Infant neuromotor assessments: a review and preview of selected instruments.

The advancement of medical technology has produced an increased number of surviving neonates. Occupational therapists and physical therapists working in neonatal intensive care units and follow-up clinics are faced with the challenge of providing early assessment and treatment for this relatively new population of infants. The purpose of this article is to review selected infant motor evaluation instruments used by therapists and to preview those currently being developed. An overview of the historical background of infant neuromotor testing is provided, followed by a review of the Infant Neurological International Battery (Ellison, Horn, & Browning, 1985) and the Neonatal Neurobehavioral Examination (Morgan, Koch, Lee, & Aldag, 1988). Two infant motor tests currently being developed, the Chandler Movement Assessment of Infants Screening Test and the Miller Infant and Toddler Test (both of which, at the time of this writing, are unpublished) are described. Updated information on the psychometric properties and the clinical usefulness of these new infant neuromotor tests can assist therapists in selecting reliable and valid measures in their clinical practice.