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Updated: May 30, 2025
Quantified Assessment of Infant's Gross Motor Abilities Using a Multisensor Wearable
Published on: May 17, 2024
A systematic review of portable technologies for the early assessment of motor development in infants
Weiyang Deng1, Megan K O'Brien1,2, Rachel A Andersen1
1Technology & Innovation Hub, Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, Chicago, IL, USA.
Insights
Portable technologies offer promising, objective infant motor development assessment for early detection of deficits. Further research is needed for robust, user-friendly tools to improve real-world behavioral measurement.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Early infant motor development screening is vital for timely intervention.
- Traditional clinical assessments lack real-world behavioral data.
- Portable technologies offer objective, precise, and ecologically valid infant motion measurement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review portable, technology-based solutions for early infant motor development assessment (first year).
- To outline current challenges and future directions in this field.
- To explore applications in automating assessments, discovering new measures, and predicting outcomes.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of 66 publications.
- Analysis of technologies including video and sensors.
- Categorization of technology applications in infant motor assessment.
Main Results:
- Portable technologies show a trend toward earlier and more accurate detection of motor development issues.
- Key applications include automating clinical assessments, identifying novel developmental measures, and predicting outcomes.
- A combination of video and sensor technologies is frequently utilized.
Conclusions:
- Portable technologies hold significant promise for objective and ecologically valid infant motor assessment.
- Further research with diverse demographics is essential for developing fully automated, robust, and user-friendly tools.
- These advancements can enhance early detection and intervention for motor deficits.
Abstract:
Early screening and evaluation of infant motor development are crucial for detecting motor deficits and enabling timely interventions. Traditional clinical assessments are often subjective, without fully capturing infants' "real-world" behavior. This has sparked interest in portable, low-cost technologies to objectively and precisely measure infant motion at home, with a goal of enhancing ecological validity. In this systematic review, we explored the current landscape of portable, technology-based solutions to assess early motor development (within the first year), outlining the prevailing challenges and future directions. We reviewed 66 publications, which utilized video, sensors, or a combination of technologies. There were three key applications of these technologies: (1) automating clinical assessments, (2) illuminating new measures of motor development, and (3) predicting developmental outcomes. There was a promising trend toward earlier and more accurate detection using portable technologies. Additional research and demographic diversity are needed to develop fully automated, robust, and user-friendly tools. Registration & Protocol OSF Registries https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/R6JAE .
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