What interview techniques are most effective when interviewing a child about school difficulties, and how do you structure the session?

• A. Structure the session with a warm-up, guided inquiry, and summary.
• B. Use developmentally appropriate language, build rapport, open-ended prompts, avoid leading questions, use nonverbal cues, structure with warm-up, guided inquiry, summary, and check for understanding; consider parent/teacher corroboration.
• C. Ask only yes/no questions to speed up the interview.
• D. Rely solely on parent reports and avoid direct child questions.

Answer: (B)

Interviewing a child about school difficulties works best when you treat the child as an active reporter, using language they can understand, building rapport, and asking open-ended questions that invite detail. Structuring the session with a warm-up helps the child settle in, followed by guided inquiry that elicits specific experiences, and a closing summary to confirm understanding and capture final thoughts. Paying attention to nonverbal cues—eye contact, posture, and affect—helps you interpret responses and adjust follow-up questions as needed. Checking for understanding during and after the discussion ensures you accurately capture the child’s meaning and can paraphrase to confirm interpretation. Including corroboration from parents or teachers provides extra context and helps triangulate the child’s report with observations and other information. This approach yields richer, more reliable information than relying only on yes/no questions or solely on parent reports. The emphasis on developmentally appropriate language, open-ended prompts, avoidance of leading questions, and a structured, rapport-building session with corroboration makes this the most effective approach.