Batelle Developmental Inventory (BDI-3)

Overview 

Authors: Newborg, J.

Year of Publication: 2020 (3rd ed)

Publisher: Riverside Assessments, LLC

Type of Assessments: 

• Standardized

• Norm-referenced

• Observation-based

• Criterion-referenced

• Curriculum-referenced

Cost: $1,297.76 (Complete) 

How to Access: https://riversideinsights.com/battelle_3e 

Age: Birth to 7 years 11 months (0-7:11)

Diagnoses: Children with suspected delays/disabilities (dyslexia, dyscalculia, ASD, ADHD, IDD) or undergoing school readiness assessments

Setting: Early Intervention, School-based, Outpatient, Home-health, Daycare, NICU

Areas Assessed:

• Adaptive

  • Self-care Skills

  • Personal Responsibility

• Personal Social

  • Adult Interaction

  • Peer Interaction

  • Social Role

• Communication

  • Receptive Communication

  • Expressive Communication

• Motor

  • Gross Motor

  • Fine Motor

  • Perceptual Motor

• Cognition

  • Attention & Memory

  • Reasoning & Academics

  • Perception & Concepts

Administration 

Time: 60-90 mins (screen ~10-30 mins)

Group/Individual: Individual

Subtests: 415 test items within 5 domains

• Adaptive

• Personal-social

• Communication

• Motor

• Cognitive

Instructions: Examiner must choose which form of administration will be conducted (full test, specific subdomains, etc). The test should be administered in a quiet, child-friendly setting with the caregiver present for the interview.  Examiner should follow the instructions within the given domain booklets with the chosen format of caregiver interview, child observation, or structured administration.

Materials: Manual, score sheet, developmental manipulatives (e.g. stacking rings, blue wood blocks, crayons, markers, scissors), presentation cards

User Qualifications: Licensed professionals in child development (OT, PT, SLP, etc.), however, training is not required but recommended for consistent standardization 

Scoring Procedures 

How to Score: Each domain includes several subdomains, each with standardized instructions and scoring methods.

• Developmental Age determines which subdomain test page to start on.

• For each subdomain:

  • Administer 3 consecutive trials.

  • The child must score a 2 to continue to the next subdomain test.

• Sum of item scores within each subdomain or domain.

• Use raw scores to convert to:

  • Standard scores - comparison to age norms to determine if development is typical/delayed.

  • Percentile ranks - child’s position among peers; used for eligibility, progress monitoring

  • Age equivalents - developmental age level for the score

Score Indications: 

• Scoring scale:

  • 2 = Child independently and successfully completes the task

  • 1 = Child requires support or partially completes the task

  • 0 = Child is unable to complete the task

• Basal Score: Achieved when the child scores 2 on 3 consecutive lowest-numbered items

  • If this cannot be established, the first item in the subdomain is used

• Ceiling Score: Reached when the child scores 0 on 3 consecutive highest-numbered items administered

  • If not established, use the last item in the subdomain administered

Psychometrics

Reliability: 

• Internal Consistency - High (.92-.97)

• Test-Retest - Good (.79-.87)

• Interrater - Good (.82-.97)

Validity: 

• Highly correlated with other measures: Bayley-III, WPPSI-IV, BDI-2, IED, etc.

• Studies used special groups that include ASD, cognitive delay, motor delay, premature birth, speech & language delay, & developmental delay

Pros & Cons

Strengths: 

• Comprehensive 

• Able to detect subtle developmental difference

• Allows for personalized, family-centered treatments 

• Flexible administration allows examiners to pick and choose desired domains to administer and administered using structured observation and/or interview format

• Meets federal reporting requirements across Part C, Part B/619, & Head Start programs

• Normative sample includes bilingual children

Weaknesses: 

• Very expensive

• Time-consuming (if given full test)

• Requires use of standardized materials

• Requires proper training for best results

References

• Battelle Developmental Inventory - 3rd Edition (BDI-3). (n.d.). https://riversideinsights.com/battelle_3e 

• Riverside Assessments, LLC. (2022). Manipulatives used with the BDI-3 Developmental Complete Kit. Riverside Insights.  

• Riverside Insights. (2022). Battelle® Developmental Inventory, 3rd Edition (BDI-3®) Product Brochure. Riverside Insights. https://info.riversideinsights.com/hubfs/BDI%203%20Brochure_Final%20Version_2022.pdf