Inter- and Intrarater Reliability of the Infant Motor Profile in 3- to 18-Month-Old Infants.

PURPOSE: To investigate inter- and intrarater reliability scoring the Infant Motor Profile (IMP). METHODS: A total of 20 infants at risk for motor developmental delay were assessed using the IMP. Six infants were born at term (gestational age: 38-42 weeks), and 14 infants were preterm (gestational age: 24-35 weeks). Videos were analyzed twice with an interval of 1 month by 4 assessors after 2 days of IMP training. RESULTS: Spearman rank scores demonstrated strong interrater and intrarater reliability for total IMP scores (inter: r = 0.80-0.96; intra: r = 0.85-0.97) and the domain of performance (r = 0.95-0.99). Reliability for the domains of variation, variability, and fluency was satisfactory (inter: r = 0.15-0.85; intra: r = 0.30-0.92). The weakest agreement was found in the domain of symmetry (inter: r = 0.20-0.69; intra: r = 0.33-0.65). CONCLUSION: Therapists naive to the IMP demonstrate good intra and interrater reliability (after 2 days of training) for most domains with the exception of symmetry.

Reliability and validity of the TIMPSI for infants with spinal muscular atrophy type I.

PURPOSE: This study examined the reliability and validity of the Test of Infant Motor Performance Screening Items (TIMPSI) in infants with type I spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). METHODS: After training, 12 evaluators scored 4 videos of infants with type I SMA to assess interrater reliability. Intrarater and test-retest reliability was further assessed for 9 evaluators during a SMA type I clinical trial, with 9 evaluators testing a total of 38 infants twice. Relatedness of the TIMPSI score to ability to reach and ventilatory support was also examined. RESULTS: Excellent interrater video score reliability was noted (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.97-0.98). Intrarater reliability was excellent (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.91-0.98) and test-retest reliability ranged from r = 0.82 to r = 0.95. The TIMPSI score was related to the ability to reach (P ≤ .05). CONCLUSION: The TIMPSI can reliably be used to assess motor function in infants with type I SMA. In addition, the TIMPSI scores are related to the ability to reach, an important functional skill in children with type I SMA.