The Infant Motor Profile: a standardized and qualitative method to assess motor behaviour in infancy

A reliable and valid instrument to assess neuromotor condition in infancy is a prerequisite for early detection of developmental motor disorders. We developed a video-based assessment of motor behaviour, the Infant Motor Profile (IMP), to evaluate motor abilities, movement variability, ability to select motor strategies, movement symmetry, and fluency. The IMP consists of 80 items and is applicable in children from 3 to 18 months. The present study aimed to test intra- and interobserver reliability and concurrent validity of the IMP with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) and Touwen neurological examination. The study group consisted of 40 low-risk term (median gestational age [GA] 40wks, range 38-42wks) and 40 high-risk preterm infants (median GA 29.6wks, range 26-33wks) with corrected ages 4 to 18 months (31 females, 49 males). Intra- and interobserver agreement of the IMP were satisfactory (Spearman's rho=0.9). Concurrent validity of IMP and AIMS was good (Spearman's rho=0.8, p < 0.005). The IMP was able to differentiate between infants with normal neurological condition, simple minor neurological dysfunction (MND), complex MND, and abnormal neurological condition (p < 0.005). This means that the IMP may be a promising tool to evaluate neurological integrity during infancy, a suggestion that needs confirmation by means of assessment of larger groups of infants with heterogeneous neurological conditions.