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Updated: Jul 10, 2026
Assessment and Evaluation of the High Risk Neonate: The NICU Network Neurobehavioral Scale
Published on: August 25, 2014
Intra-individual consistency in the quality of neonatal general movements
Akmer Mutlu1, Christa Einspieler, Peter B Marschik
1School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, Ankara, Turkey.
Insights
General movements (GMs) quality is consistent within individual infants during a single recording session. This finding supports the reliability of GMs as a diagnostic tool for assessing the young nervous system.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Movement Science
Background:
- Qualitative assessment of general movements (GMs) is a sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for evaluating the young nervous system.
- Ensuring consistency in GM quality during recordings is crucial for accurate assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the intra-individual consistency of general movement quality within a single recording session.
Main Methods:
- 39 preterm infants underwent at least two recordings.
- 85 recordings were assessed by three scorers after excluding those with frequent crying, seizures, or hypokinesia.
- Three scorers evaluated 2-3 sequences from each of the 85 GM recordings.
Main Results:
- High inter-scorer agreement (kappa 0.85-0.94) was observed.
- Excellent intra-individual consistency was found for preterm GMs (kappa 0.90), writhing GMs (kappa 0.96), and fidgety GMs (kappa 0.92).
Conclusions:
- The quality of general movements remains consistent for neonates and young infants within a specific date.
- This consistency validates the use of GMs for reliable neurodevelopmental assessments.
Background:
The qualitative assessment of general movements (GMs) proved to be a highly sensitive and specific diagnostic tool for the assessment of the integrity of the young nervous system. It is essential that the quality of GMs remains consistent in an individual during a given recording at a certain date.
Objectives:
The aim of the study was to investigate the intra-individual consistency of the quality of GMs during one recording.
Methods:
39 preterm infants were recorded at least twice; some were recorded three times. In all, 88 recordings were available but three recordings were excluded due to frequent crying, seizures or hypokinesia. Three scorers assessed 2-3 sequences of these 85 GM recordings.
Results:
The inter-scorer agreement was high (kappa 0.85-0.94). Intra-individual consistency revealed a kappa of 0.90 with a 95% CI (0.51, 1.00) for preterm GMs, 0.96 with a 95% CI (0.57, 1.00) for writhing GMs, and 0.92 with a 95% CI (0.53, 1.00) for fidgety GMs.
Conclusions:
The individual quality of GMs remains consistent for a neonate or young infant at a certain date.
