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.
My program has many sites screening infants & toddlers. Many of the sites use ASQ-3 but some continue to use ASQ, 2nd edition as funding is an issue. How different is the scoring between editions? Are we over-refering or under-refering? Is there any way to interpret ASQ, 2nd edition scores alongside ASQ-3 scoring?
The scoring on the 2nd and 3rd editions of ASQ is the same: 10 points for a yes, 5 points for a sometimes, and 0 points for not yet. When comparing the cutoff scores for the 2nd and 3rd editions, there were a few differences but not many drastic changes. There were some ASQ-3 intervals with cutoff points that were hi…
Sometimes, we receive completed ASQ-3 questionnaires with scores of 0 in all domains for children that have not been diagnosed with any delays or disabilities. Should we use an ASQ-3 questionnaire in a younger age interval to help get an idea of the children’s general developmental level?
Yes, using the next lower age interval is recommended. A provider can sample items from the lower age interval and see if the child can do those skills. It may be possible that the parents do not read English or understand the questions. A phone call is recommended to determine whether the parents need a translated q…
If you have given the child a screening and there are concerns, where do you go from there to get help for a child?
Information about interpreting ASQ:SE-2 scores and providing follow-up is provided on pages 96-107 of ASQ:SE-2 User's Guide. If concerns exist, referral to early intervention/early childhood special education or mental health evaluation may be appropriate. The following resources may also be helpful: Interpreting …
Are there available benchmarks to use to determine if programs are finding the same percentage of questionnaires in the referral area as the national or state-wide average?
The breakdown of ASQ-3 questionnaire results (typical, monitoring, referral) depends greatly upon the population of children served by your program. In the national normative sample used to examine the psychometric properies of ASQ-3, an average of 15.5% of children fell below the cutoff score in at least one domain.…
When do you refer a child when using ASQ-3?
There are several instances where a professional may decide to refer a child after completion of ASQ-3. For the 5 developmental areas covered by ASQ-3, the tool uses cutoff scores to determine whether a child should be referred. The cutoff scores were developed through a standardization process and are set at 2 stand…
A child may score on target in the Communication area of ASQ-3, but may still need a referral for evaluation due to difficulties communicating. Is this what the overall questions at the end of the questionnaire are designed to catch?
The Overall section at the end of each questionnaire serves as a general indicator of parental concerns. Any concern about development noted by parents should be discussed with the parents, and a referral should be made if appropriate. Keep in mind that these questions are not diagnostic; they can only serve as a gui…
