Assessment of a child’s or adolescent’s mental health disorder is a critical component in making clinical decisions regarding treatment. To assist you with the assessment process, several assessment instruments are available. The forms should be completed as instructed by the child and/or parent, and the necessary scoring instructions to help in your assessment are provided.

In the event that administering one of these instruments leads you to make a referral for Behavioral Health Services, we recommend forwarding a copy of the assessment tool to our intake department along with your referral.

Scoring Instructions

NICHQ Vanderbilt Assessment Scale - Parent Version

Columbia Impairment Scale

Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC-17)

• Parent Version
• Background Article

Self-Report for Childhood Anxiety Related Disorders

• Child Version
• Parent Version

Mood and Feelings Questionnaire

• Child Version
• Parent Version
• Background Article

Autism Screening Instrument
The Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) instrument is used to screen toddlers between 16 and 30 months of age to assess their risk for autism spectrum disorders. If you answer “No” about your child to more than 3 items, contact your child’s pediatrician or family physician for an evaluation, or call (614) 355-8080 to request an appointment with Nationwide Children’s Behavioral Health Services. For additional information, please call (614) 355-8315 and ask to speak with an Autism Resource Coordinator.

Please note that there is a high false positive rate, meaning that not all children who score at risk for autism spectrum disorders will be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders.

Access the M-CHAT screening instrument »