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.