The use of the Battelle Developmental Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-2) as an early screener for autism spectrum disorders
Abstract
PURPOSE: The purpose was to develop cut-off scores for a measure of developmental level (Battelle Developmental Inventory-Second Edition; BDI-2) which could be used as a screening tool to differentiate young children with possible autism spectrum disorders (ASD). METHODS: Infants and toddlers with ASD (n = 604) and atypically-developing infants and toddlers (n = 1064) were administered the BDI-2. Cut-off scores were determined based on standard deviations from the mean of the ASD group. RESULTS: Using 1.5 standard deviations from the mean of the ASD group, a cut-off score of 96 was determined which had a sensitivity of 0.94 and a specificity of 0.31. CONCLUSIONS: With high sensitivity, these cut-off scores can be used to identify children who require further assessment. In addition, the measure can be used to determine treatment targets.