An Investigation of the Validity and Reliability of the Battelle Developmental Inventory with a Population of Children Younger than 30 Months with Identified Handicapping Conditions

Abstract

Little information is available on the use of the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) with children under 30 months of age who have identified handicaps. In this study, the BDI, Bayley Scales, and Vineland Scales of Adaptive Behavior—Survey Form were administered to 40 children. Results indicated high concurrent validity, interrater reliability, and internal consistency for the BDI. The use of the BDI with this population is discussed.

Evaluating the Psychometric Integrity of Instruments Used in Early Intervention Research

“…Several researchers reported additional data regarding the concurrent validity of the BDI with other well-known early childhood measures for study samples containing children with disabilities (e.g., Boyd, Welge, Sexton, & Miller, 1989;McLean, McCormick, &c Baird, 1991;McLean, McCormick, Bruder, &: Burdg, 1987;Sexton, Thompson, Perez, & Rheams, 1990). Correlations between subdomains on the BDI and these other measures are moderate to high and positive, indicating that scores on the BDI have adequate criterion validity for selected nonnormative samples.…”

Concurrent Validity of the Battelle Developmental Inventory Screening Test

“…Since the BDI full scale has been favorably reviewed and is becoming a widely used instrument for the assessment of young children with handicaps (McLean et al, 1987;Mott et al, 1986;Robinson et al, 1986), it would be valuable for early intervention programs using the BDI to have the use of a corresponding screener. However, the BDI Screening Test remains largely untested at this time, and results should be interpreted with caution.…”

“…The BDI has also been compared to the McCarthy Scales of Children's Abilities with a preschool handicapped population (Guidubaldi & Christie, 1982) and to the Bayley Scales of Infant Development with a population of children younger than 30 months with identified handicaps (McLean, McCormick, Bruder, & Burdg, 1987). The BDI full scale has been found to be a reliable and valid measure of children's abilities across the five areas it assesses.…”

Effects of Age and Developmental Status of Partners on Play of Preschoolers With Disabilities

“…The BDI was selected because (a) it covers a broad age range (birth to 8 years); (b) it provides adaptations for children with sensory and motor disabilities; and (c) it assesses children's development across five broad domains (personal-social, adaptive, motor, communication, and cognitive). A number of studies assessing the psychometric properties of the BDI have found the instrument appropriate for use in early intervention programs (Boyd, Welge, Sexton, & Miller, 1989;Johnson, Cook, & Killman, 1992;McLean, McCormick, Bruder, & Burdg, 1987;Sexton, McClean, Boyd, Thompson, & McCormick, 1988). The BDI was administered by research staff who participated in intensive training on standardized administration of the BDI.…”