Brief Overview of Standard: Screening provides a quick snapshot of a child’s health and developmental status and indicates whether further evaluation is needed to identify potential difficulties that might necessitate interventions or special education services. Important considerations regarding developmental screenings that early childhood practitioners should be aware of include:
- Screenings are designed to be brief (30 minutes or less).
- Screenings cannot capture the full range of development, skill, or capacity among children.
- Screening only indicates the possible presence of developmental delay or difference and cannot definitively identify or describe the nature or extent of a disability.
- Screening must be followed by a more comprehensive and formal evaluation process in order to confirm or disconfirm any red flags raised by the screening procedure.
Many of the tools in this section are available in English, Spanish, and other languages.
(Excerpt from Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive: A Compendium of Screening Measures for Young Children. BIRTH TO 5: WATCH ME THRIVE!
Specific Tools
INFANTS AND TODDLERS
Ages and Stages Questionnaire—3rd Edition
The ASQ screening covers children from 1 month to 66 months with 21 questionnaires and scoring sheets across the following intervals: 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 42, 48, 54, and 60 months of age. Areas covered by the screening tools include communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social. The questionnaires can be completed by parents or caregivers and scored by professionals.
Ages and Stages Questionnaire—Social-Emotional
The ASQ-Social Emotional screening tool can be used with children from 3 months to 66 months. There are 8 questionnaires and scoring sheets across the following intervals: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 months of age. The areas covered by the ASQ- Social Emotional include self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive behaviors, autonomy, affect, and interaction with people. The ASQ SE can be used as a companion screening with the ASQ developmental screening tools.
Brigrance Early Childhood Screens III (0-35 months)
The Brigrance Screens for 3–5 years include Screens for Infants, Toddlers, and 2-Year-Olds. These Screens provide quick, easy, and accurate screening of skills that are critical predictors of school success, including physical development, language, academic/cognitive, self-help, and social-emotional skills. The Screens are administered by a professional.
Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test
The Battelle Developmental Inventory screens and evaluates early childhood developmental milestones with children from birth to 7 years 11 months. The Battelle covers the following areas: personal-social, adaptive, motor, communication, and cognitive ability. The Battelle is completed by a professional trained in the administration of the tool.
Developmental Assessment of Young Children, 2nd Edition
The Developmental Assessment of Young Children – Second Edition (DAYC-2) screener measures early childhood development for children from birth through age 5 years 11 months. It has three major purposes: 1) to help identify children who are significantly below their peers in cognitive, communicative, social-emotional, physical, or adaptive behavior abilities; 2) to monitor children’s progress in special intervention programs; and 3) to be used in research studying abilities in young children.
Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status
PEDS is a developmental screener used to help detect early developmental and behavioral problems. PEDS relies on parent-completed questionnaires to gather information about how a child is developing. Developmental domains addressed in the developmental screener: global/cognitive, expressive language and articulation, receptive language, fine motor, gross motor, behavior, social-emotional, self help, and school. Intended age range: Birth through age 8.
Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status: Developmental Milestones
A surveillance and screening tool for children 0 – 8 that enables a swift view of children’s skills in development and mental health, including expressive and receptive language, fine and gross motor skills, self-help, academics, and social-emotional skills.
PRESCHOOL
Ages and Stages Questionnaire—3rd Edition
The ASQ screening covers children from 1 month to 66 months with 21 questionnaires and scoring sheets at 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 42, 48, 54, and 60 months of age. Areas covered by the screening tools include communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social. The questionnaires can be completed by parents or caregivers and scored by professionals.
Ages and Stages Questionnaire—Social-Emotional
The ASQ-Social Emotional screening tool can be used with children from 3 months to 66 months. There are 8 questionnaires and scoring sheets across the following intervals: 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 48, and 60 months of age. The areas covered by the ASQ- Social Emotional include self-regulation, compliance, communication, adaptive behaviors, autonomy, affect, and interaction with people. The ASQ SE can be used as a companion screening with the ASQ developmental screening tools.
Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test
The Battelle Developmental Inventory screens and evaluates early childhood developmental milestones with children from birth to 7 years 11 months. The Battelle covers the following areas: personal-social, adaptive, motor, communication, and cognitive ability. The Battelle is completed by a professional trained in the administration of the tool.
Brigrance Early Childhood Screens III (3-5 years)
Curriculum Associates: Programs
The Brigrance Screens for 3–5 years include Screens for 3-, 4-, and 5-Year-Olds. These Screens provide quick, easy, and accurate screening of skills that are critical predictors of school success, including physical development, language, academic/cognitive, self-help, and social-emotional skills. The Screens are administered by a professional.
Developmental Indicators for the Assessment of Early Learning (DIAL)—4th Edition
A global screener for assessing large groups of children quickly and efficiently, age range 2 years 6 months to 5 years 11 months. Domains covered include motor, concepts, language, self-help, and social development. The Tool is administered by a professional.
Developmental Assessment of Young Children, 2nd Edition
The Developmental Assessment of Young Children – Second Edition (DAYC-2) screener measures early childhood development for children from birth through age 5 years 11 months. It has three major purposes: 1) to help identify children who are significantly below their peers in cognitive, communicative, social-emotional, physical, or adaptive behavior abilities; 2) to monitor children’s progress in special intervention programs; and 3) to be used in research studying abilities in young children.
Early Screening Inventory
The Early Screening Inventory-Revised (ESI-R™) 2008 Edition provides a brief developmental screening instrument designed to be individually administered to children from 3.5 to 5.11 years of age. It identifies children who may need special education services in order to perform successfully in school. The instrument addresses developmental, sensory, and behavioral concerns in the following areas: Visual Motor/Adaptive, Language and Cognition, Gross Motor Skills.
Early Screening Profiles
The Early Screening Profiles consists of seven parts: the Cognitive/Language Profile, the Motor Profile, the Self Help/Social Profile, the Articulation Survey, the Home Survey, the Health History Survey, and the Behavior Survey. These components can be used individually or in combination. Intended age range: 2 years 0 months through 6 years 11 months
FirstSTEp Screening Test for Evaluating Preschoolers
FirstSTEp is an individually-administered developmental screener designed to identify young children who may have developmental delays. Developmental domains addressed in the developmental screener: cognitive, communication (language), motor, social-emotional, and adaptive functioning. Intended age range: 2 years, 9 months to 6 years, 2 months. The screener will result in a determination as to whether a child is functioning within normal limits or is in need of a complete diagnostic evaluation.
Learning Accomplishment Profile-D Screens (LAP-D Screens)
LAP-Learning Accomplishment Profile™ | Kaplan Early Learning
Each LAP-D Screen takes about 12-15 minutes to administer and provides a quick and reliable method for determining if a child needs further evaluation to determine if a disability or other unmet need exists. There are three standardized LAP-D screening instruments: The 3-Year-Old Screen, The 4-Year-Old Screen, and The 5-Year-Old Screen. Domains covered: gross motor, fine motor, cognitive, and language.
Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status
About Our Tools - Pedstest
PEDS is a developmental screener used to help detect early developmental and behavioral problems. PEDS relies on parent-completed questionnaires to gather information about how a child is developing. Developmental domains addressed in the developmental screener: global/cognitive, expressive language and articulation, receptive language, fine motor, gross motor, behavior, social-emotional, self help, and school. Intended age range: Birth through age 8.
Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status: Developmental Milestones
About Our Tools - Pedstest
A surveillance and screening tool for children 0 – 8 that enables a swift view of children’s skills in the development and mental health, including expressive and receptive language, fine and gross motor skills, self-help, academics, and social-emotional skills.
Specific Tools - Language Screening
Pre-IPT Oral English Language Proficiency Tests
The Pre-IPT–Oral English Test is designed for the preschool child who is not used to taking tests. The test centers around a story, giving young students a low-anxiety context in which to demonstrate their language abilities. Designed to assist in the initial designation of 3-, 4-, and 5-year-olds as Non-, Limited, or Fluent English Speaking, it also provides information to help place students in the most appropriate instructional programs. In addition, it may be used for assessing a child’s progress in English oral language development.
Pre-LAS
Assess Language Proficiency in Early Childhood | LAS Links
preLAS® measures the English and Spanish language proficiency and pre-literacy skills of learners in early childhood. This tool can be used to compare students' language skills with fluent native speakers and identify those students who may benefit from special instruction to succeed in English-speaking classrooms.
Sample Program Forms, Policies and Procedures
Parent Tip Sheet Resource on Developmental Assessment – From Zero to Three
Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive
The family page of Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! Includes resources for families on child development, developmental screening, and printable tracking forms. Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! is a coordinated federal effort to encourage healthy child development, universal developmental and behavioral screening for children, and support for the families and providers who care for them.
Informational Resources
Listing of Child and Family Connections (CFC) offices
By using the link above you can search by early intervention and then by county to locate your local child and family connections office. The CFC is the regional intake entity responsible for ensuring that all referrals to the Early Intervention(EI) Services System receive a timely response in a professional and family-centered manner. Service coordination is an active, ongoing process that involves assisting parents of infants and toddlers with disabilities in gaining access to, and coordinating the provision of, the EI services.
Helpful Resources About Developmental Screenings
Use this document as a link to many helpful resources on developmental screenings and who to contact if you want to be trained to do developmental screenings in your own program
Ensuring That All Children in Your Care Receive Developmental Screenings
Your relationship with children and families in your care is important to ensuring that developmental concerns are detected early and that children are referred to the necessary services and supports. Follow this flyer's suggestions for the 3 steps to successful screening.
Understanding and Choosing Assessments and Developmental Screeners for Young Children Ages 3-5: Profiles of Selected Measures
This compendium reviews technical information provided by developers regarding the reliability and validity of 8 commonly used child assessments and 10 developmental screening tools and translates this information into user-friendly language. The compendium also aims to increase awareness about reliability and validity and how to evaluate whether an instrument is reliable and valid for the population and purpose for which it will be used.
Author: J. Wessel, K. Darling-Churchill, Marty Zaslow, S. Moodie, Tamara Halle
Year: 2011
Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! Promoting Early Developmental and Behavioral Screening
The guide provides information providers need to best support the children and families in their care. Accompanying this guide is a list of standardized developmental and behavioral screening tools and the Birth to 5: Watch Me Thrive! Toolkit, which includes information about healthy development, developmental and behavioral concerns, where to go for help, how to talk to families, and tips on how to best support children.
Your Developmental Screening Toolkit
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Comparison Chart of Screeners on ASQ website
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