Ask Pinnacle

Child-development knowledge.
For families everywhere.

Questions, explanations and sources for families and professionals.

Sign in to keep reading.

Use your Google account to continue.
No additional form.

Checking your sign-in…

Google shares your name, email and photo for your Ask reader profile.

Get Verified

Your number. Your Pinnacle connection.

Verify your WhatsApp number to add the magenta tick to your name and connect with Pinnacle from your profile.

Include your country code. We’ll send a six-digit verification code on WhatsApp. This does not subscribe you to marketing messages.

Privacy

The tick confirms your WhatsApp number is verified.

Pinnacle Blooms Network

ASK PINNACLE · QUESTIONS, EXPLANATIONS & NEXT STEPS

Screen

Explore explanations, everyday questions and next steps connected with screen.

960 published answers · English · Page 8

Understanding

Answer

ICD-11 Classification of Stereotyped Movement Disorder (6A06)

In ICD-11-MMS, Stereotyped Movement Disorder is coded 6A06 within Neurodevelopmental disorders — persistent, repetitive, purposeless motor behaviour beginning in the developmental period, specified with or without self-injury and whether associated with another condition. Diagnosis is established only by a qualified clinician.

Read the answer
Answer

ICD-11 Classification of Tourette Syndrome

In ICD-11-MMS, Tourette Syndrome is coded 8A05.00 within the parent category 8A05 Tic disorders. ICD-11 places tic disorders in Diseases of the nervous system (Chapter 08) with secondary parenting under neurodevelopmental disorders, requiring multiple motor tics plus at least one phonic tic, persistent over a year with childhood onset.

Read the answer
Answer

ICD-11 Classification for Visual Impairment (9D90)

In ICD-11-MMS, Visual Impairment is classified at 9D90 within the visual system chapter. It is a functioning-based category grading reduced acuity and visual field loss — mild, moderate, severe and blindness — applied to the better eye with best correction, and paired separately with the underlying aetiological diagnosis.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA)?

The Indian Scale for Assessment of Autism (ISAA) is a clinician-administered, India-standardised tool used to assess and describe autism, and is the instrument used officially in India for autism disability certification. It rates a child across domains including social relationships, emotional responses, speech and communication, behaviour patterns, sensory aspects and cognitive components. ISAA is a structured, descriptive map of a child's profile, not a verdict on potential, and is always used by a trained professional as part of a wider developmental evaluation.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the IPRS, and what does it assess?

The IPRS is a structured rating-scale instrument used by trained professionals to record, in a consistent way, how a child is functioning across observed areas such as communication, social interaction, attention and behaviour, daily-living skills and motor function. It is a measurement lens, not a diagnosis on its own — always interpreted by a qualified clinician alongside the wider picture of the child, and useful for understanding a profile and tracking change over time.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI)?

The MacArthur–Bates Communicative Development Inventories (CDI) are parent-report questionnaires that measure a young child's early communication — typically from around 8 months to 3 years. Because parents complete them from everyday life, they capture real-world skills: words understood, words said, gestures, and early word combinations. The CDI is a screening and research tool, not a diagnosis; a low score is an invitation to look more closely with a professional.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the Miller Function & Participation Scales (M-FUN)?

The Miller Function & Participation Scales (M-FUN) is a standardised, play-based assessment used by occupational therapists to understand how a young child's motor skills support everyday participation at home, in play and at school. It examines fine-motor, gross-motor and visual-motor abilities, and uniquely links them to participation observations from parents and teachers. It is not a diagnosis but one tool, interpreted by a qualified clinician alongside history and observation, to map strengths and gentle areas of need.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the M-CHAT-R/F and what does it assess?

The M-CHAT-R/F is a free, parent-completed screening questionnaire for toddlers aged about 16–30 months that asks simple questions about play, pointing, eye contact, gestures and responding to others. It is a two-step tool — a checklist followed by a structured follow-up interview — designed to flag children who may benefit from a fuller developmental assessment. It is a screen, not a diagnosis; many children who screen positive are not autistic, and the AAP recommends routine autism screening at the 18- and 24-month visits.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL)?

The Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL) is a structured, play-based assessment of early development for children from birth to around 68 months. Administered by a trained professional, it measures five areas — gross motor, fine motor, visual reception, receptive language and expressive language — to build a rounded picture of how a young child is learning. It is a developmental measure that maps strengths and emerging needs, not a diagnosis on its own.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the NEPSY-II and what does it assess?

The NEPSY, 2nd Edition (NEPSY-II) is a clinician-administered, standardised neuropsychological assessment for children aged roughly 3 to 16 years. Through a flexible set of playful subtests, it helps a qualified professional understand how a child attends, uses language, remembers, moves, processes visual-spatial information and reads social cues. It is an assessment tool — not a diagnosis or a label — and is always interpreted by a trained clinician as part of a wider developmental picture.

Read the answer
Answer

Parenting Stress Index, 4th Ed (PSI): Definition

The Parenting Stress Index, 4th Edition (PSI-4) is a parent-completed questionnaire that measures stress in the parenting role for families of children from about one month to twelve years. It groups stress into a Parent Domain (competence, isolation, attachment, mood, health, partner relationship) and a Child Domain (the child's adaptability, demandingness, mood and how reinforcing they feel), giving a Total Stress picture. It measures the parent's experience, not the child — it is not a diagnosis. Clinicians use it to decide whether parent coaching, counselling or practical support should accompany a child's therapy.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd ed. (PDMS-2)?

The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd edition (PDMS-2) is a standardised, clinician-administered assessment of motor development for children from birth to about 5 years. It assesses two broad areas — gross motor (sitting, walking, balance, ball skills) and fine motor (grasping and visual-motor integration) — across six subtests. It gives a structured profile of a child's motor strengths and progress over time, and is used to understand where a child is starting from and to measure change after therapy, but it is not a diagnosis on its own.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the PPVT-5 and what does it assess?

The PPVT-5 is an individually administered test of receptive vocabulary — how many spoken words a person understands. The examiner says a word and the child points to the matching picture among four, so no reading, writing or speaking is needed. It gives a standardised, age-referenced snapshot of listening vocabulary across early childhood to adulthood, and is one piece of a fuller language assessment rather than a diagnosis on its own.

Read the answer
Answer

Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI)

The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) is a structured assessment of a child's everyday functional skills — self-care, mobility and social function — and how much caregiver help they need. It is not a diagnosis but a way to understand a child's daily abilities, set meaningful goals and track progress, and is commonly used with children who have developmental delays or disabilities.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the PLS-5 and what does it assess?

The Preschool Language Scales, 5th Edition (PLS-5) is a clinician-administered, play-based assessment of early language for children from birth to about 7 years 11 months. It measures two sides of communication: Auditory Comprehension (understanding language) and Expressive Communication (using words and sentences), which together give a Total Language picture. It is one tool among several and is most meaningful when read alongside a child's history, play and everyday communication — never as a label on its own.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2), and what does it assess?

The Sensory Profile 2 (SP-2) is a clinician-administered questionnaire, completed by parents, carers or teachers, that describes how a child takes in and responds to everyday sensory information — sound, sight, touch, movement, taste and smell. Covering children from birth to around 14 years, it identifies recognisable patterns such as seeking, avoiding, sensitivity and slow registration across daily settings. It is not a diagnosis but a structured way to understand how a child experiences the world, so support can be tailored to them.

Read the answer
Answer

SNOMED CT concept for Attachment Difficulties

There is no single canonical SNOMED CT concept for the lay phrase "Attachment Difficulties". Map instead to the specific ICD-11 entities — 6B44 Disinhibited social engagement disorder or 6B43 Reactive attachment disorder — and their SNOMED equivalents (disinhibited / reactive attachment disorder of childhood). Always verify concept IDs against the live SNOMED CT release.

Read the answer
Answer

SNOMED CT Concept for Auditory Processing Difficulties

"Auditory processing difficulties" maps in SNOMED CT to the disorder concept Central auditory processing disorder (CAPD). Always confirm the current SCTID and preferred term against a live SNOMED CT International Edition release, and map alongside the relevant WHO ICD-11 entity for classification — SNOMED for clinical recording, ICD for morbidity coding.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the SNOMED CT concept for Cerebral Palsy?

In SNOMED CT, cerebral palsy is the concept 'Cerebral palsy (disorder)', SCTID 128188000, with child concepts for spastic, dyskinetic, ataxic and mixed subtypes. It complements WHO ICD-11 8D20 used for classification; confirm the active SCTID against your current national SNOMED CT edition.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the SNOMED CT concept for Childhood Anxiety?

SNOMED CT has no concept literally named 'Childhood Anxiety'; clinicians code the underlying disorder — commonly Anxiety disorder (SCTID 197480006) or the child-specific Separation anxiety disorder (18926006) — and capture paediatric context via age and onset. ICD-11 6B0Z is the unspecified anxiety/fear-related disorder classification counterpart. Always verify SCTIDs against the current edition.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the SNOMED CT concept for Childhood Epilepsy?

Childhood epilepsy maps in SNOMED CT to the disorder concept 'Epilepsy in childhood', a child of 'Epilepsy (disorder)' in the Clinical finding hierarchy; confirm the active SCTID in your live edition. The referenced 8A6Z is an ICD-11 residual code, not a SNOMED CT identifier — the two systems map but serve different purposes.

Read the answer
Answer

SNOMED CT Concept for Childhood Sleep Difficulties

SNOMED CT has no single "childhood sleep difficulties" concept; clinicians code from the Sleep disorder hierarchy, parent concept Sleep disorder (disorder) SCTID 39898005, choosing the most specific paediatric subtype such as behavioural insomnia of childhood or a parasomnia. Verify the live SCTID in your terminology server and cross-map to ICD-11.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the SNOMED CT concept for Developmental Regression?

In SNOMED CT, developmental regression is represented by the concept Developmental regression (finding), SCTID 62213004 — a clinical finding for the loss of previously acquired milestones, distinct from primary delay. It is a record-level terminology concept that maps to ICD-11 for morbidity classification, and clinically functions as a red flag warranting prompt evaluation.

Read the answer
Answer

What is the SNOMED CT concept for Developmental Trauma?

There is no discrete SNOMED CT concept titled "Developmental Trauma" — the construct (Developmental Trauma Disorder) was not adopted by DSM-5 or ICD-11. Clinicians code the recognised diagnosis, usually Post-traumatic stress disorder (disorder), mapping the complex relational picture to ICD-11 Complex PTSD, plus contextual findings. Confirm concept IDs in a live SNOMED CT browser.

Read the answer