Clinical Assessments of Parent-Child Interaction

Abstract

This article discusses issues that are relevant to the clinical assessment of parent-child interaction in the context of early intervention and clinical infant services. Issues discussed include (a) factors contributing to the call for parent-child assessments; (b) the reliability and validity of parent-child assessment instruments; and (c) the interpretability of data obtained from parent-child assessments. We argue that the focus on parent-child interaction is appropriate for clinical infant services. However, contemporary assessment procedures may not be developed sufficiently to be included as part of the developmental assessment process. The professional community must consider whether and how parent-child assessments can enhance the quality of clinical infant services.