Time to administer
Questionnaires take only 10-15 minutes for parents or caregivers to complete. Scoring by professionals takes 2-3 minutes.

Developmental areas addressed
Communication, gross motor, fine motor, problem solving, and personal-social.

Age range
The ASQ system is designed to screen children for developmental delays during the critical first 5 years of life. Questionnaires can be administered at all or some of the following intervals: 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24, 27, 30, 33, 36, 42, 48, 54, and 60 months of age. (Master questionnaires for each of the above 19 intervals are provided.)

Method of administration
Parents and caregivers can fill out questionnaires at home and then mail the completed questionnaires back to service providers for scoring. Or, questionnaires may be completed by parents during home visits by nurses, social workers, or program staff. The ASQ system also can be adapted to a variety of settings, including primary care clinics, child care settings, and teen parenting programs.

Ease of administration
Questionnaires are color-coded for specific monthly intervals and may be photocopied for use with all of the children served by the purchasing organization (see photocopying release). Each questionnaire is made up of a title page with instructions, an information sheet for identification, 30 simply worded activities — 6 for each of the 5 developmental areas, and an information summary sheet for scoring and general comments.

With the guidance of many illustrations, completing a questionnaire is quick and easy for parents. To score a questionnaire, professionals convert parents' responses of yes, sometimes, or not yet, to points — 10, 5, and 0, respectively — and total the points for each developmental area. These five area scores are compared to empirically derived cut-off points, which are shown as shaded and unshaded areas on a bar graph. Using this simple scoring method, professionals can easily spot general weaknesses or serious concerns in any area and make recommendations for further evaluation on an as-needed basis.

The ASQ User's Guide moves professionals through every step of the ASQ process, providing detailed information on everything from parent enrollment to scoring. Helpful appendices in The ASQ User's Guide provide models of all important forms and letters in English and Spanish, supplemental activity sheets for parents, and guidelines for choosing referral criteria, as well as the detailed technical report (see below) and a glossary of terms. Available separately is a 19-minute videotape, demonstrating how home visitors can help families complete questionnaire items.

Parent involvement
The ASQ system relies on parents to observe their child and to complete the simple questionnaires about their child's abilities. In addition to being cost effective, having parents complete the developmental questionnaires enhances the accuracy of the screening process because of the variety and array of information parents have about their children. In addition, using parent-completed tools fulfills the spirit of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Amendments of 1997, which call for parents to be partners in their child's assessment and intervention activities.

Parent-friendliness
The ASQ questionnaires have been carefully designed to ensure clarity and ease of implementation for parents. The activities on the questionnaires can be easily observed by parents and are likely to occur in a home setting. Activities have been carefully selected for cultural sensitivity, and the authors provide suggestions for adaptation wherever appropriate. Each questionnaire item is written in simple, straightforward language (at a 6th-grade reading level), illustrations are provided when possible, and concrete examples are included. And to further enhance parents' understanding and involvement, The ASQ User's Guide provides photocopiable sheets of intervention activities for parents to try at home with their children.

Attractiveness to children
To ensure that the skills being tested were appropriate to the intended age range, the questionnaires were developed using a variety of sources, including standardized developmental tests, nonstandardized tests focused on early development, and other literature containing information about developmental milestones. The ASQ system is versatile, flexible, culturally sensitive, and designed to be administered at home. This means children can be tested in their usual environment and at the parents' convenience. Activities allow children to play, move about, and practice daily living skills. They often involve home items like cereal boxes and mirrors or basic toys like balls, blocks, or crayons.

Technical aspects
Research on the accuracy of the ASQ has been conducted at the Center on Human Development, University of Oregon, Eugene, using more than 7,700 completed questionnaires. Validity has been studied by comparing the classification of questionnaires completed by parents with the classification of standardized assessments by trained examiners. These comparisons were made using the Revised Gesell Developmental Schedules, the Bayley Scales of Infant Development, the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scale, the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities, and the Battelle Developmental Inventory. Overall agreement across questionnaires was 83%, reaching 91% with the 36-month questionnaire.

Research on the reliability of the questionnaires has examined interrater and test-retest reliability as well as internal consistency, and all studies have exceeded 90% agreement. Sensitivity and specificity studies are also high across questionnaire intervals and standardized assessments. Details can be found in a technical report located in one of the appendices in The ASQ User's Guide.

Population on which ASQ was normed
Infants and young children from both risk and non-risk populations whose families are educationally, economically, and ethnically diverse.

Other languages
ASQ Questionnaires are already available in Spanish, French, and Korean. Translations are in development in other languages, including Mandarin and Arabic. If you would like more information on these new questionnaires or would like to ask about ASQ availability in other languages, please e-mail our customer service department.

Professional development on this system is available through Brookes On Location!