Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025 Sep:80:102116.
doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102116. Epub 2025 Jul 29.

Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox® Math measures

Sarah Pila  1 , Y Catherine Han  2 , Hubert Adam  2 , Vitali Ustsinovich  3 , Aaron J Kaat  2 , Julie Sarama  4 , Douglas H Clements  4 , Richard C Gershon  2
Affiliations

Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox® Math measures

Sarah Pila et al. Infant Behav Dev. 2025 Sep.

Abstract

The NIH Baby Toolbox® Math measures were designed to assess early mathematical abilities in infants and toddlers, providing a standardized approach to evaluating foundational mathematics competencies among other developmental trajectories. This manuscript describes the development of these measures as well as the reliability and validity of these measures in a diverse sample of children aged 1-42 months. More than 2500 participants were recruited from various socio-economic backgrounds and geographic locations to ensure a representative sample. The validation process involved a multi-method approach, including correlations with age, test-retest reliability, and external validity against two popular developmental assessments. Results from N = 926 participants (714 English-exposed, 212 Spanish-exposed) indicated strong correlation with age for all but one of the measures and good test-retest reliability. Additionally, significant correlations were found between the NIH Baby Toolbox Math measures and established early childhood assessments (ASQ-3 and Bayley-4), confirming known-groups validity. These findings suggest that the Baby Toolbox Math measures are reliable and valid tools for assessing early mathematical skills in infants and toddlers, with potential applications in both research and clinical settings. Future research should explore longitudinal outcomes and the impact of early interventions on mathematical development.

Keywords: Cognitive development; Developmental assessment; Early childhood; Infancy; Mathematics; NIH baby toolbox.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

  • Composite scores for the NIH Baby Toolbox®.
    Catherine Han Y, Dworak EM, Mansolf M, Gershon RC, Kaat AJ. Catherine Han Y, et al. Infant Behav Dev. 2025 Sep;80:102122. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102122. Epub 2025 Aug 8. Infant Behav Dev. 2025. PMID: 40782523
  • NIH Baby Toolbox® methodology and norms development.
    Han YC, Dworak EM, Mansolf M, Adam H, Yao L, Novack MA, Pila S, Flynn RM, Flagg AM, Ustsinovich V, Savio K, Byrne GJ, Gershon RC, Kaat AJ. Han YC, et al. Infant Behav Dev. 2025 Sep;80:102117. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102117. Epub 2025 Jul 30. Infant Behav Dev. 2025. PMID: 40743801
  • Automated iPad-based gaze detection in the NIH Baby Toolbox® norming study.
    Novack MA, Han YC, Kaat AJ, Pila S, Flynn RM, Bedjeti K, Diaz MV, Hanrahan RT, Glinberg S, Sievert PH, Frederick C, Rajiv P, Clare C, Ustsinovich V, Gershon RC. Novack MA, et al. Infant Behav Dev. 2025 Sep;80:102119. doi: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2025.102119. Epub 2025 Aug 1. Infant Behav Dev. 2025. PMID: 40752054

References

    1. Adolf K, Cole WG, Novack MA, Han YC, Kaat AJ, Rachwani J, Clark J, Dusing S, Heathcock J, Prosser LA, Lockman JJ, Whitall J, & Gershon RC (2025). Development and validation of the NIH Baby Toolbox® motor measures. Infant Behavior and Development.
    1. Alfonso VC, Engler JR, & Turner AD (2022). Essentials of Bayley-4 Assessment. John Wiley & Sons.
    1. Alkouri Z (2022). Developing spatial abilities in young children: Implications for early childhood education. Cogent Education, 9(1), 2083471. 10.1080/2331186X.2022.2083471 - DOI
    1. Bayley N, & Aylward GP (2019). Bayley-4: Scales of infant and toddler development, technical manual. Pearson
    1. Benoit L, Lehalle H, & Jouen F (2004). Do young children acquire number words through subitizing or counting? Cognitive Development, 19(3), 291–307.

Publication types