Event Recap: The 2019 ASQ International Symposium
Learning from a global gathering of early childhood researchers
More than 30 researchers, practitioners, and affiliated ASQ® publishers from a dozen-plus countries gathered in Annapolis, MD, March 18–20, 2019 for ASQ Around the World: The 3rd Invitational Symposium of International ASQ Researchers.
The invitation-only event offered attendees the opportunity to exchange early childhood development research and share their experience in translating and adapting ASQ®-3 and ASQ®:SE-2 for use in different country contexts. This was the third time Brookes Publishing brought together professionals to contribute to the ongoing evolution of the ASQ tools to improve the lives of children and families everywhere.
“This event is a wonderful forum for sharing research on the use of ASQ internationally, and for discussing the challenges associated with translating ASQ items across different languages and cultures,” said Diane Bricker, Ph.D., ASQ co-developer. She served as a moderator throughout the symposium. “We’re grateful to be developing such a supportive community of researchers—all dedicated to the creation of universal developmental screening of infants, toddlers, and young children.”
Participants represented programs at different stages of ASQ implementation. Many are already using the tools, collecting normative data, and serving as advocates for screening programs in their countries, while others are just starting to translate or make culturally appropriate adaptations.
During formal talks and the poster session, presenters shared their research and discussed issues specific to ASQ—successes, language and cultural barriers, translation, adaption, and data gathering. Check out some of the highlights:
 Watch Kevin Marks’ Presentation |
Presentations:
- Screening & Beyond – Liz Twombly
- Early Childhood Developmental-Behavioral Screening in Scandinavia and the U.S. – Kevin Marks
- Evaluation of the Use of ASQ-3 for Developmental Screening in Singapore – Huichao Xie and Prathib Agarwal
Posters:
- StimuLearn – Brookes Publishing, on behalf of Nestlé
*Note: StimuLearn is only available in select countries, not including the United States. - Parents as Partners in Screening – Brookes Publishing
- Is Translation Enough? Maintaining Item Intent and Parent Engagement when Adapting ASQ – Kimberly Murphy and Jantina Clifford
The poster session also gave Brookes Publishing a chance to share the latest on ASQ, including a preview of ASQ-4 (which will have a new age interval for 72 months); new ASQ website features designed to address users’ challenges; and how to use ASQ Online to maximize program effectiveness.
“It was a productive, fun, and memorable conference that demonstrated both the diversity of our researchers and the extent of our collective research,” says Jane Squires, Ph.D., an ASQ co-developer who also helped moderate the three-day event. “With a balance of presentations and small group sessions, the audience could take advantage of opportunities to interact with each other, as well as explore some topics in more depth.”
The planning team is already discussing locations for the next symposium in two or three years, and several of this year’s attendees thought it was such a valuable experience that they’re already vying for an invitation!
Want to see what the symposium was all about? View the Facebook photo gallery.
Originally published: May 2019
