Developmental milestones or conceptual millstones? Some practical and theoretical limitations in infant assessment...

There is a wide gap between recent research models of infant development and available clinical procedures. This paper considers the limitations of current assessment instruments, with special reference to motor-impaired infants. It also examines the theoretical and conceptual limitations imposed on our understanding of the developmental process by the models of development and measurement on which the instruments are based. These limitations are especially important for assessment and intervention strategies with impaired infants (0-30 months). It is suggested that new assessment methods are needed to tap the processes underlying developmental change and more accurately reflect the complexity of factors affecting development.