Getting started with telehealth for early intervention: Learning modules

In some assessments, your provider will ask you questions about your child’s development or current skills.

A few things to think about when responding to interview assessments:

You are an expert on your child!

Providers may do these interview assessments either over the telephone or over the telehealth video conferencing. These assessments may get a little long, so it is okay to take breaks. 

The provider will give you instructions about how to answer the questions, for example, some questions may ask you to describe if your child has done a specific skill in the past week. Other questions may ask you to describe on a scale of never, sometimes, always how often your child does a skill.

If you forget or get confused about the instructions, you can ask your provider to repeat the instructions or to give you some examples.

If you are unsure about what answer to give, you may wish to describe a little to the provider what your child does, and they can help you with additional instructions or examples.

We also know that sometimes answering many questions about areas that are difficult for your child or your family can be difficult as a parent. Let your provider know if you need to take a break or if you are feeling upset.

Remember to care for yourself, you may want to schedule some time for yourself for after you complete the interview (go for a walk, call a friend). 

Your child is always your same child, no matter what an assessment report says about them. Following an assessment or receiving results of an assessment, it can be helpful to take time to think about all of the wonderful strengths that your child has and the things that make them unique, such as their interests and preferences.