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Concurrent and predictive validity of the Motor Functional Development Scale for Young Children in preterm infants
Ludovic Legros1, Sophie Zaczek2, Laurence Vaivre-Douret3
1Departement of Neonatal Intensive Care, CHR Sambre et Meuse, 5000 Namur, Belgium.
Insights
The Motor Functional Development Scale for Young Children (DF-mot) accurately assesses motor skills in preterm infants. It demonstrates good concurrent and predictive validity, making it a useful clinical tool for monitoring development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric developmental assessment
- Neonatal motor development evaluation
- Infant motor skill assessment
Background:
- The Motor Functional Development Scale for Young Children (DF-mot) assesses gross and fine motor skills in infants.
- Preterm infants require specialized tools to monitor their motor development accurately.
Purpose of the Study:
- To validate the DF-mot against the Alberta Infants Motor Scale (AIMS) in preterm infants.
- To compare the predictive ability of DF-mot and AIMS for motor delays using the Bayley Scales of Infant-Toddler Development (Bayley-III).
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study involving 111 preterm infants (gestation < 32 weeks or birthweight < 1500g).
- Concurrent assessment using DF-mot and AIMS at 3-5 months.
- Predictive assessment using Bayley-III at 9-12 months for a subset of 62 infants.
Main Results:
- A strong correlation (r=0.79) was found between DF-mot and AIMS, indicating good concurrent validity.
- Both scales showed good sensitivity and negative predictive value for identifying motor delays at 12 months.
- DF-mot demonstrated 84% sensitivity and 77.8% NPV for predicting motor delay.
Conclusions:
- The DF-mot is a valid and reliable tool for assessing motor development in preterm infants.
- Its good predictive validity supports its use as a clinical tool for early identification of motor delays.
- DF-mot offers a valuable option for monitoring motor functional development in high-risk infant populations.
Background:
The Motor Functional Development Scale for Young Children (DF-mot) is a developmental tool assessing both gross and fine motor skills in term infants.
Aims:
To examine the concurrent validity of the DF-mot with the Alberta Infants Motor Scale (AIMS) in preterm infants and compare their ability in predicting scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant-Toddler Development (Bayley-III) at 12 months.
Study Design:
Retrospective cohort study.
Subjects And Outcome Measures:
Hundred and eleven infants born at less than 32 weeks' gestation or with a birthweight less than 1500 g were assessed simultaneously on the DF-mot and the AIMS at age 3-5 months. Correlation analysis was used to determine the strength of association between the DF-mot and the AIMS. Among these, 62 were reassessed on the Bayley-III at age 9-12 months. Clinimetric properties were calculated to evaluate their ability to predict motor delay on the Bayley-III.
Results:
The concurrent validity study found a good level of correlation between the two scales (r = 0.79). The predictive validity study showed good sensitivity and negative predictive value for the AIMS 25th centile and the DF-mot -1 standard deviation to predict motor delay at 12 months (respectively Se = 100% and 84%; NPV = 100% and 77.8%).
Conclusions:
The DF-mot is a valid instrument with good predictive validity in preterm infants, suggesting it can be used as a clinical useful tool to assess motor development.
