When screening a child at 30 months, the parent reported many concerns, such as inability to understand when he talks, not liking to be held, only liking certain foods, and difficulty with transitions. The parent is concerned about possible autism, but the child's ASQ-3 scores are in the monitoring zone, not below the cutoff. What should I do?
In this situation, the ASQ developers would recommend that the child be referred for further evaluation based on the parents concerns, as well as scores close to the cutoff.
We use the ASQ with our families at our family resource centers. Do you have a short, easy-to-understand, introduction paragraph that we can share with parents that explains the ASQ process and benefits?
The developers recommend sharing the What Is ASQ-3? and What Is ASQ: SE-2? handout with families when introducing the screening program. The handouts are available in multiple languages. The introductory letter to parents may also have helpful information.
Why were the 2 month and 9 month questionnaires added in ASQ-3?
The addition of the 2 month questionnaire enables users to reliably screen children as young as 1 month of age. The new 9 month questionnaire helps pediatricians follow the American Academy of Pediatrics’s guideline to screen all children at the 9-month, 18-month, and 30-month well-child visits.
We use ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 during our Child Find activities. We have the parents make appointments and then send them the questionnaires to complete ahead of time. We're seeing that more and more of our parents are unable to answer the questions for a variety of reasons so we were considering asking staff complete the questionnaires and then conferencing with the parent to compare the scores and finalize. The staff would not be familiar with the child, though. Does that present any concerns? Do you have other suggestions?
The developers recommend that professionals enlist parents to complete the questionnaires whenever possible. ASQ was developed and validated as a parent-completed tool, and many studies have found parents to be reliable evaluators of children’s behavior. As you’ve experienced, there are some scenarios—such as a cogni…
Should a program use the ASQ-3 Materials Kit for screenings rather than the items in a child's home or child care center?
No, using the items in a child's home or child care environment is preferable in many ways. Children typically respond best to items they are already familiar with, such as items from their home. It is also important that toys and materials be relevant to the child's cultural practices. However, many home visiting…
We use ASQ-3 as our initial screener and the OUNCE for ongoing assessment. Is there an alignment between the two tools?
No, at this point in time, there is not an alignment between ASQ-3 and OUNCE.
We're implementing a new ASQ screening program at our child care center. Do you have materials to distribute at a parent information night?
A parent information meeting is a great way to introduce the concept of screening. You may find the What is ASQ-3? and What is ASQ:SE-2? parent handouts helpful as well as the sample parent welcome letters. See sample letters . This case story about a Maryland child care program that uses ASQ includes a discussio…
The ASQ-3 User's Guide says to calculate an adjusted age when a child is born "3 or more weeks" premature. The 2nd edition of ASQ said to adjust age when a child is born "more than 3 weeks" premature. Was this an intentional change?
The developers made the change in how prematurity is defined between editions in an attempt to make determing prematurity and calculating age easier for users to understand and implement. If your program has regularly used the "more than 3 weeks" prematurity guideline from the 2nd edition, you may continue to do so a…
Is it possible for some families to opt out of screening? Should we encourage them to participate but honor their request if they decline?
The ASQ developers recommend that programs obtain the consent of parents and caregivers when screening a child. If parents choose not to participate in the screening program, it is important to respect their wishes. Keep in mind that reluctance to participate is often due to a lack of understanding about why screenin…
How have items been refined in ASQ-3 from the last edition?
Based on research and user feedback, ASQ-3 items have been refined to present clearer wording, ensure cultural appropriateness, and include more examples for better clarity. New questions about language expression and behavior have been added to the Overall section.
