The Clinical Use of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) in Australia

Abstract

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition (Bayley-III) is a standardised assessment used to assess the developmental functioning of infants and young children from 1 month to 42 months of age (Bayley, 2006a). The Bayley scales are recognised internationally as one of the most comprehensive developmental assessment instruments (Sattler & Hoge, 2006) used to examine the major facets of a young child's development (Bayley, 2006a). The primary purpose of the Bayley-III is to identify children with developmental delay and to provide information for intervention implementation (Bayley, 2006a). The domains of early development covered increased from two to five including cognition, language, motor, social-emotional and adaptive behaviour with the publication of the third edition (Bayley, 2006a). While the original Bayley scales were predominately used by psychologists, publication of later editions led to accredited use, within the Australian and New Zealand context, by developmental paediatricians, occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech pathologists (Bayley, 1969; Bayley 1992; Pearson Clinical and Talent Assessment, 2009). Although the Bayley-III is more comprehensive and a broader range of professionals now use the scales little is known about the clinical application. The current study aimed to explore the use of the Bayley-III in practice and views on the current US norms. An online survey was conducted and the findings revealed that the majority of respondents were interested in Australian local norms; the predominant age range assessed was the 24- to 42-month-old group and the most common clinical group seen and assessed was children presenting with global developmental delay. While the majority of the respondents used the Bayley-III approximately once a month or more, at least one third used it less often. However anticipated use over the next 12 months indicated a notable increase from 30% currently using it once or twice weekly up to 65%.