WHEN parents are concerned about their child’s development, they often seek professional assessments to identify conditions such as autism, ADHD or learning disorders.
Common concerns include difficulty making friends, focusing, or keeping up at school.
Traditionally, assessments have concentrated on identifying challenges. But a shift is emerging – one that prioritises recognising children’s strengths. This strengths-based approach not only balances the conversation but also offers powerful opportunities to improve outcomes for children and families alike.
Despite its promise, there’s limited evidence on how to effectively incorporate strengths into assessments.
To address this, our research team developed a strengths checklist designed to help parents, carers, and clinicians more easily identify children’s skills, talents, and positive traits. The tool complements traditional assessments by broadening the understanding of each child’s unique capabilities and support needs.
WHY STRENGTHS MATTER
Highlighting a child’s strengths can significantly boost their motivation, self-esteem, language development, and problem-solving skills. It also helps build stronger relationships. For caregivers, it reinforces self-worth and enhances the quality of their connection with their child.
When families and professionals focus on what children can do – not just what they struggle with – everyone benefits. However, applying a strengths-based lens in neurodevelopmental assessments has often relied more on intuition than research.
OUR RESEARCH AND THE CANS CHECKLIST
To change this, we drew on the Sydney Child Neurodevelopment Research Registry, asking nearly 700 caregivers to describe their child’s strengths during an initial assessment visit. On average, parents identified nearly three strengths each. These included kindness, persistence, affection, creativity, and physical talents – even when cognitive or social challenges were present.
From these findings, we developed the Child Autism and Neurodevelopment Strengths (CANS) Checklist. It categorises strengths into six key areas: cognitive, social, interests, personality, physical abilities, and resilience.
The goal is to embed strengths into clinical assessments and ultimately, intervention planning.
This research lays the groundwork for national guidelines and best practices that combine both strengths and concerns in creating support plans.
WHAT PARENTS AND CLINICIANS CAN DO NOW
Currently, systems like the NDIS often require families to focus on what their children can’t do. But there are simple ways to bring strengths into the picture.
Caregivers should reflect on and discuss their child’s positive qualities with clinicians. These insights can shape more holistic, personalised support strategies.
Clinicians, in turn, should ensure strengths guide both assessment and intervention. For example, a child with a strong need for routine may benefit from structured environments, where that preference becomes an asset rather than a challenge.
Strengths can also be the focus of interventions. Designing activities around them can lead to more engaging, successful, and lasting outcomes. Moreover, helping families see and talk about each other’s strengths fosters a more supportive and respectful home environment.
By embedding strengths into developmental assessments, we can help children with neurodevelopmental conditions reach their full potential.
Authors: Adam Guastella, Kelsie Boulton, Natalie Silove
TheConversation.com (April 15, 2025)
