Machine learning approaches in automated infant General Movements Assessment: A scoping review

To evaluate and synthesize the literature on machine learning and deep learning methodologies in automated infant General Movements Assessment (GMA) for early prediction of cerebral palsy (CP).

A scoping review was conducted using the framework of Arksey and O'Malley and reported in accordance with the PRISMA/PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Literature published from 2015 to February 2025 was searched across major databases. Included studies were analysed for key factors commonly identified as influencing GMA classification performance.

Forty-three studies met the inclusion criteria. The most common analysis pipeline involved deep learning-based markerless pose reconstruction, followed by classification, typically using support vector machines (machine learning) and convolutional neural networks (deep learning). Smaller datasets (12-38 infants) yielded greater accuracy (up to 100%) in maximum general movement classification than larger datasets (557-776 infants), which achieved up to 93.8%. All CP classification studies reported accuracies above 90%.

Although deep learning methods generally outperform traditional machine learning approaches, reported performance varies substantially across studies and is shaped by factors such as data quality and diversity, recording conditions, pose estimation methods, feature representation, and classifier design. Unlike earlier reviews, this work provides a comprehensive synthesis of recent automated GMA literature, explicitly linking methodological choices across data acquisition, pose estimation, feature extraction, and classification to differences in reported performance, generalizability, and clinical interpretability. By consolidating these interdependent sources of variability into a single clinically oriented framework, this review offers a stand-alone reference to the field and provides guidance for developing more robust and clinically meaningful automated GMA systems for early detection of CP.