ASQ:SE can be used in homes as well as clinical, center-based, and other settings that provide services to families with young children.
Home Settings. ASQ:SE questionnaires were developed to be completed by parents at home or during a home visit. A home visit may be required when parents are unable to read, have other difficulties with independent completion of the questionnaires, or are unwilling or unable to travel to a center. The questionnaires may be a part of a larger home-visiting curriculum, for example, as part of an abuse and neglect prevention program. If used in a mail-out system, care must be taken to follow up on parents’ noted concerns with a telephone call or home visit.
Clinical Settings. ASQ:SE questionnaires can be used by primary health care providers to gather screening information on a child prior to a physical examination. Health care providers can save time by sending questionnaires to parents prior to their appointments or by having parents complete the questionnaire while waiting for their appointments. This method helps parents identify social-emotional concerns prior to their appointment and provides a focus for the examination and subsequent discussion.
Center-Based Settings. ASQ:SE may be used in child care and educational settings. In addition to using the tool for screening purposes, use of ASQ:SE in this type of setting helps facilitate discussion between teachers and parents about a child’s behavior across settings. If someone other than a parent completes ASQ:SE, he or she should have at least 15-20 hours per week of contact with the child.
Other Settings. ASQ:SE can be used in other programs whose purpose is finding children in need of special services, monitoring a child’s social-emotional development, or educating parents about the development of their young children. Examples of other settings include health fairs sponsored by Head Start programs, kindergarten round-ups offered by school districts, and child-find screenings conducted by early intervention programs.
Adapted from Squires, J., Bricker, D., & Twombly, E. (2002). The ASQ:SE User’s Guide. Baltimore, MD: Brookes Publishing.
