The infant motor profile. A standardized and qualitative assessment of motor behaviour in infancy

PhD ceremony: Ms. K.R. Heineman, 16.15 uur, Academiegebouw, Broerstraat 5, Groningen

Thesis: The infant motor profile. A standardized and qualitative assessment of motor behaviour in infancy

Promotor(s): prof. M. Hadders-Algra, prof. A.F. Bos

Faculty: Medical Sciences

This thesis presents the Infant Motor Profile (IMP), a new, video-based qualitative assessment of motor behaviour of infants aged 3 to 18 months. The IMP is based on the Neuronal Group Selection Theory (NGST) which states that motor development is characterised by exploration of the primary variable motor repertoire and selection of adaptive motor strategies out of this repertoire. The IMP consists of 80 items that are grouped into five domains: size of the repertoire (variation), adaptive selection (variability), movement fluency, movement symmetry and motor performance. The thesis concludes that the IMP is a reliable and valid method for a qualitative assessment of motor behaviour of infants. Future studies should be directed at generating norm-scores for the IMP and determining clinical applicability.