Developmental Screening for Barriers to Health/Family Wellness

When to screen: 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60 month well-child visits

Barriers to Health screenings address social determinants of health and can highlight certain risk factors for parental depression, major stress, substance use, intimate partner violence, harsh punishment, and food insecurity. Identifying issues and referring families to services can lead to healthier parents and improved health, development, and safety for their children. 

We recommend using one of the two tools listed below to screen for Barriers to Health. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening at every patient encounter. The Louisiana Developmental Screening Guidelines recommend screening at the 1, 2, 4, 6, 12, 24, 36, 48, and 60-month well-child visits at minimum.

Recommended Tool: Safe Environment for Every Kid (SEEK)

  • Cost: SEEK has scaled fees 

  • Languages Available: English, Spanish (PQ-R), Chinese, Vietnamese 

  • Age Range: not age-dependent

  • What is Assessed: parental depression, parental substance abuse, major parental stress, intimate partner violence, food insecurity, harsh punishment

  • Time to Complete: 5 minutes to complete

  • Time to Score: less than 3 minutes

  • Suggestions for When and Where: given the sensitive nature of these questions, consider handing out in an exam room

Resources

 

Recommended Tool: Survey of Wellbeing of Young Children: Family Questions

  • No Cost

  • Languages Available: Spanish, Khmer, Burmese, Nepali, Portuguese, Haitian-Creole, Arabic, Somali and Vietnamese

  • Age Range: birth- 5.5 years

  • What is Assessed: parental depression (PHQ-2), parental tobacco use and substance abuse, food insecurity, partner relationship quality, reading frequency

  • Time to Complete: less than 5 minutes to complete

  • Time to Score: less than 3 minutes

  • Suggestions for When and Where: given the sensitive nature of these questions, consider handing out in an exam room.

  • Training Video: Coming Soon

Resources

Surgeon General Ralph L. Abraham, M.D.

Secretary Bruce D. Greenstein

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