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Preschool Emotional Distress Scale3

Preschool Emotional Distress Scale Test

Understand a preschooler’s emotional and behavioral well-being in just 5 minutes. This 25-item check flags anxiety, low mood, withdrawal, and hyperactivity to guide early support and track change.

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Questions: 255 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

13,025 views

864 completions

739 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

10/20

Hyperactivity/Disinhibition (H)

Measures the degree of excessive activity, impulsivity, and self-regulation difficulties observed in the child.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 12: Moderate | 13 – 20: High

A score of 10 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting noticeable hyperactive or disinhibited behaviors that may affect self-control in everyday settings.

example score

12/20

Maladaptive Behavior (MB)

Measures the degree of behavioral difficulties that may interfere with a child's adaptation and functioning in a group setting.

Low

Elevated

0 – 7: Low | 8 – 20: Elevated

A score of 12 falls in the Elevated range, suggesting more frequent or noticeable behaviors that may make group adaptation more difficult.

example score

12/20

Depression (D)

Assesses signs of low mood, apathy, and reduced interest that may reflect depressive tendencies in a preschool child.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 8: Moderate | 9 – 20: High

A score of 12 falls in the High range, indicating more frequent or noticeable signs of low mood, apathy, or reduced interest as reported by the caregiver.

example score

11/20

Anxiety (A)

Measures the child’s level of anxious symptoms such as worry, fears, and insecurity as observed by caregivers.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 4: Low | 5 – 11: Moderate | 12 – 20: High

A score of 11 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting noticeable anxiety-related behaviors that may affect comfort or confidence in daily situations.

example score

7/20

Social Withdrawal (SW)

Assesses the extent of a child's difficulties in initiating and maintaining social contact with others.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 3: Low | 4 – 11: Moderate | 12 – 20: High

A score of 7 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting noticeable but not severe challenges with social contact and engagement.

example score

50/100

Emotional Distress and Atypical Behavior (EDaAB)

Measures the overall level of emotional distress and atypical behavior in preschool children as reported by a caregiver or parent.

Low

Moderate

High

0 – 13: Low | 14 – 44: Moderate | 45 – 100: High

A score of 50 falls in the High range, suggesting a higher level of emotional distress and atypical behavior compared with typical expectations.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Parents of preschoolers

46%OF USERS

Parents complete it when they notice mood changes, worries, clinginess, sleep issues, or difficult behavior and want a quick snapshot of their child’s emotional well-being.

Kindergarten teachers

32%OF USERS

Educators use it to document behaviors seen in class and identify children who may need extra support with emotions, routines, or peer interactions.

Child psychologists and counselors

22%OF USERS

Specialists use it for screening and progress monitoring to guide early intervention plans and track changes over time.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Hyperactivity/Disinhibition (H)

Average

13.2

Normal range

9.7 — 16.7

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Maladaptive Behavior (MB)

Average

6.4

Normal range

3.3 — 9.5

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Depression (D)

Average

7.5

Normal range

4.4 — 10.5

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Anxiety (A)

Average

11.9

Normal range

8.6 — 15.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Non-contact behavior (Nb)

Average

6.7

Normal range

3.3 — 10.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Emotional Distress and Atypical Behavior Scale (EDaABS)

Average

46.3

Normal range

33.4 — 59.3

min.

max.

100

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

- Almost never (less than 5% of the time/instances)
- Sometimes (less than 25% of the time/instances)
- Often (less than 50% of the time/instances)
- Most of the time (more than 50% of the time/instances)
- Almost always (more than 95% of the time/instances)
- Almost never (less than 5% of the time/instances)
- Sometimes (less than 25% of the time/instances)
- Often (less than 50% of the time/instances)
- Most of the time (more than 50% of the time/instances)
- Almost always (more than 95% of the time/instances)
- Almost never (less than 5% of the time/instances)
- Sometimes (less than 25% of the time/instances)
- Often (less than 50% of the time/instances)
- Most of the time (more than 50% of the time/instances)
- Almost always (more than 95% of the time/instances)

These are 3 of the 25 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Preschool Emotional Distress Scale Test - Symptoms and Signs

depression

deviant behavior

uneasiness

This measure is a brief caregiver-report questionnaire designed to screen emotional distress and related behavioral concerns in preschool-aged children. The Preschool Emotional Distress Scale is typically completed by a parent or teacher to support early identification of children who may benefit from further evaluation.

It contains 25 items and takes about 5 minutes to complete. Items ask the rater to evaluate observable behaviors and emotional indicators (e.g., anxiety/depressive features, social withdrawal or disengagement, and behavioral dysregulation) to generate a profile that can inform clinical decision-making and referral.

The Preschool Emotional Distress Scale may be used in early childhood education and clinical settings for initial screening and for monitoring change over time alongside other sources of information. It is attributed to Thomas M. Achenbach.

Author: Thomas M. Achenbach

Literature: Achenbach, T. M., & Rescorla, L. A. Manual for the ASEBA preschool forms & profiles. University of Vermont, Research Center for Children, Youth, & Families. 2000.