Are you getting the full picture of child development?
Discover the benefits of adding social-emotional screening to your program
It is common knowledge that young children should be screened early and often to monitor development, celebrate milestones, and identify possible delays. That’s why so many early childhood professionals use ASQ®-3.
But you can get an even fuller picture—one that also focuses on both development and social-emotional well-being—by adding Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ®: SE-2) to your screening program.
ASQ:SE-2 is the gold-standard social-emotional screener trusted by programs across the country. It’s a highly reliable, parent-completed tool that makes it easy to check children’s skills, pinpoint potential behaviors of concern, and identify any need for further assessment.
Why use ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 together?
A strong social-emotional foundation is key to health, well-being, and ability to learn in school.
Many kids’ social-emotional challenges go unrecognized prior to kindergarten, keeping them from receiving the interventions they need during those critical early years. Just as catching developmental delays early is crucial to every child’s school readiness and success, so is identifying social-emotional issues and challenging behaviors that can become barriers to learning once the child starts school.
Pairing the two tools is more thorough than using ASQ-3 alone.
While ASQ-3 does touch upon social-emotional skills in several items, ASQ:SE-2 goes much further, delving into the child’s skills and progress in seven key areas to provide programs and parents with broad and deep knowledge of this important area of development.
There’s a relationship between behavior and development.
Both screening tools acknowledge the link between behavior and development. For example, on the ASQ:SE-2, if a child scores above the cutoff, the person scoring is asked to consider any developmental factors when determining whether a referral is necessary. And on the ASQ-3, one of the overall questions asks parents whether they have concerns about their child’s behavior. Using the two tools together can add important context to responses and scores from either questionnaire.
ASQ:SE-2 offers a second platform for engaging with families.
Social-emotional screening is another opportunity to invite parents to share their knowledge about their child and discuss any behaviors they may be worried about. The more engaged families are in the screening process, the more likely they are to successfully support their child’s development, report concerns, and follow up on referrals.
A bonus feature of ASQ:SE-2 is that it’s set up very much like ASQ-3, making the process easy and familiar—for families and professionals alike!
Learn more and get started
If you’re already using ASQ-3, you may be thinking about what a challenge it could be to incorporate another tool into your program. Fortunately, implementing ASQ:SE-2 and using it successfully with ASQ-3 is not only incredibly beneficial to young children, it’s also quite manageable and straightforward.
Browse these five helpful resources to see what you can expect.
Webinar – Learn how to use ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 together
Watch experienced ASQ trainers explain why and how to pair the two tools. Includes practical implementation tips.
Video – Social-emotional development: Screening with ASQ:SE-2
ASQ co-developer Jane Squires introduces ASQ:SE-2 and explains why social-emotional development is so important for young children.
Article – Using ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 together
Read a more in-depth summary of how and why these two screeners work so well together.
Toolkit – Social-Emotional Screening Toolkit
Effectively implement ASQ:SE-2 and encourage family engagement with tip sheets, activities, and parent handouts.
Sample – ASQ:SE-2 questionnaire
Preview the tool in English, Spanish, or French.
***
Learn lots more about using ASQ:SE-2 in our free resource library. For additional product information and to order, visit www.brookespublishing.com/asqse or call 1-800-638-3775.
Originally published: October 2018
