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Comparison of Psychomotor Development Screening Test and Clinical Assessment of Psychomotor Development
Goranka Radmilović1, Valentina Matijević2, Iris Zavoreo3
1Special Hospital for Medical Rehabilitation, Daruvarske Toplice, Daruvar, Croatia
Insights
The Razvoj psihomotorike (RPM) test may not accurately detect mild neurodevelopmental delays in at-risk infants. Clinical evaluation is crucial for identifying subtle psychomotor development issues in young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neurology
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Adverse prenatal, perinatal, and postnatal factors can lead to psychomotor development deviations.
- Early identification of neurological risk and developmental delays is critical for timely rehabilitation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare psychomotor development assessments between a specialized test and clinical evaluation in children with neurological risk.
- To determine the sensitivity of the Razvoj psihomotorike (RPM) test in identifying mild neurodevelopmental disorders.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 15 infants (12-24 months) with mild paraparesis and developmental deviations was compared to 15 healthy controls.
- Psychomotor development was assessed using the Razvoj psihomotorike (RPM) test and clinical neuromotor evaluation.
Main Results:
- 93.3% of infants with mild paraparesis showed normal development on the RPM test; none had delayed development.
- The control group exclusively exhibited normal development on the RPM test.
- The RPM test demonstrated low sensitivity in detecting mild neurodevelopmental disorders.
Conclusions:
- The Razvoj psihomotorike (RPM) test is insufficient for detecting mild neurodevelopmental disorders in infants.
- Clinical evaluation remains essential for accurately assessing neuromotor development in at-risk children.
Abstract:
Numerous adverse factors are acting in the prenatal, perinatal and postnatal period of life and may be the cause of later mild or severe deviations from normal psychomotor development. Therefore, it is crucial to identify infants with neurological risk factors and infants that already have a delay from orderly development, in order to immediately initiate the rehabilitation process. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is difference in the assessment of psychomotor development in neurological risk children based on the psychomotor development test (Croatian, Razvoj psihomotorike, RPM test) and clinical evaluation of neuromotor development. RPM test is designed for rough estimate of psychomotor development in children in the first two years of life. The study included 15 full term children (8 male and 7 female) with clinical diagnosis of mild paraparesis and mild deviation from normal psychological and social development, and 15 full term children (8 male and 7 female) without neurological risk factors and deviations from normal psychomotor development, all at the age of 12-24 months. Of the 15 children diagnosed with mild paraparesis, none had delayed psychomotor development, 6.7% had suspect development and 93.3% had normal development on RPM test. All children in the control group had normal development on RPM test. According to the results, the RPM test is not sensitive enough to detect mild neurodevelopmental disorders.
