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Trauma & PTSD Test for Kids & Teens (CATS)
After a very stressful or scary experience, it can be hard to tell a normal reaction from one that needs support. This quiz is the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS). It has you rate 20 symptoms your child might have shown in the last two weeks, to see whether an evaluation for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) would help.
- 20 questions
- About 3 minutes
- Ages 7-17
- CATS
- Free & private
What a CATS score can and cannot tell you
The CATS (Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen) is a 20-item caregiver-report screen for trauma-related symptoms in children and teens aged 7 to 17.
Clinicians use it with a trauma history and an interview with the child, and they weigh how the symptoms change over weeks, not one snapshot.
A parent-completed checklist is a screen, not an assessment. Scores here can run higher or lower than a clinician would find, and a clinician would not diagnose from this form alone.
About the CATS trauma screening
This screener uses the symptoms listed in the CATS (Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen), a freely available instrument built directly on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) criteria for PTSD and used in pediatric trauma clinics and research. A parent or caregiver rates 20 reactions observed in their child over the last two weeks, including: intrusive memories and bad dreams, avoidance of thoughts and reminders of the event, changes in mood and thinking, and being on edge.
Stressful events are common in childhood: accidents, loss, violence at school or home, medical scares, disasters. Most kids recover with time and support. Screening helps you spot the ones who are stuck. The CATS authors use 15 and 21 as the points where clinicians usually take a closer look. A screening cannot diagnose PTSD, but it tells you whether an evaluation might be helpful or necessary.
If the results point to an evaluation, Emora Health offers accessible online therapy for children and teens with licensed clinicians experienced in trauma, typically within days of sign-up. Trauma-focused therapies like TF-CBT (trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy) have some of the strongest evidence in child mental health.
How the CATS is scored
The symptom answers add up to one total, read against the thresholds the CATS authors publish for children ages 7 to 17. The form also asks what happened and how symptoms affect school, friendships, and home.
A clinician reads the total next to those answers, not on its own. Children recover from frightening events on very different timelines. A screening is a snapshot, and repeating it a few weeks later often says more than the first one did.
A screener is not a diagnosis. Cutoffs are set to catch more than they miss, so a high score is a reason to talk to a clinician, not an answer.
Common questions
The full CATS lists events like serious accidents, natural disasters, violence in the family or community, bullying, sexual abuse, medical scares, and the sudden loss of someone close as possible traumatic events. If your child went through something stressful or scary and still seems affected by it, this screener applies.
The CATS is a validated screening instrument built on the DSM-5 criteria for PTSD, and this trauma quiz applies its published scoring thresholds for signs that might indicate PTSD. Like any screening, it shows whether symptoms are in a range worth evaluating. It cannot diagnose PTSD or rule it out.
The ACE (adverse childhood experiences) questionnaire counts adverse experiences from an adult’s own childhood; it looks backward at what happened in the past. The CATS measures how a child is doing right now, in the last two weeks. If you want to reflect on your own childhood, take the ACE. If you are worried about your child today, CATS is the right screener.
A score of 21 or higher means a professional evaluation is a reasonable next step. A clinician will ask about the event, the symptoms, and how they are affecting school, sleep, and friendships. PTSD in children responds well to trauma-focused therapy, and earlier support tends to mean faster recovery.
Yes. Licensed therapists at Emora work with children and teens on trauma and PTSD online, usually within days, covered by most major insurance plans. Medication support is available alongside therapy when needed.
References
- Sachser, C., Berliner, L., Holt, T., Jensen, T. K., Jungbluth, N., Risch, E., Rosner, R., & Goldbeck, L. (2017). International development and psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Trauma Screen (CATS). Journal of Affective Disorders, 210, 189-195. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2016.12.040 Official source
Keep reading
A screener starts the conversation. Care is the next step.
Therapy, medication support, and testing for kids, teens, and parents. Online and covered by most major insurance plans.