SEAM

An in-depth approach to social-emotional development.

The Social-Emotional Assessment/Evaluation Measure (SEAM™) is an assessment that focuses exclusively on social-emotional and behavioral development in young children—and provides meaningful insights to caregivers and families. It provides in-depth information that can prevent problems by building positive partnerships with families and optimizing positive parent–child interactions in the first years of life.

An effective and comprehensive approach to social-emotional assessment.

With this in-depth, easy-to-use tool, social-emotional competence and development can be reliably assessed and monitored in infants, toddlers, and preschoolers at risk for delays or challenges. An ideal follow-up to screeners such as [ASQ **®**:SE-2](/content/products-pricing/asqse-2/ "ASQ:SE-2"/index.html), the two-part SEAM™ assessment reveals detailed qualitative information on children’s social-emotional competence— and identifies their caregivers’ strengths and areas of need. Easy to learn and implement, SEAM can be used by a wide variety of early childhood professionals, including those with little or no training in mental health or behavioral interventions.

SEAM helps professionals to:

• support development of important social-emotional skills in order to minimize challenging behaviors
• build strong, proactive partnerships with families
• promote positive parent–child interactions in the critical first years of life
• assist with choosing developmentally appropriate goals and intervention activities
• monitor child progress toward social-emotional goals

SEAM is a two-part assessment available in English and Spanish; see how it works.

View the Using the SEAM with Young Children webcast, presented by SEAM developers Jane Squires, Ph.D., and Misti Waddell, M.S.

Watch the SEAM webcast

SEAM: How it works.

SEAM is a two-part assessment: SEAM child assessment and SEAM Family Profile.

SEAM Child Assessment

This assessment includes three intervals with different developmental ranges:

• Infant(2–18 months)
• Toddler(18–36 months)
• Preschool(36–66 months)

Each interval assesses 10 child benchmarks critical to social-emotional competence, including empathy, adaptive skills, self-image, emotional responses, and healthy interactions with others.

SEAM is flexible enough to meet your specific needs—parents/caregivers can complete it independently, or it can be conducted jointly with healthcare providers if desired. The SEAM system also includes SEAM with Ages, an alternate version of the tool annotated with a helpful list of age ranges for each item. This version makes it easy to give caregivers general guidance on how social-emotional skills typically develop and where their child’s development fits on the continuum.

See a sample SEAM Form

SEAM Family Profile

The Family Profile assesses parent and caregiver strengths and helps identify areas in which they need more supports and resources to foster their child’s social-emotional skills. Like the main SEAM, the Family Profile assessment includes three intervals—Infant, Toddler, and Preschool. Each interval measures four benchmarks key to a nurturing home environment: responding to needs, providing activities and play, providing predictable routines and an appropriate environment, and ensuring home safety.

See a sample Family Profile form

Research and validity specifics for SEAM

To confirm the utility and efficacy of SEAM, intensive research has been performed—details can be viewed below.

The Social-Emotional Assessment/Evaluation Measure (SEAM) is an assessment tool for measuring children’s social-emotional development and parenting competence.

SEAM was developed by some of the key developers and trainers for the Ages & Stages Questionnaires: Social-Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2) screener: Jane Squires, Ph.D., Diane Bricker, Ph.D., Misti Waddell, M.S., Kristin Funk, M.A., LCSW, Jantina Clifford, Ph.D., and Robert Hoselton.