How to Engage Parents

Increase Accuracy Using

ASQ Online

The ASQ® Online data management system has many features that can save time in the organization and management of your screening program. However, to ensure the quality and effectiveness of your program, parents* must be engaged and supported in the process of completing questionnaires electronically through ASQfi Family Access.

To ensure the quality and effectiveness of your online screening program:

1. Identify a staff person to be the parents' professional partner in the screening process.
2. Determine the level of support parents need to complete questionnaires accurately. Some parents can complete questionnaires independently, but others will need support, such as borrowing a computer or reading through the questionnaires with a provider.
3. Follow the 3 steps outlined on the following pages.

*Parents includes family members and other primary caregivers.

Step 1: Introduce the screening process and ASQ questionnaires to parents

Why It’s Important:

Understanding the purpose and benefits of screening engages parents in the process. Reviewing ASQ questions together and supporting parents to gather materials and try activities with their child (before completing ASQ) increases the accuracy of results.

Resources:

• Parent Welcome Letters** are available in ASQ Online.
• ASQ Parent Guides to introduce screening and ASQ to families.
  • ASQ-3: English (PDF), Spanish (PDF)
  • ASQ:SE-2: English (PDF), Spanish (PDF)

Recommended Practices:

• Introduce screening and ASQ to parents (face-to-face, phone call, virtual meeting).
• Allow time for parents to ask questions or share concerns.
• Share the age-appropriate questionnaire with parents (URL, text, mail).
• Support parents in gathering (or adapting) materials as needed. Consider creating a kit of materials that parents can borrow.

Step 2: Provide support for parents to complete questionnaires online

Why It’s Important:

Providing support, time, and materials increases the accuracy of questionnaire results. Without support, parents may report Not Yet or omit questions they have not tried, have not observed, do not understand, or that do not reflect home parenting practices. If a question is not appropriate for a family's culture or parenting practices, it is helpful for families to know that they can skip the question by using the Response Missing option. ASQ Online automatically adjusts scores. Once results are finalized in ASQ Online, changes cannot be made.

Recommended Practices:

• Identify a staff person to provide support to parents BEFORE finalizing questionnaires (e.g., phone, virtual help session). Many parents need support at first but become independent over time. Some parents will benefit from ongoing support.

Step 3: Review results and discuss follow-up with families

Why It’s Important:

Following up with families helps parents better understand their child's development, understand options, and builds relationships with families.

Resources:

Results letters** for on track and monitor results are available in ASQ Online. Programs can personalize results letters and forms in ASQ Online.

Recommended Practices:

• Provide choices for how parents can receive results (e.g., in person, email, phone).
• Contact parents directly if results indicate the need for a referral or if any responses in the Overall section require follow-up.
• Review ASQ with the parent, making changes to the findings if needed based on your discussion. Explore follow-up options with the family and let parents take the lead in decision-making.