The purpose of this study was to use parental descriptions of juveniles with bipolar disorder, to develop a screening questionnaire that follows diagnostic criteria for bipolar, bipolar not otherwise specified, and the proposed juvenile bipolar broad phenotype. Parents' quotations were transformed to general statements. Diagnosticians rated the statements on goodness of fit for diagnostic criteria. Item total correlations were computed and statements were chosen for the Juvenile Bipolar Assessment (JBA). Forty parents of bipolar teens/young adults and 40 controls were recruited to complete the JBA. Both groups also completed the Conner scale because it previously showed utility as a bipolar and ADHD screen. Comparison of binomial proportions showed a significant difference between bipolar and control groups for all measures used. A post hoc examination (difference of means) of JBA statements showed a significant ability to discriminate bipolar from control groups. The results of this study imply that the JBA appears to have utility in screening for juvenile onset bipolar disorder.