Ages and Stages Questionnaire Programme

The Ages and Stages Questionnaires® and the 2 year review elearning programme provides a three-part learning package designed to support health professionals undertaking the Healthy Child Programme (HCP) health and development review at age 2–2½. The programme focuses on effective use of the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Third Edition (ASQ-3™) and the Ages & Stages Questionnaires®: Social Emotional, Second Edition (ASQ:SE-2™), both of which are parent-completed tools used nationally to assess children’s development and wellbeing. Learners are guided through the purpose of the questionnaires, the assessment areas they cover, and how to use them confidently and consistently when working in partnership with parents. The three sessions are intended to be completed sequentially, beginning with ASQ-3™ Part 1, followed by ASQ-3™ Part 2, and concluding with ASQ:SE-2™ Part 3.

This programme is suitable for health visitors, community nursery nurses, and other professionals involved in delivering the 2–2½ year HCP review. It supports learners in gaining confidence with the practicalities of administering the questionnaires, scoring them accurately, interpreting outcomes, and communicating findings effectively with parents.

The programme consists of three elearning sessions that support the use of ASQ-3™ and ASQ:SE-2™ within the 2–2½ year child health and development review. Learners begin by exploring the structure and purpose of ASQ-3™, including how to guide parents through the questionnaire and interpret results together. They then move on to understanding how ASQ-3™ fits into the wider developmental review, before developing the skills to use and score ASQ:SE-2™, with a particular focus on supporting conversations around social and emotional development.

Across the learning, real-life video examples help illustrate best practice in conducting joint assessments with parents. Learning objectives include improving familiarity with the developmental domains assessed, increasing confidence in scoring and interpretation, recognising how ASQ-3™ contributes to national data collection, and applying consistent approaches that support high-quality, family-centred developmental reviews.

This programme has been commissioned by NHS England in partnership with the Department of Health and developed collaboratively with the University of Hertfordshire and NHSE TEL elearning for healthcare. The learning supports the wider national requirement for health visiting teams to use ASQ-3™ as part of the HCP review at age 2–2½, contributing to the population-level child development measure included in the public health outcomes framework. By promoting consistent, high-quality use of the ASQ-3™ and ASQ:SE-2™, the programme aligns with long-term NHS priorities to improve early identification of developmental needs, provide more personalised support for families, and strengthen preventive approaches within early years services.