What is a parent questionnaire?
A parent questionnaire, or rating scale, is a list of statements about behaviour. A parent or teacher marks how often each one applies. Scores are compared with what is usual for the child's age. Common ones include:
- NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scales: ADHD symptoms and related difficulties, with parent and teacher versions, widely used by pediatricians.
- Conners rating scales: ADHD and related behaviours, with parent, teacher and self-report forms.
- Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ): a 25-item screen of emotional and behavioural strengths and difficulties.
- Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL): a broad checklist of emotional and behavioural problems, with a version for ages 6 to 18.
What is play-based observation?
Play-based observation watches what a child does during a structured activity. A clinician may do it in the room. A game-based assessment does it inside a game, recording each choice and when it happened.
Side by side
| Parent or teacher questionnaire | Play-based observation (game) | |
|---|---|---|
| Source of information | An adult's memory and judgement | The child's own actions |
| Time covered | Weeks or months | One session (repeat sessions build a picture over time) |
| Settings covered | Home and school, if both are asked | The game only |
| Validation | Established scales are well validated | Depends on the game; many are still being validated |
| Effect of adult expectations | Can shift scores | Little; the adult does not answer |
| Effect of the child's day | Little | Sleep, mood and setting all matter |
| Role in diagnosis | Standard part of an ADHD evaluation | Supporting information only |
| Cost | Several scales are free to download; scoring by a clinician may cost | Varies; Mores is ₹499 per session in India |
Where questionnaires are stronger
- They cover behaviour across settings and over months, which diagnosis requires.
- Established scales have years of validation data and age norms.
- A teacher sees your child in a group, with demands a game cannot copy.
What play-based observation adds
- It records what the child did, not what an adult remembers.
- It is harder to skew towards the answer that seems right.
- It can describe several areas of behaviour, not one score.
- Children often experience it as play rather than a test.
Using both
If you are concerned about your child, a pediatrician will usually ask you and the teacher to complete rating scales. A play-based report can sit alongside them as extra, concrete examples. If the two disagree, that is worth discussing too: it may say something about the setting, not the child.
Common questions
- Which is more accurate, a questionnaire or a game?
- They measure different things. Validated questionnaires are the standard for screening and diagnosis. A game adds direct observation in one setting. Accuracy depends on validation, so ask what any tool has been checked against.
- Can I fill in a Vanderbilt or SDQ myself?
- Both are available to download, but scores mean most when a clinician interprets them alongside your child's history and the teacher's form.
- Does Mores replace a questionnaire?
- No. Mores is an observation, not a diagnosis. It can sit alongside questionnaires as another source of examples.
Not a diagnosis. This guide is general information, not medical advice. If you are worried about your child, talk to your pediatrician. Written by the Mores Health team from the sources below; it has not yet been reviewed by a clinician.