Until recently there were arguments on the existence and the definition of childhood depression. In DSM-III(1980) childhood depression was accepted as the formal psychiatric disorder in childhood. As the diagnostic criteria for childhood depression is less clearly defined than those for other psychiatric disorders as well as prominent age-related variations in depression symptomatology, informations from various sources are very important in accurate diagnosis of childhood depression. Present study reviewed various assessment methods such as self-report questionnaires, interviews, behavior rating scales, structured tests and projective techniques with discussion on the merits and limitations of each method. Also several issues on the reliability and the validity of assessment techniques for childhood depression were discussed.