How to Use the Table

The screening tools and rating scales in the table below can be used to help measure a young person’s mental health symptoms, and/or measure progress after interventions are put in place at school or at home.

For each screening tool or rating scale, the table indicates: the age range for the instrument, who completes the instrument, the number of items in the instrument and how long it takes to complete, and whether free access is available on line.

To help you decide whether a screening tool or rating scale might be appropriate to use with respect to a particular child, you can click on the DETAIL link next to the tool or scale. The DETAIL pages give more detailed information about the tool or scale, including a color-coded summary of who the instrument is designed for (i.e., parents, teachers, students, and/or clinicians). The DETAIL pages also provide direct links to view, download, or order the tools and scales. The DETAIL pages are organized by symptom, so, for example all the screening tools and scales for anxiety are on the anxiety DETAIL page.

Cautions

Please keep in mind the following cautions:

• Use of the screening tools and rating scales does not produce a diagnosis. Rather, the tools and scales point toward the types of mental health disorders that may be worthwhile to consider as a cause of a child’s or adolescent’s emotional or behavioral difficulties.
• A particular “score” does not mean that a child has a particular disorder – these screening tools and rating scales are only one component of an evaluation.
• Diagnoses should be made only by a trained clinician after a thorough evaluation.
• Symptoms suggestive of suicidal or harmful behaviors warrant immediate attention by a trained clinician.

Table of All Screening Tools & Rating Scales