The Family Interview and

Questionnaire: Gathering
Historical and Current Data
By: Bernabe, Creste Mae I.
III-ECE
Family-Centered Assessment and
Empowerment

 Involvement should begin from the time the child is

referred for assessment, not after the assessment has
been completed.
 Child-centered assessment should shift to family-
centered assessment wherein the family plays a central
role in the assessment process.
 One of the greatest predictors of the growth and well-
being of children with special needs is family
involvement and empowerment (Edwards & Da
Fonte,2012)
 The most common needs
communicated by parents
are:

1. Sharing expectations with the

family;
2. Being part of the decision-
making process; and
3. Collaborating with
professionals
 The family is often left out of the assessment
process. Although there is an attempt to
determine what their goals and expectations
for the child are at the beginning of the
assessment process, this rarely translates to
actual accommodations during the assessment
proper and in the drafting of feasible
recommendations.
 From Professional-centered to Family-centered assessment
Professional-Centered
• Assumes that the child with special
needs’ requirements are central to
family dynamics; lacks regard for
concerns of other family members
• Problem-oriented
• Presupposes stereotypes of familial
roles and cultural nuances
• One-way communication from
professionals to family
• Relies on outsourcing of costly
professional support
• Prescriptive and promotes
dependence/learned helplessness
Family-Centered
• Revolves around family needs,
schedules, and available resources and
how these could be optimized in
educating the child with special needs
• Solution-centered
• Respects diversity in familial roles and
cultural backgrounds
• Two-way communication between
professionals and family
• Considers simple and available support
mechanisms
• Collaborative and promotes family
empowerment
Guidelines in conducting an interview of the informant as a part
of a Psychoeducational Assessment of a child with special needs:

1. Ready needed materials and guides ahead of time

2. Establish rapport with the informant
3. Listen intently and be emphatic
4. Be non-judgmental about the disclosures of the informant
5. Avoid making premature judgments/diagnosis
6. Use open-ended questions/items and not those answerable by “yes” or
“no” only
7. Affirm/recognize informants genuine effort to help the child
8. Provide information when asked about facts pertaining to the child’s
disability. (e.g. what are the causes of autism?)
9. Use leads: direct (e.g., “why is the child out of school?”) and indirect
(e.g., “feel free to explain how your child relates with other children.”)
 Conducting and Administering the Family
Interview and Questionnaire

• Both interview and questionnaire consist of

contextual measures to (1) aid in creating a
historical and developmental view of the child
and (2) plan more relevant intervention
strategies(Sattler, 2001).
 Layton and Lock (2008)
Selecting the Use of Questionnaire vs. Interview

When to Use a Questionnaire When to Use an Interview

Need global information Need to probe

Have little time Require details

Want written information Want to circumvent literacy barriers

Require formal setting Want informal contact

Seek simple facts Desire to establish rapport

Specific answers are required Seek detailed discussions

Date:
Name of Informant:
Relationship to the Child:

• Name
• Age
• Address
Basic • Condition/Diagnosis
Information • Referring MD/ Psychologist/ Guidance Counselor
• Date of Referral and Assessment

• Goals and Expectations

• Strengths and Needs (Reason for Referral)
• Resources/Available Support
Family • Profile of Family (Parents and Siblings, If any)
History • Home Environment (Accessibility)
 • Prenatal, Postnatal, Perinatal History (Meds,
Hospitalization; Lab Finding)
• Signs/ Red Flags of Delay or Disability
Medical and
• Early Therapeutic Intervention (PT/ OT/ ST/ ABA)
Education
• Educational Placements (SPED; Inclusion-Full/ Partial;
History
Homeschool)

• Interests, Attitude, and Motivating Factors

• Behaviors in Natural Environments and Social Skills
Psychosocial • Multiple Intelligences and Learning Styles
History • Daily Schedule, Routines, and Activities