The Brigance Infant and Toddler Screen: standardization and validation

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Pediatric Assessment
• Early Childhood Education

Background:

• The Brigance Inventory of Early Development is a widely used assessment tool.
• There was a need to extend Brigance assessment capabilities to the 0- to 2-year-old age range.
• Existing developmental screening tools may have limitations for very young children.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the research supporting the downward extension of Brigance Screens for infants and toddlers (0-2 years).
• To validate the Brigance Infant and Toddler Screens as reliable and accurate developmental assessment tools.
• To establish the efficacy of these screens when administered by various professionals.

Main Methods:

• Items were selected from the Brigance Inventory of Early Development.
• The study involved 408 children aged 0-24 months across 29 sites in 22 states.
• Reliability (internal consistency, test-retest, interrater) and validity (correlations with diagnostic measures, sensitivity, specificity) were assessed.

Main Results:

• High reliability coefficients (0.98-0.99) were found for both Infant and Toddler Screens.
• Parent report and direct elicitation/observation methods showed minimal variation (average of one point).
• Correlations with diagnostic measures were high (0.46-0.91), with good specificity (85-86%) and sensitivity (76-77%).

Conclusions:

• The Brigance Infant and Toddler Screens are accurate, valid, and reliable developmental assessment tools.
• These screens can be effectively administered by various professionals.
• The tools support early identification and intervention for developmental concerns in young children.