A review of the Amiel-Tison neurologic evaluation of the newborn and infant.

Because occupational therapists are becoming more involved in infant assessment and intervention, there is a need for objective, prospective, and serially applicable evaluation tools. Amiel-Tison's Neurologic Evaluation of the Newborn and the Infant provides such a tool for use in the first year of life. This evaluation was developed to detect transient and permanent abnormalities in an infant's neuromotor development. Its main focus is to examine active and passive muscle tone. The test has interobserver reliability, is reproducible, and can be readily learned by occupational therapists. Although the evaluation is not standardized, it is clinically useful in neonatal units, developmental clinics, and research settings. This evaluation detects transient neuromotor problems in the first year of life that are associated with significant behavioral, neurological, and intellectual deficits when the children reach school age. Using this test, occupational therapists frequently involved with the assessment and management of children can play a crucial role in the first year of life by diagnosing and documenting abnormalities.