Research Article Complementary contribution of parents and therapists in the assessment process of children Limor Rosenberg, 1 Orit Bart, 1 Navah Z. Ratzon 1 and Tal Jarus 2 1 Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel and 2 Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, CanDo Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Background/aim: Traditional developmental models assume that the underlying capacities of children contribute to their participation. In this framework, preschoolers who are referred for occupational therapy services usually undergo an assessment intended to identify capacities in certain domains. Contrary to this, newer ecological models assume that child participation is a consequence of a mul- tidimensional interaction between personal and environ- mental factors. As a result clinicians are increasingly focusing their assessment on performance and participa- tion. This study aimed to assess the correlation between children’s performance skills, their capacities and partici- pation; and to explore whether parents’ observations, alongside therapist observations and standardised assess- ments, contribute to an enhanced understanding of child participation. Method: Participants included 188 parents and their chil- dren, aged 4–6 years, with and without mild developmen- tal difficulties. Data were collected using standardised assessments for child capacities, and questionnaires com- pleted by parents and occupational therapists regarding child participation and performance skills. Results: Significant correlations were found between par- ent assessments of child performance skills and child par- ticipation, but not with child capacities. The opposite was found to be true for occupational therapist assessments of child performance skills which were found to correlate with child capacities, but not with participation. Addition- ally, an interaction effect was found for both groups. Occupational therapists reported higher performance skills as compared to parents, but the difference was only signif- icant for children without mild difficulties. Conclusion: As suggested by ecological models of child participation, the findings highlight the importance of par- ent-therapist collaboration in the assessment process of children. KEY WORDS assessment, child’s participation, func- tional performance, performance skills. Introduction Changing assessment approaches Preschoolers who are referred for occupational therapy usually undergo an individual assessment comprised of various standardised developmental tests and con- ducted in a formal setting by a trained occupational therapist. These tests are intended to identify strengths or difficulties in certain developmental domains such as sensory – processing, gross and fine motor abilities, or visual – motor integration. The predominant use of these tests is based on hierarchical developmental mod- els which assume that the underlying capacities of the child contribute to his or her participation, where decreased capacities limit participation (Rodger et al., 2003). However, a shift from hierarchical to ecological mod- els of disability and health suggests that the child’s functional performance is a consequence of a multidi- mensional interaction between various developmental and environmental factors (Simeonsson et al., 2003). This shift has triggered clinicians to question the ecolog- ical validity of traditionally used tests and to integrate functional assessments into their practice (Majnemer, 2009). Based on ecological models of health which have emerged over the past decade (such as the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Limor Rosenberg PhD; Occupational Therapist. Orit Bart PhD; Occupational Therapist. Navah Z. Ratzon PhD; Occu- pational Therapist. Tal Jarus PhD; Occupational Therapist. Correspondence: Limor Rosenberg, Department of Occupa- tional Therapy, School of Health Professions, Sackler Fac- ulty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel. Email: Limbo@bezeqint.net Accepted for publication 9 March 2013. © 2013 The Authors Australian Occupational Therapy Journal © 2013 Occupational Therapy Australia Australian Occupational Therapy Journal (2013) 60, 410–415 doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12041