The infant motor profile : a standardized and qualitative assessment of motor bahaviour in infancy

This thesis presents the Infant Motor Profile (IMP), a new, video-based qualitative assessment of motor behaviour of infants aged 3 to 18 months. The IMP is based on the Neuronal Group Selection Theory (NGST) which states that motor development is characterised by exploration of the primary variable motor repertoire and selection of adaptive motor strategies out of this repertoire. The IMP consists of 80 items that are grouped into five domains: size of the repertoire (variation), adaptive selection (variability), movement fluency, movement symmetry and motor performance.
The psychometric properties of the IMP were investigated by applying the IMP in a heterogeneous group of term and preterm born infants that was followed longitudinally. Reliability of the IMP was good. Concurrent validity of the IMP with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale was best for the domains performance and variation. A clear relationship was found between total IMP-score and neurological condition. Construct validity of the IMP was supported by clear associations between IMP-scores and important pre-, peri- and neonatal risk factors, including the presence of brain lesions on neonatal ultrasound. Sensitivity and specificity of IMP-scores at the ages of 4 to 12 months for prediction of abnormal neurological outcome at 18 months were satisfactory in the study sample.
The thesis concludes that the IMP is a reliable and valid method for a qualitative assessment of motor behaviour of infants. Future studies should be directed at generating norm-scores for the IMP and determining clinical applicability.

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