General movements: A window for early identification of children at high risk for developmental disorders

Area of Science:

• Neurology
• Developmental Pediatrics
• Movement Science

Background:

• Early detection of developmental disorders, including cerebral palsy, remains a significant clinical challenge.
• General movements (GMs) are spontaneous movements involving the entire body in fetuses and young infants.
• Assessing the quality of GMs provides a novel approach to neuromotor assessment in infants.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the technique of general movement (GM) assessment for neuromotor evaluation.
• To discuss the characteristics of normal, mildly abnormal, and definitely abnormal GMs.
• To highlight the predictive value of GM assessment for early identification of developmental disorders.

Main Methods:

• The study involves the assessment of the quality of general movements (GMs) in infants.
• Emphasis is placed on the Gestalt evaluation of movement complexity and variation.
• GM assessment focuses on the fidgety GM age, typically 2 to 4 months postterm.

Main Results:

• The quality of general movements (GMs) at 2 to 4 months postterm (fidgety GM age) demonstrates the highest predictive value.
• Definitely abnormal GMs, characterized by a lack of complexity and variation, indicate a very high risk for cerebral palsy.
• The presence of abnormal GMs at fidgety age serves as a crucial indicator for early intervention.

Conclusions:

• General movement (GM) assessment is a valuable tool for the early detection of neuromotor disorders.
• Abnormal GMs during the fidgety period are a strong predictor of cerebral palsy.
• Early identification through GM assessment facilitates timely physiotherapeutic intervention for at-risk infants.