General

This study will be conducted in 2 stages.

• In Stage 1, we will get you to fill in some questionnaires about your child’s behavior and mood to screen for any mental health concerns. This will be done online, and you may opt to receive your child’s screening result.

• If your child is screened to have some risk of mental health issues, we will invite you for a further assessment with a trained mental health professional to confirm any mental health problems he/she may be struggling with. However, an invitation is not an indication of a mental health diagnosis. We might also invite you for further assessment even if your child does not screen positive for any mental health risks, in order to ensure that our screening procedures are adequately accurate.

• In Stage 2, selected participants will be invited for further assessment at our clinic. Participation is completely voluntary.

The list of conditions that we are screening for are as follows:

1. Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

   • A neurodevelopmental disorder that affects how one interacts with others, communicates, learn and behave. Often, people with ASD have difficulties communicating and interacting with other people, show restricted or repetitive interests or behaviours, and are affected in their abilities to function as school, work, or other areas of life.

2. Attention-Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD)

   • A neurodevelopmental disorder that affects one’s ability to pay attention, control impulsive behaviours, or be overly active.

3. Depressive Disorders

   • A mental health condition that involves a depressed mood, or loss of pleasure and/or interest in activities for long periods of time. This is different from regular mood changes and feelings about everyday life.

4. Anxiety Disorders

   • A mental health condition that involves persistent feeling of anxiety or dread, which interferes with daily life. This is not the same as occasionally worrying about things or stressing about life events.

All procedures conducted in the study are done at no charge to you.

This screening portion (Stage 1) of this study will take roughly 15-30 minutes to complete.

• In Stage 2, depending on the number of concerns being flagged up, the detailed assessment can take anywhere from 2 to 10 hours to complete.

• You may opt to complete the assessments in one sitting, or over multiple sittings depending on your ability to sit through the assessments, and scheduling concerns.

All screening procedures in Stage 1 will be done online.

Further assessment in Stage 2 will require a visit to our clinic as a trained mental health professional will be meeting with you and your child to check for mental health conditions.

There are 2 main criteria to meet in order to participate in this study:

• This study is for children and adolescents born between 2007 - 2016.

• The study is only open to Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents only.

** Due to measurement considerations, only one child per household will be able to participate in the study. We seek your understanding that we are currently only recruiting from households that have received our invitation letter to participate in the study.