The Behavior Problems Inventory (BPI) is an informant-based behavior rating instrument to assess maladaptive behaviors in persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The BPI measures in some detail the frequency of occurrence and the seriousness of three common types of troublesome behaviors: self-injurious behavior, stereotyped behavior, and aggressive/destructive behavior.
Two versions of the BPI exist in several languages:
- the original, longer version with 52 items (BPI-01),
- and a shorter one with 30 items (BPI-S).
Evidence has shown that data obtained by the BPI-01 and the BPI-S correlated very highly with one another. Therefore, it is up to the user to make a choice of preference (e.g., length vs. detail).
Note: The scoring instructions specify that behaviors should be recorded that have occurred "during the past two months." This time-interval was chosen for one-time assessments such as is common in survey research. However, if the BPI is used repeatedly for the same client with shorter than two-months inter-assessment periods, adjust that interval accordingly.