Developmental milestones matter! How your child plays and learns is important to their growth. As a caregiver, you are vital to your child’s development. Your knowledge of your child can help you understand their development. Developmental monitoring and screening are opportunities to celebrate strengths and growth!
Developmental Monitoring (Surveillance)
Developmental monitoring (surveillance) allows you to observe your child’s growth and changes over time. As a caregiver, you can practice this by observing how your child plays, learns, speaks, acts, and moves. To help track your child’s development, you can use the brief checklists provided by the CDC’s Learn the Signs. Act Early (LTSAE). LTSAE provides 12 checklists ranging from 2 months to 5 years of age. These materials are free and can be printed or downloaded.
Developmental Screening
Developmental Screenings take a closer look at how your child is developing. Help Me Grow Maine uses the Ages & Stages Questionnaire® (ASQ) for this. We also use the Ages and Stages Questionnaire: Social-Emotional® (ASQ SE-2). These are simple questionnaires that focus on your child’s development. They look at language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions.
Why should developmental screening be completed?
- Shows if a child should have further evaluations of concerns
- Helps ensure better futures
- Recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- Helps parents guide child development
- Boosts parent-child bonding
- Easy and quick
When should a developmental screening be completed?
Screening with ASQ® can be done at many intervals. Starting when a child is two months old and ending when they are five years old. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends the following:
- At least at 9, 18, and 30 months
- When a child begins a new program, like Early HeadStart or HeadStart
- Any time you or your doctor are concerned
As part of Help Me Grow Maine, we use a joint process of developmental monitoring and screening to ensure your child’s best growth.
Information for Parents and Caregivers
About Ages & Stages Questionnaires®
ASQ® offers two screenings. The ASQ-3 looks at key areas of early development. The ASQ:SE-2 focuses on social-emotional development. These are filled out by the best expert about your child: YOU! These only take about 10-15 minutes to complete.
ASQ-3 English ASQ:SE-2 English
Also available: ASQ-3 Spanish | ASQ:SE-2 Spanish | ASQ-3 French | ASQ-3 Arabic
ASQ 3 vs ASQ:SE-2: A resource to show the similarities and differences between ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2.
[English] [Arabic] [French] [Haitian Creole] [Khmer] [Lingala] [Portuguese] [Somali] [Spanish] [Vietnamese]
*Ages & Stages Questionnaires® and ASQ® are registered trademarks of and ASQ©, ASQ©-3, and ASQ©:SE-2 are owned by Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved.
- Ages & Stages Questionnaire-3 (ASQ-3)®
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The ASQ-3 is a set of questions that focuses on your child’s overall development. ASQ-3 questionnaires range from 1 month to 5 ½ years old. There are different questions on each ASQ-3, based on your child’s current age. The questions look at language, movement, thinking, behavior, and emotions.
Download ASQ-3 Activities (PDF) today! These are simple and fun play ideas tailored to your child’s current age. These activities help you support your child’s development.
- Ages & Stages Questionnaire: Social Emotional-2 (ASQ:SE-2)®
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ASQ:SE-2 is a set of questions that focuses on your child’s social-emotional development. Social-emotional development is how a child understands who they are, what they are feeling, and what to expect when interacting with others. ASQ:SE-2 questionnaires range from 1 month to 6 years of age. There are different questions on each ASQ:SE -2, based on your child’s current age. The questions look at autonomy, compliance, and adaptive functioning. They also look at self-regulation, interaction, and social communication.
Download ASQ:SE-2 Activities (PDF) today! These are simple and fun play ideas tailored to your child’s current age. These activities help you support healthy social-emotional development.
- How to Complete an ASQ® Screening
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Family Access makes it easy for you to complete an ASQ screening on your phone, tablet, or computer! This video will walk you through how to complete and submit a screening in Family Access.
Video: Complete an ASQ Screening Through Family Access by Brookes Publishing
- ASQ® Results
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After you have completed the questions, your child’s results will be provided to you by a resource specialist as soon as possible. We call every caregiver to share your results personally, and ensure your needs are being met.
If you would like to notify your child’s doctor of their ASQ results, please complete, sign, and e-mail the release below to HelpMeGrow@maine.gov.
Information for Providers
As a healthcare professional, you understand the critical importance of early detection and intervention in the patients you serve. Help Me Grow supports you in caring for your patients by providing the following services:
- Free developmental screenings through the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®
- Parenting tips, activities, and useful information
- Referrals and connections to available community resources
- Follow-up with families to ensure children receive the services they need
- Shared outcomes of our care coordination efforts to strengthen the relationship between you and your patient
Schedule a Training or Learning Opportunity for your Team
Interested in learning more about how to promote developmental screening in your practice? Want to learn more about how Help Me Grow Maine can help support your team and patients/clients?
Contact Melinda Corey, Help Me Grow Maine Outreach Specialist, for these opportunities:
Melinda Corey
Tel: (207) 441-1553
E-Mail: Melinda.corey@maine.gov