BSID-I Bayley Scales versus BSID-II as an assessment tool in early intervention

Abstract

This study aimed to test whether developmental assessment using the version of the Bayley’s Scales of Infant Development (BSID-I, 1977) overestimated the capabilities of infants born at term and preterm, compared with those obtained by applying a most recent version of these scales (BSID-II, 1993). 83 children participated in this study, 68 term infants (39 boys and 29 girls) and 15 preterm infants (9 boys and 6 girls) with less than 36 weeks gestation and/or less than 2500 grams of weight. The infants born at term were evaluated at two different ages (6 and 12 months of chronological age), while preterm infants were assessed at 6 months of age corrected. The results indicate that the use of scales BSID-I overestimated the abilities of children and suggest using more sensitive assessment tools to the processes of change and development of infants.