Methods of assessing and recording motor skills and movement patterns

The literature in different fields of assessment and recording motor skills and movement patterns in children is reviewed and various methods of movement analysis are discussed from a clinical and instrumental point of view. Their advantages and disadvantages in the study of motor development and in neuropaediatric diagnosis and research are considered. The methods chosen for a special purpose, whether a motoscopic, motometric or motographic technique, depend on what the investigator wants to study and on the available facilities, and is also influenced by the degree of co-operation of the patient. Whatever technique is used, the results obtained must enable comparisons to be made with later assessments as that valid statements about the child's progress become possible.