Emergency

Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator

Adult & Pediatric Versions

1 What is the Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale Calculator?

The Pediatric Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) Calculator is an interactive tool for scoring a child's level of consciousness across three components — eye opening, best motor response, and best verbal response — with age-banded criteria for infants, young children, and older children/adults. Users can tap through a Smart Score view to get a live total (out of 15) with a severity interpretation, or reference the full scoring tables directly in a Table view. Per the app's own reference, the smart-score interactivity, severity thresholds, and common pitfalls are drawn from Teasdale & Jennett (Lancet 1974) — the original description of the GCS — and the APLS 6th edition.

2 When to use it

  • Scoring level of consciousness in a child following head injury, altered mental status, or during resuscitation
  • Selecting age-appropriate verbal-response criteria for infants versus older children
  • Communicating a standardized eye/motor/verbal breakdown between clinicians, not just a total score
  • Using the total GCS to help gauge injury severity and guide decisions such as airway management or imaging
  • Recognizing scoring pitfalls, such as how to document an intubated or sedated patient's score

3 Formula & method

The score is the sum of three components: Eye opening (4 = Spontaneously, 3 = To shout/verbal command, 2 = To pain, 1 = No response), Best motor response (6 = Spontaneous movement/Obeys, 5 = Localizes pain, 4 = Flexion withdrawal, 3 = Decorticate flexion, 2 = Decerebrate extension, 1 = No response), and Best verbal response, which is scored differently by age band (infant/0–23 months, 2–5 years, and over 5 years) from 5 (best) to 1 (no response). The total score is out of 15.
  • Teasdale & Jennett (Lancet 1974)
  • APLS 6th edition

4 Frequently asked questions

What are the three components of the Glasgow Coma Scale?

Eye opening, best motor response, and best verbal response, each scored separately and then summed for a total out of 15.

Does the verbal response scoring differ by age?

Yes — the tool uses separate verbal-response criteria for infants (0–23 months), children 2–5 years, and those over 5 years.

What do the severity bands mean on this tool?

The tool labels a total GCS of 13–15 as mild, 9–12 as moderate, and 8 or below as severe head injury, presented as a research add-on alongside guidance such as securing the airway for severe scores.

How should an intubated patient's verbal score be documented?

Per the guide's pitfalls pearl, an intubated patient's verbal component should be scored and charted as "1T."

Where does this tool's scoring come from?

The app's own reference cites Teasdale & Jennett (Lancet 1974), the original description of the Glasgow Coma Scale, along with APLS 6th edition.

For qualified clinicians. This page and the PediAid app are a clinical aid only. Calculations and reference data must be verified against the patient's clinical context, the source guideline and your local protocols before any treatment decision is made.