Preliminary evaluation of the utility of parental ratings in a Child Network

Introduction:: Children in the US have a high incidence of psychiatric disorders, but the symptoms of these illnesses are often poorly recognized and treated. We thus created a Child Network for parents of children aged 2-12 to rate their child on a weekly basis on a secure website so that longitudinal ratings could be easily visualized. Methods:: After giving informed consent, parents filled out: a one-time questionnaire and a 97 item Child Checklist; and then rated the severity of depression, anxiety, ADHD, oppositional behavior, and mania each week. The new Checklist ratings were correlated with the 23 previous validated in adults (the M-3), and symptom burden was compared with diagnoses received in the community. Results:: The 23 item M-3 ratings were highly correlated with the more extensive Child Checklist. Symptom severity also corresponded to diagnoses received in the community. An example of the longitudinal weekly ratings of a child with a dysphoric mania is also presented. Conclusions:: The convergence of scores on the adult and child portions of the Child Checklist and the ease of visualization of symptoms and response to treatment suggest the utility of the ratings in the Child Network.