All children in Aotearoa New Zealand have free well child checks from 0-5 years of age. These well checks support parents, and check growth and development are on track. If additional support is needed, children and their caregivers are linked with the most appropriate services.

The Ages and Stages questionnaire (ASQ-3) has been adapted so it suits the languages and cultures of Aotearoa New Zealand. The KiwiASQ can be completed online or on paper and has colourful examples of activity’s children do. It asks about developmental skills that parents in Aotearoa New Zealand value. There is a behaviour and emotions section so that these important skills for young children are identified and understood.

We are testing KiwiASQ with kiwi kids and kiwi parents: to make sure it is easy to use and understand, appropriate, and acceptable to all communities. We are checking it correctly identifies the children and caregivers who need additional support. We want your feedback about how to make it better.

The first KiwiASQ was designed for children aged 3 years +/- 3 months and will hopefully replace the Before School Check (B4SC) done at 4 years. Exploring development at 3 years of age means we can make sure that development is on track and there is plenty of time for support before starting school, IF this is needed. We have seen over 380 children at 9, 12, 18, 24 and 36 months. We need a few more Māori and Pacific pēpi at 9-12 months of age to make sure we have feedback from 100 Māori, 100 Pacific, 100 Asian and 100 NZ European/Other caregivers across all the ages.

We will be seeing children from Auckland Tāmaki Makaurau for one more Tuesday and Wednesday in January: and will then have enrolled 400 children. Click below for more information. Email me. I would love to hear from you. Any questions welcome.