In recent years, there has been an increase in the development of self-report assessments for children, for both clinical and research use. This increase is compatible with the increase in the use of client-centred practice and other frames of reference that give clients – including children – a greater voice in their therapy. Occupation, the focus of therapy, is best understood from the perspective of the child engaged in it (Primeau and Ferguson 1999).
There is mounting evidence that the views of children are different from, but as valid as, those of their parents (Sturgess and Ziviani 1996, Bouman et al 1999). The purpose of this paper is to provide a contemporary analysis of self-report assessment for children. An extensive review of the self-report literature found a clear rationale for its use and also evidence about the features of effective self-report tools. The results of this literature review and a critique of some self-report assessments available for young children are included in this paper.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
BaldwinW (2000) Information no one else knows: The value of self-report. In: StoneAATurkkanJSBachrachCAJobeJBKurtzmanHSCainVS, eds. The science of self-report: Implications for research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 3–8.
2.
BeglyA (2000) The educational self-perceptions of children with Down syndrome. In: LewisALindsayG, eds. Researching children's perspectives. Buckingham: Open University Press, 98–111.
3.
BersoffDMBersoffDN (2000) Ethical issues in the collection of self-report data. In: StoneAATurkkanJSBachrachCAJobeJBKurtzmanHSCainVS, eds. The science of self-report: Implications for research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 9–24.
4.
BiermanKL (1983) Cognitive development and clinical interviews with children. In: LaheyBBKazdinAE, eds. Advances in clinical child psychology, Vol. 6, New York: Plenum Press, 217–50.
5.
BiermanKLMcCauleyE (1987) Children's descriptions of their peer interactions: Useful information for clinical child assessment. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 16, 9–8.
6.
BlairJ (2000) Assessing protocols for child interviews. In: StoneAATurkkanJSBachrachCAJobeJBKurtzmanHSCainVS eds. The science of self-report: Implications for research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 161–74.
7.
BoumanNHKootHMVan GilsAPJMVerhulstFC (1999) Development of a health-related quality of life instrument for children: The Quality of Life Questionnaire for Children. Psychology and Health, 14, 829–46.
8.
BrayNWHuffmanLFFletcherKL (1999) Development and intellectual differences in self-report and strategy use. Developmental Psychology, 35(5), 1223–36.
9.
CassidyJAsherSR (1992) Loneliness and peer relations in young children. Child Development, 63(3), 350–65.
10.
Coster (1998) Occupation-centred assessment of children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 52(5), 337–44.
11.
DeyoRACentorR (1986) Assessing the responsiveness of functional scales to clinical change: An analogy to diagnostic test performance. Journal of Chronic Diseases, 39(11), 897–906.
12.
DockerellJLewisALindsayG (2000) Researching children's perspectives: A psychological dimension. In: LewisALindsayG, eds. Researching children's perspectives. Buckingham: Open University Press, 46–58.
13.
GuyattGWalterSNormanG (1987) Measuring change over time: Assessing the usefulness of evaluative instruments. Journal of Chronic Diseases., 40(2), 171–78.
14.
HarterSPikeR (1984) The Pictorial Scale of Perceived Competence and Social Acceptance for young children. Child Development, 55, 1969–82.
15.
HenryAD (2000) Paediatric Interest Profiles: Surveys of play for children and adolescents. USA: The Psychological Corporation, a Harcourt Assessment Company.
KleinSMagill-EvansJ (1998) Perceptions of competence and peer acceptance in young children with motor and learning difficulties. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 18(3/4), 39–52.
18.
KramerPHinojosaJ (1999) Frames of reference for paediatric occupational therapy. 2nd ed.Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins.
19.
le CoqEMCollandVTBoekeAJTBezemerDPvan EijkJThM (2000) Reproducibility, construct validity, and responsiveness of the ‘How Are You?’ (HAY), a self-report quality of life questionnaire for children with asthma. Journal of Asthma, 37(1), 43–58.
20.
LewisALindsayG, eds (2000) Researching children's perspectives. Buckingham: Open University Press.
21.
MartinRAEvansSMWymanH (1999) Social cognition on the playground: Children's beliefs about playing with girls versus boys and their relations to sex-segregated play. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 16(6), 751–71.
22.
MissiunaC (1998) Development of ‘All About Me’, a scale that measures children's perceived motor competence. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 18, 85–107.
23.
MissiunaCPollockN (2000) Perceived efficacy and goal setting in young children. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 67(2), 101–109.
24.
MurfinBButterworthD (1999) Researching children: The woes and joys of observing and interviewing four-year-olds. Australian Journal of Early Childhood, 24(2), 6–9.
25.
ParushSDoryonYDKatzN (1996) A comparison of self-report and informant report of tactile defensiveness amongst children in Israel. Occupational Therapy International, 3(4), 274–83.
26.
PayneSL (1951) The art of asking questions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
27.
PellegriniAD (1998) Rough-and-tumble play from childhood through adolescence: Different perspectives. In: FrombergDPBergenD, eds. Play from birth to twelve and beyond: Contexts, perspectives and meanings. New York: Garland, 401–408.
28.
PretzlikUSylvaK (1999) Paediatric patients' distress and coping during medical treatment: A self-report measure. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 81(6), 525–27.
29.
PrimeauLAFergusonJM (1999) Occupational frame of reference. In: KramerPHinojosaJ, eds. Frames of reference for paediatric occupational therapy. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams and Wilkins, 469–516.
30.
RavivARavivAShimoniHFoxNALeavittLA (1999) Children's self-report of exposure to violence and its relation to emotional distress. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 20(2), 337–53.
31.
RosenbaumPKingSLawMKingGEvansJ (1998) Family-centred service: A conceptual framework and research review. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, 18(1), 1–20.
32.
RoyeenCB (1985) Adaption of Likert scaling for use with children. Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 5(1), 59–69.
33.
RoyeenCB (1986) The development of a touch scale for measuring tactile defensiveness in children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 40(6), 414–19.
34.
RoyeenCBFortuneJC (1989) Touch inventory for elementary-school-aged children. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 44(2), 155–59.
35.
SallisJF (1991) Self-report measures of children's physical activity. Journal of School Health, 61, 215–19.
36.
SilverCHElderWGDeBoltAJ (1999) Social skills self-appraisal of children with specific arithmetic disabilities. Developmental Neuropsychology, 16(1), 117–26.
37.
SmithPKTakhvarMGoreNVollstedtR (1985) Play in young children: Problems of definition, categorisation and measurement. In: SmithP, ed. Children's play: Research developments and practical applications. New York: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, 39–55.
38.
SpiritoAStarkLJWilliamsC (1988) Development of a brief coping checklist for use with pediatric populations. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 13, 555–74.
39.
SpiritoAStarkLJGraceNStamoulisD (1991) Common problems and coping strategies reported in childhood and early adolescence. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 20(5), 531–44.
40.
St-Laurent-GagnonTBernard-BonninACVilleneuveE (1999) Pain evaluation in preschool children and by their parents. Acta Paediatrica, 88, 422–27.
41.
StoneAATurkkanJSBachrachCAJobeJBKurtzmanHSCainVS, eds (2000) The science of self-report: Implications for research and practice. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
42.
StormshakEAWebster-StrattonC (1999) The qualitative interactions of children with conduct problems and their peers: Differential correlates with self-report measures, home behaviour, and school behaviour problems. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 20(2), 295–317.
43.
SturgessJ (1997) Self-report about play skills by children aged 5 to 7 years. Unpublished Master's thesis. Brisbane: The University of Queensland.
44.
SturgessJZivianiJ (1995) Development of a self-report play questionnaire for children aged 5 to 7 years: A preliminary report. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 42, 107–17.
45.
SturgessJZivianiJ (1996) A self-report play skills questionnaire: Technical development. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 43, 142–54.
46.
SumsionTE (1999) Client-centred practice in occupational therapy: A guide to implementation. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
47.
TaylorAS (2000) The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: Giving children a voice. In: LewisALindsayG eds. Researching children's perspectives. Buckingham: Open University Press, 21–33.
48.
WallenMDoyleS (1996) Performance indicators in paediatrics: The role of standardised assessments and goal setting. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 43, 172–77.
