Parents do not need to compare their child to other children of the same age or background to be able to answer the questions. A parent only has to consider what they themselves observe every day.

The questionnaire can be reliably used with children from a broad range of different backgrounds because it has been standardized across England.

Many of the questions give examples to help parents consider particular behaviours which might inform their answers. The examples clarify and provoke thought for the respondent.

The EPiC-Q will be standardised for different ages so we can quickly see how a child scores relative to his or her peers. This allows us to reliably identify children in need of extra support.

The questions consider both strengths and weaknesses in a child. This means there is no bias towards a particular response pattern.

The questions are carefully worded to avoid ambiguity. They have also been assessed in focus groups by clinicians and parents to make sure they are clear and can be readily answered.

EPiC-Q focuses on the behaviours that a parent observes everyday giving the questionnaire a strong ecological validity.

The EPiC-Q is quick to fill out and easy to understand. It uses simple statements and a colour-coded scaling system.