Validity of the Behavioral Inattention Test (BIT): Relationships with Functional Tasks

Objectives: The Behavioral Inattention Test (BIT) is a standardized assessment for unilateral visual neglect. It comprises six conventional and nine behavioral subtests. The purpose of this study was to add to the validation of the behavioral subtests.

Method: Forty Israeli subjects with right cerebrovascular accident (CVA), from both day center and hospital settings, were evaluated on three measures: the BIT, performance tasks, and a checklist of activities of daily living (ADL).

Results: Seven of the nine BIT behavioral subtests differentiated significantly between subjects with visual neglect and those without neglect; six of the nine subtests correlated significantly with parallel performance tasks or ADL checklist items.

Conclusion: These results support the construct and predictive validity of most of the BIT behavioral subtests as functional measures of unilateral neglect, thus, the BIT is recommended for use by occupational therapists. Inclusion of a relative score for right and left omissions within the BIT is recommended.