What about children 8 and older?
The PEDS:DM® includes several supplementary screening measures for older children:
The Safety Word Inventory and Literacy Screener (SWILS) which is designed for children 6 years through 14 years of age). The SWILS focuses on reading skills but enjoys high correlations with other academic areas. It provides cutoff scores at various age levels.
The Pictorial Pediatric Symptom Checklist-17 (PPSC-17) which is a measure of mental health for children 5 years through 18 years of age. The PPSC-17 generates cutoff factor scores for internalizing behavior (anxiety and depression), externalizing behavior (conduct problems), and attentional difficulties (which if present should be followed with the Vanderbilt Diagnostic ADHD Scale is recommended)
The Vanderbilt Diagnostic ADHD Scale which is for children 3 years and older. This narrow-band measure focuses almost exclusively on impulsivity, hyperactivity, and attentional deficits and is best deployed only if indicated by the PPSC-17.
The Family Psychosocial Screen. This measure is completed by parents but applies to children of all ages. The FPC captures a range of variables associated with developmental outcome including parents’ level of education, marital status, parental mental health, substance abuse, social support, etc.
Please also read our article “When parents ask about school problems”.