BACKGROUND: Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status or PEDS is a simple, inexpensive screen for developmental and behavioral problems in children from birth to 8 years old. It is a standardized screening tool for developmental and behavioral detection for a collaborative and family-focused care.

OBJECTIVES: To elicit the different developmental and behavioral concerns of parents / caregivers of children aged 0 to 96 months and to determine the children’s level of risk for disabilities based on the elicited parental concerns. STUDY DESIGN. This is a descriptive and prospective study.

SETTING: The study was conducted in a private pediatric clinic in Gingoog City, Misamis Oriental, Philippines. PARTICIPANTS. A total of 421 parents/caregivers with children aged 0 to 96 months answered the PEDS response forms with Visayan translation during their outpatient consultation. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S). The early detection of developmental and behavioral problems of children using the parental concerns elicited in the PEDS screening.

RESULTS: There were 222 males and 199 females with a male to female ratio of 1.11:1. Age ranged from 0.5 month to 96 months, mean age of 52.62. Majority of subjects belong to 0-12 month’s age group (31.59%). Of the 421 children, 19.71% (n=83) had parental concerns. There were more parental concerns on male subjects (62.65%) than female subjects (37.34%). Among the 83 children with parental concerns, 20.48% (n=17) belongs to 25-36 month’s age group (mean of 31.52+3.34). There is a significant relationship between the age of the subjects and parental concerns with a p value of 0.019.

CONCLUSION: Almost 20% of patients visiting the clinic for either well or sick consultation had developmental and behavioral concerns. Through the different parental concerns, PEDS screening is able to determine the children at risk for disabilities and is able to facilitate early referral and early intervention on these children.