When re-screening, is it okay to re-screen in only the developmental area where the delay was found, or should a complete ASQ-3 always be done?
The developers recommend completing the entire questionnaire again, as there will be different questions at different intervals as the child ages. However, if it is a matter of a child not having experience with items or activities, such as never using crayons or pencils, you could just re-administer that domain in a…
How do you score a section accurately when a parent is unable to answer a question because they have never attempted the activity and are not able to try it at the time?
The authors recommend that the professional attempt to allow the parent to try the activity at a later time. However, if that is not possible, the item can be skipped. Up to 2 items can be omitted per area for ASQ-3. Instructions for scoring questionnaires with omitted items can be found on page 72 of the User's Guid…
Can the ASQ-3 scores be translated into percentile rank and, if so, what is that percentile?
The ASQ-3 cutoff scores are set at 2 standard deviations below the mean. The monitoring zone is between 1 and 2 standard deviations below the mean. Table 18 in the technical appendix (page 171 in the User’s Guide or available here ) shows the mean and standard deviations for each ASQ-3 interval. The bell curve is no…
What is the recommended timeline for screening children in Early Head Start between birth and three years old?
The ASQ is a flexible system and it allows programs to choose the frequency of screening based on what works best with your program's goals and capabilities. We do recommend that programs screen on a regular basis, rather than just once, to detect delays that may develop as the children develop. For children birth t…
Several ASQ-3 intervals include the an item related to gender and whether the child identifies their gender correctly. Some parents have concerns about this item, and some say that they find it to be insensitive to the transgender community. As a professional, how should we handle this issue?
This is an important issue. We agree that the questions related to gender are potentially hurtful to families and children, and we apologize. In the past, gender was considered a hallmark of development but now there exists a much more nuanced and sophisticated view of all that is involved with gender. We consider th…
I understand that use of ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 is site specific, but I’m not sure how a “site” is defined. What constitutes a “site”?
A site is a single physical location, such as an office. An organization may have various sites—for example, the downtown office, the East branch, and the North branch. The sites may be located in the same city or town, the same county, the same state, or even different states. For instance, the University of Mich…
Can the ASQ-3 be used as a criterion-referenced tool to supplement information gained from standardized testing, which is a requirement for special education eligibility where I work?
ASQ-3 is a standardized tool, but not a criterion-referenced tool. It certainly can be used to add information to an eligibility evaluation—specifically adding skills the child can do and others than they still need assistance with, as well as providing parent input.
Why are there are both 9 and 10 month questionnaires for ASQ-3?
The 9 month questionnaire interval was added to the third edition of ASQ to assist with pediatricians' use of screening tools at the 9, 18, and 30 month visits per the AAP policy statement on screening . There is an overlap between the age administration windows for the 9 and 10 month questionnaires, and your progra…
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…
Does ASQ-3 have any requirements for intervals that are supposed to be used for every child?
Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) is a flexible system that allows programs to choose the frequency of screening based on what works best with the program’s goals and capabilities. There are no set requirements for use of specific age intervals. The developers do recommend that programs screen on a regular basis, ra…
