# Should my child have an SSIS assessment, and what does it involve? Canonical: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-my-child-have-a-ssis-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve Publisher: Pinnacle Blooms Network / Bharath Healthcare Laboratories Private Limited The SSIS is a structured rating scale completed by parents, teachers and sometimes the child, looking at social strengths like cooperation, empathy and self-control alongside any difficulties. It isn't a diagnosis or a test your child can fail — it's one helpful part of a broader picture. Whether your child needs one is best decided with a Pinnacle clinician, who can place it within a complete, strengths-first assessment. *Wondering if a SSIS assessment is right for your child? Here's what it really involves — in plain language.* ## In short The [Social Skills Improvement System Rating Scales (SSIS)](/ssis) is a well-established questionnaire that helps a clinician understand how your child gets on socially — making friends, cooperating, managing feelings, and handling everyday social situations. It isn't a needle, a test your child can fail, or a diagnosis; it's a structured way to gather the views of the people who know your child best. Whether your child *should* have one depends on what you and your child's team are trying to understand — and that's a conversation to have with a Pinnacle clinician. ## What an SSIS assessment involves The SSIS is a **rating scale**, which means trusted adults answer questions about how often they see certain behaviours. It usually draws on more than one viewpoint: - **Parent form** — you describe what you see at home and out in the world. - **Teacher form** — your child's teacher describes how things look at school. - **Student form** (for older children) — your child rates their own experience, where age-appropriate. It looks at strengths such as **communication, cooperation, empathy, self-control, responsibility and engagement**, alongside behaviours that may be getting in the way — so the picture is balanced, not just a list of difficulties. Each form takes only a short time to complete. Because home and school can look quite different, comparing viewpoints often reveals exactly where your child needs gentle support and where they're already shining. ## When it's worth considering An SSIS can be helpful if your child finds friendships hard to start or keep, struggles with turn-taking or reading others, or if school and home are seeing very different things. It's most useful as *one part* of a broader developmental picture — combined with observation and a clinician's judgement — rather than on its own. Your clinician will advise whether it fits your child's age and your specific questions. ## The Pinnacle way This is general information, not a diagnosis — Developmental measurement supports care planning; diagnosis requires an appropriately qualified healthcare professional., under the care of a qualified clinician, never from a single form or an online figure. Our clinicians use structured tools like the SSIS alongside our own [AbilityScore®, a clinician-administered structured assessment](/ask/what-is-the-abilityscore-and-how-is-it-calculated), to build a complete, strengths-first understanding of your child — then translate it into practical [social and communication therapy](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/top-speech-therapy-center-india-proven-improvement-rate) you can use at the centre and at home. Backed by 2.5 billion+ data points and 25 million+ therapy sessions across 70+ centres, we make social progress visible and re-measurable over time. ## Trusted sources ASHA guidance on social communication and the use of rating scales in assessment; CDC and HealthyChildren (AAP) milestones for social-emotional development; WHO framework for child development and wellbeing. **Next step —** Not sure if the SSIS is right for your child? [Book an assessment](https://www.pinnacleblooms.org/enroll-autism-speech-aba-therapies-india) with a Pinnacle clinician and get clear, personal advice on the best way forward. ## Sources - ASHA — social communication development: https://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/social-communication/ - CDC — child social-emotional development: https://www.cdc.gov/child-development - HealthyChildren (AAP) — ages & stages: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/Pages/default.aspx ## Connected topics and perspectives - Assessments: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/assessments - Parent: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/stakeholder/parent - Assessment: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/intent/assessment - Measure: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/lifecycle/measure - Screen: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/route/screen - Early Clarity: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/lens/empowerment/early_clarity ## Related question paths ### Understand the subject - What is the SSIS and what does it assess?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/what-is-the-social-skills-improvement-system-rating-scales-ssis-and-what-does-it-assess - At what age is the SSIS developmental assessment used for a child?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/at-what-age-is-the-ssis-developmental-assessment-used-for-a-child ### Understand assessment - When is the SSIS indicated, and what are its strengths and limits in early childhood?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/when-is-the-ssis-indicated-and-what-are-its-strengths-and-limits-in-early-childhood - How the SSIS compares with the AbilityScore developmental assessment: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/how-does-the-ssis-compare-with-the-abilityscore-developmental-assessment - Should My Child Have an SRS-2 Assessment?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-my-child-have-a-srs-2-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve - Should my child have an SBIS assessment, and what does it involve?: https://pinnacleblooms.org/ask/should-my-child-have-a-sbis-assessment-and-what-does-it-involve