How do screening/assessment and diagnosis differ?

• A. Screening/assessment collects information; diagnosis applies a clinical label based on criteria
• B. Diagnosis is the same as screening
• C. Screening yields a diagnosis automatically
• D. Assessment and diagnosis are unrelated

Answer: (A)

Screening and assessment are about gathering information—questions, observations, histories, and maybe brief tools—to understand what a client is experiencing and to decide what to do next. Diagnosis is a formal clinical label assigned when the collected information meets established criteria for a disorder, typically after a thorough evaluation and consideration of similar conditions. Because a screening is meant to flag potential concerns and an assessment expands that data, while a diagnosis uses specific criteria to label a condition, this pairing best captures how they differ. Not every screen leads to a diagnosis; instead, a screen indicates whether a more comprehensive evaluation is needed to determine if a diagnosis is warranted and to guide treatment planning and prognosis.