On Track

On Track - Section 8 in PDF

Screening Tools and Programs used in Ontario

Things to consider before screening

Before using a screening tool, a professional must consider:

Are you qualified to administer this screen?
Do you know how to follow up after screening, should a concern be identified?
What level of confidentiality will be used when screening? How will this level of confidentiality be ensured?
Where and when will the screening take place?
Are there any cultural implications to consider when applying the screening? Please see “Cultural Sensitivity When Working with Families” in section 2 and section 6 of this guide.
Do you know how to discuss sensitive issues with families related to using the screening tool and reporting the results? Please refer to “How to talk with parents about sensitive issues” in section 6 of this guide.
Is the screening tool valid, reliable and accurate?
Is it free of bias and is it non-discriminatory?
Is it easy to administer?
Is it cost-effective?

Regardless of the results of screening or assessment, children and families should be assisted in accessing appropriate community supports, resources and information.

Some of the tools listed in the table are restricted to use by professionals who have specific training and qualifications.

Screening Tools Used In Ontario

Tool	Focus	Age Range	General Description
AIMS - Alberta Infant Motor Scale Available in English	Motor Development	Infants between 4 and 18 months	Identification of motor delays in four positions: supine, prone, sitting and standing
ASQ-3, Third Edition (Available in English, French, and Spanish) www.agesandstages.com	Communication Gross Motor Fine Motor Problem-Solving Personal-Social	One to 66 months	The ASQ-3 can be used for two purposes: as a developmental level screening tool to identify infants and children that may require further assessment as a monitoring tool to gauge the development of children who are at risk for developmental disabilities or delays
Blind -Low Vision Early Intervention Program	Vision	Birth to Grade 1	The purpose is to identify children who are not meeting developmental milestones that mark early vision development and refer them for further assessment by a physician or licensed optometrist before their first birthday. If any vision concerns are present the child should be seen as soon as possible.
	www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/blindnesslowvision/index.aspx
Communication Checklist (Available in English, French and several other languages)	Language and Communication	Six months to four years	A checklist developed by Toronto Public Health Speech and Language Services. Primary caregivers can use this checklist to help them decide if their child needs help with speech and language.
	www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=7c4c45d26137a410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD
Dental Screening	Dental and Oral Health	Six months to 18 years	Dental screening is a visual inspection by a dental hygienist to see if an obvious dental condition exists and to identify children at risk for Early Childhood Tooth Decay.
Dental Screening Tool Available in English	Dental and Oral Health	18 - 36 months	Early identification of children at risk for or having dental caries. To help monitor a child’s dental development. It also provides dental care and hygiene tips.
Infant Hearing Program	Hearing Uses DPOAE - Automated Distortion Product Otoacoustic Emissions or AABR - Automated Auditory Brainstem Response	Birth to 4 months	To identify significant hearing loss in neonatal and infant population. Children who score “refer” on the second newborn screen are sent to audiology (at no charge) for diagnostics. Children identified as having risk factors for hearing loss are monitored up to 30 months.
	www.children.gov.on.ca/htdocs/English/topics/earlychildhood/hearing/index.aspx
EPDS - Edinburgh Post Partum Depression Scale	Post Partum Mood Disorders (PPMD) and/or depression in pregnancy	Prenatal and postnatal mothers, fathers, adoptive parents, and parents of toddlers	Widely used scale to screen and identify women experiencing postpartum depression and anxiety as well as depression during pregnancy
	www.lifewithnewbaby.ca/resources/EPDS_checklist_eng.pdf
LUI™ - Language Use Inventory (Available in English)	Expressive language and social (pragmatic) communication	18 - 47 months	A standardized, empirically-validated, parent-completed questionnaire that supports the identifi cation of children with signifi cant delays or impairments in their social pragmatic use of language in everyday settings. Automated scoring and report generation with percentile-norm scores for both online and hardcopy version.
	www.languageuseinventory.com
M-CHAT-R - Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised (Available in English, French and several other languages)	Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)	16 - 30 months	A caregiver-completed checklist to identify toddlers who may benefit from a more thorough developmental and autism evaluation.
	www.mchatscreen.com
NDDS - Nipissing District Developmental Screen Available in English, French and some other languages	Cognitive skills Communication, speech and language Fine and gross motor skills Hearing Social/emotional skills Self-help skills Vision	One months - six years	NDDS is a universal, developmental, parent-completed checklist designed that covers vision, hearing, and communication, gross and fine motor, cognitive, social/emotional, and self-help. The tool assists parents, health care and child care professionals with a convenient and easy-to-use method of recording the development and progress of infants and children within certain age groupings. The screens coincide with immunization schedules as well as key developmental stages up to age six and are the preferred parent tool for use at the enhanced 18-months well baby visit. Age appropriate activities accompany the screens and are designed to promote overall development.
	www.ndds.ca
NutriSTEP® - Nutrition Screening Tool for Every Preschooler (Available in English, French and several other languages) Toddler NutriSTEP® (Available in English, French and Spanish)	Nutrition Feeding Eating Habits	3 - 5 years 18 - 35 months	NutriSTEP® is a parent-completed questionnaire used to identify toddler and preschool children at nutritional risk. Topics include: food and nutrient intake; physical growth; evelopmental and physical capabilities; physical activity; food security and the feeding environment. Parents of children identified as “at risk” should talk to a registered dietitian or their child’s doctor.
	www.nutristep.ca
NBS - Newborn Screening (Fact sheets available in English, French and several other languages)	Early identification of disease	One to seven days	Newborn Screening Ontario (NSO) offers screening for serious, treatable diseases to all babies born in Ontario. Early identification of these diseases allows treatment that may prevent growth problems, health problems, mental retardation, and sudden infant death. Currently the tool screens for 29 different diseases.
	www.newbornscreening.on.ca
REEL-3 - Receptive, Expressive, Emergent Language Test - Third Edition Available in English	Language	Birth to three years	Screens receptive language (the child’s language comprehension) and expressive language (the child’s verbal communication).
Rourke Baby Record Available in English and French	Health and Development	Birth to five years	Is a screening tool used by family physicians and paediatricians to assess a child’s development. It has been used since 1979 and was most recently revised in 2014. It provides evidence based growth and development parameters and supports education of the child’s care providers through the physician.
	www.rourkebabyrecord.ca