[How reliable is parental disclosure?]

Research on the reliability and validity of retrospective and actual reports of parents is reviewed. Parents seem to be able to report birth weight, age at first walking alone and academic achievement reliably. Correlations between developmental or intelligence test results and parental estimates are moderate to high. Reports of psychopathological symptoms differ considerably between groups of informants. Item content and method can influence the reliability and validity. A general tendency to overestimate their own child could not be demonstrated.