DSM-5 criteria - developmentally inappropriate fear of separation from attachment figures.
The Separation Anxiety Disorder is a psychosocial scoring tool used in paediatric practice. DSM-5 criteria - developmentally inappropriate fear of separation from attachment figures. It scores 8 criteria and interprets the total across 2 bands, so the number always arrives with the severity it implies rather than on its own. In PediAid each criterion is shown as a labelled option with the weight it carries, so the total can be checked rather than taken on trust.
8. They are Recurrent excessive distress when anticipating or experiencing separation from home/attachment figures; Persistent excessive worry about losing major attachment figures or harm to them; Persistent excessive worry about an event causing separation (getting lost, kidnapped, ill); Persistent reluctance or refusal to go out, to school or elsewhere because of separation fear; Persistent excessive fear of being alone or without attachment figures; Persistent reluctance or refusal to sleep away from home or without an attachment figure nearby; and others.
The total is interpreted as: any score - Below threshold: fewer than 3 criteria endorsed; 3 criteria met or more - Threshold met: ≥3 criteria, lasting ≥4 weeks in children/adolescents, with significant distress or impairment.
No. It is a structured way to record and communicate severity. A clinician concerned about a child should act on that concern regardless of the total.
DSM-5 threshold: 3 or more of the 8 criteria listed.
Yes. Score definitions are bundled with the PediAid app, so the score computes without a connection.