{4:50 minutes to read} Child-parent observations are a cornerstone of the custody evaluation. A good parenting assessment cannot be made without an observation of the parent and child who will live together.

In conducting child-parent evaluations, the evaluator will report on what he or she observes about the behavior between the parent and the child, then make inferences from those behaviors. Some of the dimensions assessed include: 

• The quality of the bond between the parent and the child
• How the parent and child communicate with each other
• The parent’s ability to respond to the child’s cues
• The parent’s ability to set up structure for the child
• The parent’s ability to manage the child’s frustration and soothe the child
• The child’s ability to separate from the parent (when a child is young)
• The child’s ability to follow directions provided by the parent 

Child-parent observations come with a number of challenges. The first one is to what degree we can extrapolate about the quality of the relationship between a parent and a child from a one- or two-time observation, especially given that they occur for time-limited periods and in an artificial setting. Historically, there have been several different approaches to conducting these observations and several elements to consider. 

Choice of Setting 

One approach is to conduct the observation in a professional office. The advantage of this approach is that the setting is controlled; both parents can be seen with the child in the same place and under similar conditions. The disadvantage, however, is that an office setting is very artificial. 

Another approach is to conduct the observations in the parents’ homes. The advantage of this approach is that the setting is far more natural. The disadvantage is the potential lack of consistency; it is difficult to conduct a similar evaluation in both homes because there are so many variables that the evaluator cannot control. 

Therefore, an evaluator might consider conducting two sets of observations—one in the home and one in a professional office. Evaluators should also take into account the age of the child being observed. The younger the child, the more sensible it is to conduct the observation in a natural setting, where the child is likely to feel more comfortable. 

Choice of Activities 

Observations could be structured around a variety of age-appropriate tasks. 

1. Free Play — Generally speaking, young children (ages 3–5) might engage in free play using doll houses, puppets, crayons, blocks, storybooks, etc. School-aged children (ages 6–11) could play simple board games like Checkers or Connect Four. Older children (12 and above) could play more skilled games such as building structures with Legos, modeling clay, and advanced games such as chess or Stratego. 

2. Cooperative Tasks — These could include activities in which parents and children engage in a joint cooperative task such as drawing a family, building a house, copying a Lego model, building structures with wooden blocks, Jenga, or cleaning up toys. Again, age should be taken into account when considering the complexity and kind of activity. The parent’s ability to guide a child and encourage him/her during the play would be some of the important dimensions to observe. 

3. Teaching Tasks — Young children (3–5) might be asked to match shapes with blocks, or name and match geometric shapes; school-aged children (6–11) might be taught a new board game, play a card game, or sew a button. Older children might learn to maintain a checkbook, read a map, or play chess. Important dimensions to observe here would be how a parent goes about teaching a child a new skill.  

Despite the challenges, child-parent observation remains one of the most valuable tools for an evaluator. For more information, please contact me at nycforensics@gmail.com.

Dr. Alberto Yohananoff
NYC Forensics
dryohananoff@nycforensics.com
P: (646) 284-5600
F: (212) 706-9136

Posted in Forensic Evaluations