Children’s emotional and behavioral problems are often a reflection of family dynamic.  However, many child psychological assessments focus only on the child without given consideration of the family context.  We have found that when assessing the child in the family context, the outcome can be very different. Children who are diagnosed with a range of psychiatric problems can simply be too concerned about their families.

Our children’s assessing service involves measuring the child’s physiological responses when exposed to parental interactions, such as skin conductance, body temperature and heart rate.  These physiological indicators often reflect a child’s anxiety and reaction to the external environment.  These assessment data and analysis will be shared and further explored with the families in a debriefing session to see if there is any association between the child’s emotional state and the relationship factors with parents and other family members.  The assessment will not only enable parents to gain a new understanding of their child’s physical and mental health conditions, but also allows a child to express views which will  promote parental communication to improve family relationships.

This approach is the result of years of research and development by Dr. Wai Yung Lee.

AFI will be the first organization in China providing such assessment services.