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What is the Ages & Stages Questionnaire?
ASQ is a series of questionnaires that screen and monitor a child’s development between 4 months and 5 years of age. The results determine if the child is on track or if he or she should receive a more in-depth assessment to determine the need for specialized services.
The Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ): A Parent-Completed, Child-Monitoring System, Second Edition, is a comprehensive developmental screening tool designed to help professionals identify infants and young children who may need further evaluation for developmental delays.
Research has shown that the sooner children are identified as having delays and the sooner they get help, the better their chances of making significant developmental strides. And yet, more than 70% of children who have delays are not identified until after they start school, meaning a critical missed window of opportunity for early intervention.
ASQ is designed to close that gap by providing a convenient and reliable tool for those professionals most likely to see children before they enter school—pediatricians, early interventionist practitioners, and other early childhood professionals. ASQ is a parent-report tool that takes into account professionals’ limited time and the advantage of families’ input.
The Questionnaires
The core of ASQ is a series of 19 questionnaires that correspond to age intervals from 4 months to 5 years. Questionnaires may be used at a single point in time for a one-time screening or at numerous intervals for ongoing monitoring.
- Each questionnaire contains simple questions for parents to answer about activities their child is (or is not) able to do.
- The answers are scored and compared to cutoff scores to determine whether the child should be referred for more in-depth assessment.
Because the activities discussed in each questionnaire reflect developmental milestones for each age group, professionals can use ASQ both as a screening instrument and as a tool to educate parents about their child’s development.
Professionals Rely on ASQ
ASQ has been rigorously tested and validated by nearly 30 years of research. Many state and local programs, as well as professionals in private practice, have adopted ASQ as their primary developmental screening tool. Users cite its reliability, ease of use, and involvement of the family as key reasons for their choice.
What Comes After Screening?
Screening alone isn't enough. The whole point of screening is to see that young children who have developmental delays get the intervention services they need. A screening program isn’t complete without the final step of referral—whether you make a formal referral for a child who qualifies for state and federal programs or an informal referral to local resources and services.
Early Identification, Then Referral
Once a screening tool such as ASQ has been completed by the parent and scored, the professional determines the next step:
- Generally, if a child scores below the cutoff, the professional makes a referral for further assessment or intervention, taking into account factors that may have influenced a child's scores, such as setting/time of day of screening, health, and family or cultural factors.
- If a child scores near but not below the cutoff, the professional should weigh the parents' concerns. If the parents express a substantial concern, the professional may decide to refer for further assessment. Otherwise, you can provide follow-up activities and plan to screen again at the next visit. (The ASQ User’s Guide contains reproducible activities you can send home with parents to work on with their child at home.
- If a child scores well above the cutoff, the professional can talk to parents about opportunities to practice skills, provide activities, and plan to screen again at the next visit.
Early Intervention Services
Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every state is required to provide services to infants, toddlers, and preschoolers who have disabilities or who are at risk for disabilities. Children referred for further assessment after screening may be found to be eligible for these services depending on the results.
Early intervention services for infants and toddlers, covered under Part C of IDEA, include education, health care, and social services. The early intervention "team" may include a variety of professionals, including educators, speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, and nurses.
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