Construction and validation of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS).

TLDR

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale is an observational assessment designed to measure gross motor maturation in infants from birth through independent walking. The study aims to construct and validate the Alberta Infant Motor Scale for infants from birth to 18 months. The authors generated 58 items organized into prone, supine, sitting, and standing positions, described by weight‑bearing, posture, and antigravity aspects, and validated the scale via a mail survey of pediatric physical therapists, expert consultation, and testing on 506 infants plus additional at‑risk and abnormal groups. The study will present test‑retest and inter‑rater reliability estimates, correlations with Bayley and Peabody motor scores, and age‑based scaling of items.

Abstract

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), an observational assessment scale, was constructed to measure gross motor maturation in infants from birth through independent walking. Based upon the literature, 58 items were generated and organized into four positions: prone, supine, sitting and standing. Each item describes three aspects of motor performance--weight-bearing, posture and antigravity movements. Content validation of the instrument was accomplished through a mail survey of Canadian pediatric physical therapists and consultation with an international panel of experts. Five hundred and six infants, age-stratified from birth through 18 months, participated in the reliability and validity testing of the AIMS. In addition, 20 infants who were experiencing abnormal motor development and 50 infants at risk for motor disorders were assessed and compared with the results of the full-term sample. Results to be presented include: 1) test-retest and inter-rater reliability estimates; 2) correlations between the AIMS and the Bayley and Peabody motor scores; and 3) scaling of the items along the age continuum for normal motor development.