Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS)
PEDS tells you when parents' concerns suggest problems requiring referral and which concerns are best responded to with advice or reassurance. PEDS also reduces 'oh by the way' concerns, focuses visits, ensures a 'teachable moment', and is known to improve attendance at well-visits.
A method for detecting and addressing developmental and behavioral problems in children
Fewer than 70% of children with developmental and behavioral problems are identified before school entrance. Although most of these children receive routine pediatric care or attend preschool programs, their problems do not come to the attention of health professionals and teachers. Under-detection is due to the subtle and emerging nature of children's difficulties. For example, most children with disabilities walk, talk, and eventually read, but not as well as is necessary for school success.
What Happens When Childhood Problems Are Not Identified?
Failure to detect difficulties means that many children do not receive the benefits of early intervention. Early intervention greatly increases the likelihood of graduating from high school, of living independently, avoiding teen pregnancy, holding a job, etc. The absence of early intervention contributes to the fact that 1 in 3 children have either disabilities or substantial school difficulties; 18% drop out of high school.
How Can Problems Be Detected Early?
One of the most brief and accurate methods for early detection is Parents' Evaluations of Developmental Status or PEDS. PEDS is both an evidence-based surveillance tool and a screening test, it is also a tool for managing a wide range of developmental, behavioral and family issues. With ten short questions to parents, PEDS helps professionals identify children at risk for school problems and those with undetected developmental and behavioral disabilities. PEDS helps you decide:
Whether a child needs a developmental evaluation or mental health assessment?
If so, what kinds of testing are needed?
Should a developmental screening test be administered?
Do parents simply need advice, and if so, on what topics?
Should a child be watched carefully over time to ensure prompt attention for any emerging problems?
Are reassurance and monitoring all that is required?
Here's What to Expect
Extensive research on the relationship between parents' concerns and children's behavior and development reveals the following about children:
11% have a high risk of disabilities and need referrals for further evaluations.
26% have a moderate risk of disabilities and need additional developmental screening and/or scrutiny of health, vision, and hearing as well as parent education, watchful waiting, or referrals to enrichment programs like Head Start or quality preschool.
20% have a low risk of disabilities and need mostly behavioral guidance.
43% have a low risk of disabilities and need only routine monitoring.
Other Features of PEDS
Can be used from birth to 8 years of age.
Takes about two minutes to administer and score if conducted as an interview. Less time is required if parents complete the brief questionnaire in waiting or exam rooms or at home prior to an encounter.
Has high sensitivity and identifies 74% to 80% of children with developmental disabilities—in keeping with standards for developmental screening tests and commensurate with the accuracy of measures that take much longer to administer.
Has high specificity. 70% to 80% of children without developmental disabilities are identified as typically developing--also in keeping with standards for screening tests.
Is written at the fourth to fifth-grade reading level, which ensures that almost all parents can read and respond independently to the items.
Has a longitudinal recording form for summarizing surveillance and promotion activities. This facilitates optimal long-term management of children's psychosocial needs.
Validated and reliable
on more than 771 children across the US in various settings: pediatric offices, outpatient clinics, day care centers, and schools.
Standardized on 2823 families from various backgrounds, including levels of socioeconomic status and varying ethnicity.
Promotes confident and accurate decision-making about developmental and behavioral issues.
Available in print in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Available for licensing in Somali, Hmung, and Malaysian. Please contact us to discuss your need for these and other translations.
Is highly reliable and can be administered by a range of professionals and paraprofessionals, including office staff.
Requires minimal training. New users only need to read the brief scoring and administration guide.
Materials cost of 36 cents per visit, or about 20 cents if the score form is used repeatedly to follow children over time.
Complies with recommendations for early detection from the American Academy of Pediatrics, the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the American Nurses' Association, the Bright Futures Guidelines, the Council for Exceptional Children, Head Start, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Community Child Health, the Australian College of Paediatrics, etc.
Is effective with parents regardless of parents' level of education, income, race, marital status, or children's ages or birth order.
Eliminates "oh by the way" concerns, focuses visits, enhances teachable moments, and improves patient flow
Is available online for parents to take on their own, for a small fee - www.forepath.org
Can be licensed for inclusion in electronic medical records. Contact us to discuss your needs.
Encourages addition of professional observations and history in the decision-making process
Videos for PEDS and PEDS:DM
PEDS+PEDS:DM
See a short video about how PEDS works and how it works well with PEDS:Developmental Milestones Download Video (right mouse, Save Link As...)
PEDS:DM
See a short video on how the PEDS:DM works Download Video (right mouse, Save Link As...)
PEDS Online
See a short movie on how electronic PEDS works Download Video (right mouse, Save Link As...)
