Celebrate Your Child’s Development

Children grow and develop in their own unique way during the first years of life. The Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) help families learn more about their child’s skills, milestones, and overall development. They are used to understand how a child is growing and learning in areas like talking, moving, interacting with others, and thinking.

The ASQ is a simple questionnaire that recognizes parents and caregivers as the people who know their child best. Through questions about everyday activities and behaviours, families can celebrate strengths, track milestones, and discover ways to support learning and growth at home. 

Participating in ASQ screening can help families:

• Learn more about their child’s development.
• Celebrate strengths and milestones.
• Discover how play and everyday activities support learning.
• Receive ideas and activities to support growth and development.
• Connect with programs, services, and resources if needed.
  
  

Free ASQ screening is available for children from birth to 6 years across Algoma through regular ASQ screening opportunities and at special ASQ screening events. See the “Find ASQ Screening Near You” section below.

Why Early Screening Matters

Children grow and learn so much in their first years of life. From birth to age 3, children’s brains are making more than 1 million new connections every second! Screening helps families notice small steps that lead to bigger skills, understand their child’s progress, and learn simple ways to support growth through everyday routines and play.

Sometimes screening shows that a child may benefit from extra support. Finding this out early can help families connect with helpful programs and services. 

Waiting for services can take a long time. If more support is needed, wait time isn’t wasted time. During screening, families can receive resources, activities, and support to help their child keep learning and growing.

What Happens During Screening?

You will meet with a trained and certified early years professional and complete one or both Ages and Stages Questionnaires together: 

• ASQ-3, which looks at communication, movement, problem-solving, and social skills.
• ASQ:SE-2, which looks at social and emotional development, including feelings, relationships, independence, daily routines, and self-regulation.

As you work through the questionnaire(s), you’ll talk about your child’s everyday skills, strengths, and development. You’ll have the chance to ask questions, share what you have noticed, and learn more about your child’s growth.

At the end, you’ll review the results together, celebrate strengths, and discuss activities, resources, and supports that may be helpful for your family. 

The ASQ is not a test or diagnosis. It is a tool that helps families learn more about their child’s development.

Understanding Child Development Across Algoma

Nurturing Algoma is part of a Canada-wide project led by SickKids and Queen’s University called the Canadian Database of Development, Infancy to Six (CanDDIS).

When families take part in ASQ screening, they can choose whether they would like their screening information included in CanDDIS. This information helps us learn more about how young children are developing and how to better support children and families in Algoma.

Taking part in CanDDIS is your choice. During the screening process, families will receive information about the project and be asked if they would like to participate. Families can still complete ASQ screening and receive resources and support even if they choose not to take part in CanDDIS.

You can pursue screening any time you are curious about your child’s development. Free ASQ screening is available for children from birth to 6 years of age across Algoma. Families can attend a recurring screening opportunity available throughout the year or participate in a special ASQ screening event.

Click the Find ASQ Screening Near You section above for locations and upcoming dates.

No. The ASQ is not a test. It is a tool that helps families learn more about their child’s development.

No referral is needed; however, some locations may require that you book an appointment.

Parents and caregivers complete the ASQ based on what they know about their child’s everyday skills and behaviours. Having your child with you is the most helpful as there are skills or activities you may like to try together during the screening. Children are welcome to attend with their parent(s) or caregiver.

Most ASQ screenings take between 15-30 minutes.

All of our screeners are early years professionals. As an expert on your child, you will answer the questions. The trained screener is available to help you complete and score the questionnaire.

You will answer each question by indicating or checking off “Yes”, “Sometimes”, or “Not Yet” for the ASQ-3 and “Often”, “Sometimes”, or “Rarely” for the ASQ:SE-2 based on your child’s age.

Yes. ASQ screening is for all children. It gives families a chance to celebrate their child's strengths, learn about upcoming milestones, and discover simple activities that can support healthy growth and development.

No. The ASQ is a screening tool, not a diagnostic assessment. If the results suggest that additional support may be helpful, families can learn about available programs, services, and next steps.

If screening suggests that extra support may be helpful, families can learn about programs, services, and community resources that may be a good fit for their child and family.

Children with a developmental diagnosis are welcome to participate in ASQ screening. The ASQ can still be a helpful way to talk about your child’s strengths, celebrate new skills and milestones, and learn about activities that support growth and development. If your child is already receiving support or services, ASQ screening may also help guide conversations about their progress and development over time.

ASQ screening is available for children from birth up until their 6^th birthday. Families are welcome to participate at any point during those years.

If additional support is needed, there are many ways families can support their child’s learning and development while waiting for services. Screening provides families with information, activities, resources, and ideas that can be used at home right away.

Yes. Children grow and change quickly during the early years, and new skills emerge over time. We encourage families to repeat the ASQ questionnaire as their child gets older to learn about new milestones, track development, and discuss any questions they may have.

No. Participation in the database is completely voluntary. You can have an ASQ screen completed even if you don’t want your child’s information in the database. During the screening process, families will receive information about the project and can decide whether they would like to participate.

No. Information shared through the screening process is de-identified before being added to the CanDDIS database. Names and other identifying information are not included. Families will receive information about privacy, confidentiality, and consent before participating.

The database includes ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 screening results. Families may also choose whether to share additional information, such as their postal code or use of children's services. Providing demographic information is optional and helps communities better understand and respond to the needs of children and families.

Yes. CanDDIS data is stored on a secure server at the Centre for Advanced Computing at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. Access to the database is restricted to authorized users, and information is managed in accordance with privacy and security requirements.

The database was created by the Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion (IEMHP) team at the Toronto Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Queen’s University. Algoma early years services have partnered with them to help build the CanDDIS.

Nurturing Algoma’s CanDDIS Project brings together organizations from across health care, education, early years, family support, and community services to strengthen support for and build resilience among children and families across Algoma. 

This community action project is endorsed and supported by the SSM and Algoma Child and Family Network (CFN). Multiple agencies and organizations district wide are implementing Ages & Stages Questionnaires (ASQ), and with the families’ consent, the scores are entered into the Canadian Database of Development, Infancy to Six (CanDDIS). The CanDDIS is a research project led by the Infant and Early Mental Health Promotion (IEMHP) program at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and Queen’s University. 

The research team recognizes that:

• The science of brain development has established that the first 3 years are foundational to the trajectory of a person’s wellbeing across the lifespan
• The earlier we can identify and address developmental and mental health concerns, the greater the chance a person will develop to their optimum potential
• It is important to ensure that supports, services, and targeted interventions are available when there is a concern
• There was no comprehensive Canadian database of developmental screening scores--comprehensive databases existed only for school age children (e.g. Early Development Instrument {EDI})
• Individuals and communities retain ownership of their data

Participation in the CanDDIS supports: 

For Individuals:

• Opportunities for early screening, early support, and intervention prior to school entry
• Increased awareness of how to support infant and early mental health and other developmental milestones
• Increased likelihood for optimal outcomes in all developmental domains including positive relationships, academic success, physical and mental wellness across the lifespan

For Communities:

• Snapshots of how infants-6 year olds are developing through pulling data reports from the database
• Identification of service gaps and bridging of community support and services
• Access to data that will inform community needs and support applications to broader funding pockets
• Streamlining of best practice approaches to early screening
• Foundational evidence for the development of infant and early mental health care pathways
• Return on investment: Every $1 invested in early childhood is equivalent to $3 spent on school-aged children and $8 on young adults (Heckman JJ. Return on Investment: Cost vs. Benefits. 2008.)

For All:

• Informing policy and research initiatives for the development of children services locally and across Canada
  
  

Organizations and providers play an important role by:

• Encouraging families to participate in developmental screening opportunities through word of mouth, directing families to the Nurturing Algoma website calendar, hosting a screening event at their location.
• Sharing information about Nurturing Algoma with their communities through their social media platforms, participating in collaborative messaging campaigns, posting resources and links on their websites, and in physical spaces.
• Helping families connect with local programs, services, and support by learning about services available for children 0-6 across Algoma, referring families to and encouraging participation at local EarlyON programming, local libraries and children’s programs. Health Care Providers are encouraged to practice social and refer people to local, non-clinical services, including community and social services.

Working collaboratively to support healthy child development