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Concurrent validity of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale to detect delayed gross motor development in preterm infants: A
Plínio Luna de Albuquerque1,2, Miriam Queiroz de Farias Guerra3, Marília de Carvalho Lima4
1a Department of Physical Therapy , Centro Universitário Tabosa de Almeida-ASCES/UNITA , Recife , Brazil.
Insights
The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) effectively identifies gross motor delays in preterm infants, showing good correlation with the Bayley Scale III/GM. The 10th percentile of AIMS demonstrated optimal specificity for detecting these delays.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Pediatrics
- Motor Development Assessment
- Infant Health
Background:
- Preterm infants are at higher risk for gross motor developmental delays.
- Accurate and reliable assessment tools are crucial for early identification and intervention.
- The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a widely used tool for assessing infant motor development.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the concurrent validity of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) against the gross motor subtest of the Bayley Scale III (Bayley-III/GM).
- To determine the reliability of the AIMS in assessing gross motor skills in preterm infants.
Main Methods:
- 159 gross motor assessments were conducted using both AIMS and Bayley-III/GM.
- Linear regression analysis was employed to assess the correlation between AIMS and Bayley-III/GM scores.
- Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and Bland-Altman plots were used for reliability analysis.
Main Results:
- A prevalence of delayed gross motor development was observed: 20.8% by Bayley-III/GM, 11.9% by AIMS 5th percentile, and 21.4% by AIMS 10th percentile.
- A strong correlation was found between AIMS and Bayley-III/GM scores.
- High intra- and inter-rater reliability for the AIMS was demonstrated.
Conclusions:
- The AIMS is a capable tool for detecting gross motor developmental delays in preterm infants when compared to the Bayley-III/GM.
- The 10th percentile cutoff on the AIMS offers the best balance of sensitivity and specificity for identifying delays in this population.
Objective:
To investigate the concurrent validity of AIMS in relation to the gross motor subtest of the Bayley Scale III/GM in preterm infants.
Methods:
A total of 159 gross motor development assessments were performed with the AIMS and Bayley-III/GM. Linear regression was used to assess the correlation between AIMS and Bayley-III/GM scores. The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) and the Bland-Altman plot were used to analyze intra- and inter-rater reliability.
Results:
There was a prevalence of delayed gross motor development of 20.8% according to the Bayley-III/GM, and 11.9% for the 5th percentile and 21.4% for the 10th percentile of AIMS. A good correlation of AIMS with Bayley-III/GM scores and intra- and inter-rater reliability was encountered in this study.
Conclusion:
AIMS proved very capable of detecting delayed gross motor development in preterm infants when compared with the Bayley-III/GM. The 10th percentile of AIMS provided the best combination of indicators, with greater specificity.
