Inter-Rater and Test-Retest Reliabilities of the Movement Assessment of Infants

This study compared the standard and a revised version of the four-month Movement Assessment of Infants (MAI), applied to a group of high-risk infants, on the following criteria measures: 1) inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities, and 2) the relationship between total risk scores and six infant descriptive factors (chronological and corrected age, birth weight, gestational age, days ventilated, and 5-minute Apgar score), and provided descriptive data for these tests. A total of 60 infants (mean corrected age 17 ± 2 wks) were tested during two phases: 1) 30 were tested on one occasion, with each infant scored independently and simultaneously by three physical therapists to determine inter-rater reliability; and 2) 30 additional infants were each tested by a different therapist on each of two occasions to determine test-retest reliability. Inter-rater and test-retest reliabilities (intraclass correlation coefficient) were considered excellent on both the standard (0.91 and 0.79, respectively) and revised (0.93 and 0.83, respectively) MAI. Correlations between total risk scores and infant descriptive factors were similar for both the standard and revised MAI (r < 0.32). Coefficients of variation of 55% and 62% for the standard and revised MAI, respectively, were observed. The results of this study suggest that there is a high reliability for the MAI. Motor performance at 4 months cannot be predicted from the infant descriptive factors examined. Future studies should focus on the clinical utility of MAI scores, especially in relation to identifying those children who might benefit from early physical therapy and in predicting motor outcomes. Pediatric physical therapists today are fating pressures to increase their productivity. This article presents the results of a survey of physical therapy directors of hospitals associated with the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions concerning productivity expectations for pediatric physical therapists practicing in hospital settings.