Promoting Optimal Development: Screening for Mental Health, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems: Clinical Report

Rates of mental health, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) problems in the United States continue to rise, with current estimates of 13% to 20% of children having an MEB disorder and an additional 19% with problems causing impairment or distress that do not meet diagnostic criteria for a specific disorder. This clinical report incorporates and expands on recommendations from the 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement "Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Practice" as well as "Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care." It addresses the rising MEB needs of youth since the previous clinical report, "Promoting Optimal Development: Screening for Behavioral and Emotional Problems," was published in 2015. This report outlines specific guidance for MEB screening, identification, and care of children in pediatric primary care. Screening, as part of regular health supervision visits and surveillance, begins within the first month of life to identify postpartum depression in caregivers. Child-focused screening for MEB problems begins at 6 months of age and continues at 12-, 24-, and 36-month health supervision visits, alternating with recommended developmental and autism spectrum disorder screenings at every visit in the Bright Futures Periodicity schedule and additionally when clinically indicated. After age 3, MEB screening continues annually. This report also 1) reviews updated information on prevalence of MEB problems; 2) articulates the current state of detection of these problems in pediatric primary care; 3) addresses how to manage a positive screen; 4) describes barriers to screening, including special population needs, and potential models to address those barriers; and 5) discusses potential changes at a practice and systems level that facilitate successful MEB screening.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
PEDIATRICS
Published
2025-08-25
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2025-073172
Citations
7
Primary Topic
Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
16.15

Funders

Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Promoting Optimal Development: Screening for Mental Health, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems: Clinical Report

Jill Gonzales, Tanya E. Froehlich, Andrew N. Hashikawa, Priya Shah et al.
7 citations
PEDIATRICS
Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
16.15
article

Promoting Optimal Development: Screening for Mental Health, Emotional, and Behavioral Problems: Clinical Report

Jill Gonzales, Tanya E. Froehlich, Andrew N. Hashikawa, Priya Shah, Tiffani Jenae Johnson, Dipesh Navsaria, William J. Barbaresi, Chidiogo Anyigbo, Arwa Abdulhaq Nasir, Anna Miller-Fitzwater, Beth E. Davis, Usha Ramachandran, Michelle M. Macias, Jennifer Zubler, Marilyn Augustyn, James P. Guevara, Laura Degnon, Cy Nadler, Jennifer A. Poon, Dinah L. Godwin, Jason Fogler, Britt A. Nielsen, Natasha K. Sriraman, Hilda Loria, Mariana Glusman, Carol C. Weitzman, Michelle Curtin, Irene M. Loe, Irene P. Mathieu, Victoria Chen, Yi Hui Liu, Peter J. Smith, Jeffrey Yang, Adiaha Spinks‐Franklin, Adiaha I. A. Spinks-Franklin, Jeffrey Wilkins, Pradeep Prem Gidwani
article en
7 citations

Abstract

Rates of mental health, emotional, and behavioral (MEB) problems in the United States continue to rise, with current estimates of 13% to 20% of children having an MEB disorder and an additional 19% with problems causing impairment or distress that do not meet diagnostic criteria for a specific disorder. This clinical report incorporates and expands on recommendations from the 2019 American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement "Mental Health Competencies for Pediatric Practice" as well as "Recommendations for Preventive Pediatric Health Care." It addresses the rising MEB needs of youth since the previous clinical report, "Promoting Optimal Development: Screening for Behavioral and Emotional Problems," was published in 2015. This report outlines specific guidance for MEB screening, identification, and care of children in pediatric primary care. Screening, as part of regular health supervision visits and surveillance, begins within the first month of life to identify postpartum depression in caregivers. Child-focused screening for MEB problems begins at 6 months of age and continues at 12-, 24-, and 36-month health supervision visits, alternating with recommended developmental and autism spectrum disorder screenings at every visit in the Bright Futures Periodicity schedule and additionally when clinically indicated. After age 3, MEB screening continues annually. This report also 1) reviews updated information on prevalence of MEB problems; 2) articulates the current state of detection of these problems in pediatric primary care; 3) addresses how to manage a positive screen; 4) describes barriers to screening, including special population needs, and potential models to address those barriers; and 5) discusses potential changes at a practice and systems level that facilitate successful MEB screening.

PEDIATRICSVol. 156(3)
Boston Children's Hospital (US), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (US), Medical University of South Carolina (US), Pennsylvania Hospital (US), Wake Forest University (US)
Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, Curtin University of Technology, Society of Pediatric Psychology
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
16.15
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.