Children who are identified in child welfare often come from families that are isolated from support services or have challenges that can impact their children’s development. It is important to identify young children who are at risk or experiencing delay in order to ensure that appropriate interventions are provided. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) is a screening tool that can be used to screen infants and young children for delays during the crucial first five years of life. ASQ-3 meets the recommendation by the California Department of Social Services to use standardized tools to identify children for referral. This questionnaire uses the parents’ and/or caretaker’s assessment of the child’s behavioral problems and can be used to educate about appropriate child development, engage families and, most importantly, identify children who are at risk for referral to early intervention services.
Topics include:
- How to conduct the Ages and Stages Questionnaire for children
- The importance of developmental screening, early identification and early intervention for children identified through child welfare services
- Features of the ASQ-3 that will enhance referring young children to services
- How to score, interpret and work with caseworkers to make referrals based on ASQ-3 results
- The role of parents in the ASQ-3 screening process, including the validity of parent reports and factors that affect parents’ responses
- How to communicate screening results sensitively to families