills and behavior problems. They also checked if ethnicity changed the size of the gaps.

Parents and teachers only partly agreed on social skills. They almost never agreed on behavior problems.

Across groups, parents gave kinder scores. They saw stronger social skills and milder behavior problems than teachers did. The size of the gap differed by ethnic background.

The pattern matches Bao et al. (2017) and Szatmari et al. (1994). Those studies also found low-to-moderate parent-teacher agreement in autism. The 2018 preschool data simply update the same story.

Greene et al. (2019) seem to disagree at first. Their teachers rated adaptive skills higher than parents, while Brittany’s parents rated social skills higher. The difference is the skill being rated. Teachers judge classroom self-care more harshly, but parents judge social politeness more harshly. Both studies remind us to collect both views.

Myers et al. (2018) extend the ethnic piece. They showed African-American race and lower income lowered caregiver-clinician agreement. Brittany saw similar ethnic gaps between parent and teacher. Taken together, the two papers warn that culture and context shape every score.

When you write an assessment report, never rely on one adult’s view. Ask both parent and teacher for social-skills and behavior ratings, then plot the gap. If the family is from an ethnic minority, expect an even larger gap and plan extra observation before you make big decisions like eligibility or hours. A five-minute phone call to the teacher can save months of misplaced treatment.