What a Difference a Day Makes: Age-Related Discontinuities and the Battelle Developmental Inventory

Abstract

Actual and theoretical cases are presented in which marked age-related discontinuities are noted when using the Battelle Developmental Inventory in infant assessment. These discontinuities reveal that for children whose chronological age abuts one of the cut.off points between age categories, radically different summary scores can be obtained from one day to the next despite identical performance on the scale. Implications for early intervention practice and research are discussed.