Prediction of infant motor performance through performance evaluation of behavior

nowadays, comprehensive developmental assessment of infants is highly considered. But, some assessments, especially those which use more manipulations on high risk infants, can cause more stress on them. So sometimes it is necessary to use one group of developmental assessments to predict another developmental aspect. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between scores of behavioral scale and motor performance. In this cross-sectional study that was conducted in neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric clinic of Shahid Akbarabadi hospital, Tehran, 50 under 2 months low birth weight infants after met inclusion criteria were selected via convinence sampling method. The Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) and the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) was used for assessing motor performance and behavioral performance respectively. The TIMP consist of elicited and observational parts. NBAS was consisted of habituation, social interaction, motor system, state organization, state regulation, autonomic system, smile, supplementary items, and reflex items. There was not any significant relationship between habituation part of NBAS and TIMP and also between autonomus system part of NBAS and observational part of TIMP (P<0.05). Association between other variables was statistically significant (P>0.05). Some items of behavioral assessment can be used to predict the motor performance in low birth weight infants.