Culturally adapted developmental outcome measure for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children: study protocol for the validation of the ASQ-STEPS.

Introduction: Early childhood education and intervention programmes can improve the developmental outcomes for priority groups of children. However, in Australia, a culturally responsive developmental outcome measure that has been validated for use with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children is required to effectively evaluate impact.The Ages and Stages Questionnaire-Steps for Measuring Aboriginal Child Development (ASQ-STEPS) has been developed to fill this gap.

Uptake of the culturally appropriate ASQ-TRAK developmental screening tool in the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander context.

Background: Recently in Australia, access to culturally safe developmental practices for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families has been enhanced by the availability of a culturally appropriate developmental screening tool, the Ages and Stages Questionnaire - Talking about Raising Aboriginal Kids (ASQ-TRAK). This paper aims (i) to describe the uptake of the ASQ-TRAK developmental screening tool in Aboriginal Community Controlled Organizations and mainstream services in Australia and (ii) to explore the extent to which organizations using the ASQ-TRAK have engaged training for staff.

Methods: A retrospective review of ASQ-TRAK sales and training records from January 2015 to May 2020 to determine the ASQ-TRAK distribution by jurisdiction and service type and the number of services that have engaged training.