March 13, 2008 - Is my baby's development on track? That's what thousands of parents wanted to know earlier this month when they visited the University of Oregon's Early Intervention Program web site to complete the Ages & Stages Questionnaires® (ASQ), a widely-used screening tool used to identify developmental delays. The web site was featured in the March 2 issue of USA Weekend in an article titled "15 Things You Need To Know to Care for Baby." Traffic to the site was so high it had to be taken offline temporarily.

"We received more than 1200 responses each day," said ASQ author and University of Oregon Early Intervention Program Associate Professor, Jane Squires. The USA Weekend article highlighted a recent study in the journal Pediatrics in which researchers found that when parents completed a screening test in which they answered questions about their baby's development, referral rates for continued evaluation increased by 224%. In the USA Weekend article, study co-author Hollie Hix-Small suggested readers complete the Ages & Stages Questionnaires at the research project's web site. "It gives parents a better understanding of where their child should be," Hix-Small said. The Ages & Stages Questionnaires was the screening tool used in the study.

The Ages & Stages Questionnaires is the most widely used and recommended parent-completed developmental screener. The tool is well-respected by pediatricians and other early childhood specialists for reliably identifying infants and young children who may need further evaluation for developmental delays. ASQ was cited along with several other instruments in the July 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics Guidelines for Recommended Screening as meeting the criteria for a high-quality standardized developmental screening tool.

The ASQ site at the University of Oregon's Early Intervention Program was developed for research purposes and wasn't prepared to handle the sudden influx of parents who read the USA Weekend article and wanted to check on their child's development. Squires is eager to share results with parents as quickly as possible. "We have over a thousand children who scored low in 2 areas, and we need to respond to their parents before we can get any more on line ASQs gathered. Parents who have concerns," says Squires, "should see their pediatrician and request a developmental screening with a standardized tool."  

ASQ is published by Brookes Publishing. Pediatricians and parents interested in learning more about ASQ and developmental screening may visit www.agesandstages.com.

Brookes Publishing, based in Baltimore, Maryland, is a leading publisher of research-based resources and tools in early intervention, education, and child and family development. For more information visit www.brookespublishing.com.