Here is a brief overview of some developmental screening tools your doctor may use.

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PEDS (Parent’s Evaluation of Developmental Status):

This is a questionnaire that is not age specific with primarily open ended questions that relate to a child’s development and specific parent observations. Due to its open-ended questions the approach may be used at any infant or toddler well visit.
To see a case example of how PEDS can be used click here

ASQ (Ages and Stages Questionnaire):

An age specific questionnaire from 1 month through to 5 1/2 years that looks at the different aspects of child development including motor skills, language and communication as well as social skills.  This is preferred by some pediatricians because of its focus on a specific age attained skill.
To see some example ASQ questions click here

ASQ SE (Ages and Stages Social Emotional):

This questionnaire is also age specific and focuses on the relationship between parent and child by examining social skills and connections.
To see a sample of the 30 month old questionnaire and scoring sheet click here

M CHAT (The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers):

This questionnaire is used to evaluate children between 16 and 30 months as a screening for the Autism Spectrum Disorder using a scoring system that highlights characteristics of children with challenges in language and/or social skills.
To see the M CHAT checklist click here


Please remember that these developmental tools are best used with the help of your health professional. Also remember that these are only some of the developmental screening tools available to help parents, pediatricians and teachers -  but that they all share one goal, and that is to ensure the child is on the right developmental path, and can get help early if developmental challenges are identified.

By Mark Rosenberg M.D. FAAP

Previous: Developmental Screening

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