Acceptability and understanding of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition, as part of the Healthy Child Programme 2‐year health and development review in England: Parent and professional perspectives

Abstract

BackgroundThe Healthy Child Programme is the universal public health system in England to assess and monitor child health from 0 to 19. Following a review of measures for closer monitoring at age 2 years, the Department of Health for England implemented the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®, Third Edition (ASQ‐3™; Hereon, ASQ‐3).AimThe aim of this study was to evaluate the acceptability and understanding of the ASQ‐3 in England by health professionals and parents.MethodA mixed‐methods approach was used. This paper reports on the qualitative data drawn from interviews with 40 parents and 12 focus groups with 85 health professionals. The data were analysed using applied thematic analysis.FindingsOverall, parents and health professionals found the ASQ‐3 acceptable and understandable and could use it as a measure at age 2 years. The ability to work in partnership was valued.Some limitations included potential to cause anxiety, concerns around the safety of some of the items, and use of Americanized language. Health professional's training in the use the ASQ‐3 was inconsistent.ConclusionThe ASQ‐3 is an acceptable and understandable measure to use as part of the 2‐year assessment with some adaptations to the English context and some standardized training for health professionals.

Effect of the Attachment and Child Health Parent Training Program on Parent–Child Interaction Quality and Child Development

“…Summing up total scores for each domain yields the total score (out of 60). Higher scores are indicative of healthier outcomes (Kendall et al, 2019). The ASQ-3 is found to have adequate internal consistency reliability (between 0.82 and 0.88), sensitivity of 86% and a specificity of 85% (Mackrides & Ryherd, 2011).…”

Variation in health visiting contacts for children in England: cross-sectional analysis of the 2–2½ year review using administrative data (Community Services Dataset, CSDS)

“…The Children's Commissioner and (ex)PHE both estimate that 9 out of 10 children receiving a 2-2½ year review also had an ASQ-3 completed but other studies have found significant variability across England in the implementation and reporting of the ASQ-3. [13][14][15] The subuniversal reach of the 2-2½ year review has prompted questions about whether some children are systematically more likely to miss out on a review. In 2020, the Children's Commissioner tried to ascertain if vulnerable children were differentially likely to have a 2-2½ year review than their peers but found that most LAs did not collect the necessary data, concluding: 'There is little evidence that local areas are ensuring that their vulnerable young children are checked'.…”

“… Delivery of the HCP by health visiting teams and use of ASQ-3 and ELIM in the 2–2½ year review. 15 29–44 …”

Agreement Between Mothers and Fieldworkers While Assessing Child Development Using Ages and Stages Questionnaires, Third Edition in Nepal

“…When children fail to perform, parents might overvalue their child’s developmental performance to avoid this perceived failure. The utilization of the ASQ-3 in itself can raise anxiety leading to distortion of the results or at times incomplete filling of the questionnaire ( Kendall et al, 2019 ).…”