Enhancing spatial neglect screening: Preliminary evidence from a modified Baking Tray Test

The Baking Tray Test (BTT) is sensitive to spatial neglect (SN), but its required materials may limit its inclusion in screening batteries. We developed a modified BTT (mBTT) using portable, easy-to-obtain materials and examined its ability to detect SN in 58 individuals (>6 months post-stroke; 30 right brain damage, 28 left brain damage). Participants completed two cancelation tests (Broken Hearts and 3s Spreadsheet), Line Bisection, Scene Copying, and mBTT. The mBTT detected SN in 29% of participants, comparable to Scene Copying (28%), Line Bisection (36%), and 3s Spreadsheet (22%), and statistically higher than Broken Hearts (14%). Overall, 66% of participants showed SN on at least one test, and 36% on at least two tests. Agreement between mBTT and cancelation tests was not statistically significant. mBTT showed fair, but not substantial, agreement with Line Bisection (κ = 0.24) and Scene Copying (κ = 0.23), indicating that mBTT may identify different aspects of SN and improve screening coverage when used alongside other tests. Because of the materials required for mBTT, the test may be a practical addition to clinical screening batteries. A comprehensive assessment should follow a positive screening result. Future studies with larger clinical samples and age-matched healthy controls are needed to establish norms and diagnostic cutoffs.