Children and Youth with Special Health Needs Section

Project LAUNCH partners with various agencies and organizations to widely implement developmental screenings statewide for children’s physical and social-emotional development.

What are Developmental Screenings?

Developmental screenings are questions that can help check how a child is growing and if they need any support. There are physical screenings that show how a child is moving and exploring their environment, and there are social-emotional screenings that show how a child can understand their emotions and relationships with others.

Developmental screenings don’t reflect on familial relationships or a parent’s ability to raise a child, they are there to see if a child needs additional support to help them grow.

Project LAUNCH works to increase the use of developmental screenings during well-child visits with pediatric providers and in other early child care settings.

Validated Screenings Supported by Project LAUNCH

• Ages and Stages Questionnaire (ASQ)
• Survey of Well-Being of Young Children (SWYC)
• Parents’ Evaluation of Developmental Status (PEDS)

Other Screening Initiatives in Hawai‘i

• Med-QUEST has a Hawai‘i Child Wellness Incentive Program in which families can earn $50 per child per year for taking them to a well-child examination visit.
• The Hi‘ilei Program within the Department of Health provides Ages and Stages Questionnaire screens, information, resources, and support for families of young children.
• The Hawai‘i Island Community Health Center is integrating developmental screenings into their practice and conducting developmental screenings for children at their school-based health centers across Hawai‘i Island.