Infant Development

The purpose of this study was to compare the concurrent validity of the Battelle Developmental Inventory (BDI) with the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (Vineland) and the Bayley Scales of Infant Development (Bayley). The sample included 67 children with motor delays and a mean age of 18.63 months. These children were administered either the Vineland, Bayley, and/or the BDI or some combination of all three. As a replication of McLean, McCormick, Bruder, and Burdg (1987), this study revealed similar findings and indicated that the BDI possessed moderate to high levels of concurrent validity with appropriate subtests from the Vineland and the Bayley. One of the most important challenges facing teachers of young children with special needs is the selection of valid assessment instru-ments. This is the foundation from which ap-propriate programming is constructed; there-fore, without a solid foundation, it is impossible to build a strong program. Bagnato (1984) asserted that there are four areas to be con-sidered when selecting assessment instru-ments. First, assessment instruments must be technically adequate and have solid reli-ability and validity data to support their im-plementation. Second, assessment instru-ments must be appropriate for the child's functioning levels. For example, a child who has limited expressive language may not fare well on instruments that require verbal skills. Third, assessment instruments must be use-ful in planning programming strategies for the child. Data provided from the assessment must illustrate to service providers a clear pic-ture of the child's current functioning level as well as an indication of individual strengths and weaknesses. Fourth, the assessment in-strument must be a useful tool for monitoring a child's progress. In addition to the four area