Gross motor development in full-term Greek infants assessed by the Alberta Infant Motor Scale: reference values and socioeconomic impact

Infants of mothers with early remitted clinical depression and mothers with no postpartum depression: Adaptive functioning in the second year of life

Whether and how remitted clinical depression in postpartum motherhood contributes to poor infant adaptive functioning is inconclusive. The present longitudinal study examines adaptive functioning in infants of mothers diagnosed as clinically depressed at 5 months but remitted at 15 and 24 months. Fifty-five U. S. mothers with early, remitted clinical depression and 132 mothers without postpartum depression completed the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales about their infants at 15 and 24 months. Between groups, mothers were equivalent in age, ethnicity, marital status, and receptive vocabulary (a proxy for verbal intelligence), and infants were equivalent in age and distribution of gender. Controlling for maternal education and parity, mothers with early, remitted clinical depression and mothers with no postpartum depression rated their infants similarly on communication, daily living skills, and socialization. Mothers with early, remitted clinical depression rated their infants poorer in motor skills. Girls were rated more advanced than boys in communication at 24 months and daily living skills at 15 and 24 months. Rated infant adaptive behavior skills increased from 15 to 24 months. With exceptions, adaptive functioning in infants may be robust to early, remitted maternal depression, and adaptive functioning presents a domain to promote positive development in this otherwise vulnerable population.

Influência de determinantes socioeconômicos no desenvolvimento motor de lactentes acompanhados por programa de follow-up em Manaus, Amazonas

RESUMO O desenvolvimento infantil é um processo gradual e contínuo dividido em estágios para fins teóricos. Os fatores intrínsecos e extrínsecos podem influenciar de modo positivo ou negativo na evolução do lactente. O objetivo foi avaliar a influência do ensino superior materno e da renda familiar no Desenvolvimento Motor (DM) de lactentes. Estudo transversal, que avaliou 106 crianças, oriundas do programa de follow-up de uma maternidade de referência no Amazonas. Foram aplicados dois questionários (roteiro de anamnese e perfil socioeconômico); e, em seguida, Escala Motora Infantil de Alberta para avaliar o DM desses lactentes. Para a análise estatística, foram utilizados dados descritivos e teste Qui-quadrado e Exato de Fischer, com p ≤ 0,05. O maior grau de escolaridade materna estava relacionada com a tipicidade do DM (71,4%, com p = 0,04), em contrapartida, uma menor renda familiar, apesar de ter apresentado maior percentual em crianças atípicas (51,9%), não demonstrou uma relação significativa com a atipicidade do DM. Foi observado que, na amostra, a escolaridade materna possuiu maior impacto para o adequado DM quando comparado à renda familiar. Tal fato parece estar relacionado com o maior grau de instrução materna, o qual implica o melhor assistencialismo infantil ante cuidados gerais e estimulações.

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale: A tool for the assessment of motor aspects of neurodevelopment in infancy and early childhood

According to the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the surveillance of motor development should accompany systematic appointments with medical professionals in infancy and early childhood. One of the standardized tools for evaluating motor development is the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). This paper aims to present assumptions and psychometric properties of the AIMS, the methodology of assessment of an infant's performance with the AIMS, and research on the validation and standardization of the AIMS as well as the use of the scale as an outcome measure. We conducted a non-systematic literature review using three electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, and Embase (from June 1992 to February 2022). We included original research with a full-text manuscript in English. No geographical restrictions were applied. The search terms “alberta infant motor scale” AND “reliability” OR “validity” and “alberta infant motor scale” AND “norms” OR “reference” OR “standardization” were used for literature review on the validation and standardization of the AIMS in other non-Canadian populations. This narrative review also focuses on how the AIMS is applied as an outcome measure in research by presenting studies on the AIMS conducted over the last decade. Our review found that the AIMS is widely used for both research and clinical purposes. The AIMS has been used as an outcome measure in both interventional and observational studies conducted on both neurotypical infants and those with conditions affecting motor development. The advantages of the scale are its infant-friendliness, time duration of the examination, and relative ease of application for an examiner. The scale has been validated and standardized in many countries.

The Polish Version of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale: Cultural Adaptation and Validation

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a diagnostic tool for the assessment of the motor performance of infants from the time of birth, to the period of independent walking (0-18 months). This study aims to derive a Polish version of the AIMS through its cultural adaptation and validation. The study included 145 infants aged 0-18 months, who were divided into four further age groups: 0-3 months, 4-7 months, 8-11 months, and older than 12 months. The validation was based on an analysis of intrarater and interrater reliability values, as well as concurrent validity, using the gross motor scale of Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-2 (PDMS-2). The total Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) for intrarater reliability was 0.99 (ICC range in positions was 0.87-0.99, in subgroups was 0.91-0.99), while in particular positions, the ICC ranges were as follows: prone 0.97-0.99, supine 0.94-0.99, sitting 0.95-0.99, and standing: 0.63-0.99. The total ICC for interrater reliability was 0.99 (ICC range in positions was 0.98-0.99, in subgroups was 0.91-0.99), while in particular positions, the ICC ranges were as follows: prone 0.95-0.99, supine 0.93-0.96, sitting 0.93-0.98, standing 0.91-0.98. Only the standing position was analyzed for the subgroup of participants over 12 months old. The Spearman correlation between the Polish version of the AIMS and the gross motor scale of PDMS-2 was significant in the total population (r = 0.97, p < 0.0001) and in subgroups (r = 0.79-0.85, p < 0.0001). The results of our study confirm that the Polish version of the AIMS is reliable for infants aged 0-18 months and can be applied to this population for clinical and scientific purposes.

Trial Registry

ClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT05264064, URL https://clinicaltrials.gov/ ct2/show/NCT05264064.

Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) Performance of Early-Term Greek Infants: The Impact of Shorter Gestation on Gross Motor Development among “Term-Born” Infants

Early-term birth (37⁺⁰ to 38⁺⁶ gestational weeks) may have a negative impact on infants’ neurodevelopment compared to delivery at 39 weeks or beyond. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the gross motor development of early-term infants using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). A total of 1087 healthy infants (559 early-term and 528 full-term infants born at 39⁺⁰ to 41⁺⁶ weeks of gestation) were studied. Mean AIMS scores were compared between the two groups at monthly intervals. The impact of gestational age on total AIMS scores was assessed by linear regression, after adjustment for chronological age, sex and SGA. Mean total AIMS scores, albeit within normal range, were significantly lower in early-term than full-term infants at the 2nd, 6th, 7th, 8th and 12th month of age; differences between groups were within three points. In multivariate regression analysis, a longer gestation by one week had a positive impact on total AIMS score during the first year of life (β = 0.90; 95% CI 0.45, 1.35). In conclusion, early-term infants exhibit worse gross motor performance during the first year of life in comparison with their full-term peers; however, the differences between the two groups are small.

Canadian and Brazilian Percentile Ranks for the Alberta Infant Motor Scale

Aim: To verify if there is a difference between the percentile ranks for Brazilian infants compared with norms for Canadian infants on the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). Method: A cross-sectional study in which 322 Brazilian infants, 2 to 15 months old, were administered the AIMS. Percentile ranks were calculated using norms for Canadian infants and norms from two studies of Brazilian infants. The Friedman test compared the AIMS percentile ranks for the entire sample. For reliability analysis, the interclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was used. Bland Altman's analysis was applied to compare percentile ranks. Results: Of the 322 evaluations analyzed, there were significant differences (p<.001) between the three percentile ranks compared. The Canadian norms presented the lowest average rating. There was good reliability between the percentile ranks (ICC > 0.75) but low agreement (Bland Altman; p<.001). Conclusion: There are differences between the Brazilian and Canadian percentile ranks and between the Brazilian percentile ranks of 2014 and 2016, and these differences may influence identification of motor development.

Gross motor development of Thai healthy full-term infants aged from birth to 14 months using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale: Inter individual variability

BACKGROUND

The gross motor percentiles of the Alberta Infants Motor Scale (AIMS) have been commonly referenced in research. Cross-cultural assessment of gross motor development during the first year of life is suggested as diverse child-rearing practices can cause inter-variability. The main aim of this study was to develop an AIMS percentile curve for typically developing home-raised infants in the northeastern part of Thailand. The AIMS scores of these infants were also compared with the standard Canadian norms.

METHODS

The gross motor development of 574 full-term infants aged 15 days to 14 months was assessed using the Thai version of the AIMS. Percentile curves of their gross motor ability were developed. The Thai infants' mean AIMS scores were compared with the Canadian norm using the one-sample t-test.

RESULTS

The percentile curve of gross motor development of healthy Thai infants showed that mean AIMS scores increased with age. Large inter-variability was present from the 7th to 10th months. The mean AIMS scores of Thai infants were significantly lower than the standard Canadian means during the first three months (P < 0.05), but significantly higher in three age groups: 7-<8 months, 11-<12 months, and 13-14 months.

CONCLUSION

The developed percentile curve of gross motor development is applicable for infants from the same demographic and environmental context. According to the study, infants from diverse cultures display a natural inter-variability in gross motor development between the 7th and 10th months.

Alberta Infant Motor Scale: Cross-cultural analysis of gross motor development in Dutch and Canadian infants and introduction of Dutch norms

BACKGROUND

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) has been developed in Canada in the 90ies. The AIMS and its Canadian norms are frequently used across the world to monitor infants' gross motor development. Currently, it is disputed whether the Canadian norms are valid for non-Canadian infants.

AIMS

To compare scores on the AIMS of Dutch infants with that of the Canadian norms, to compare the sequence of motor milestones in Dutch and Canadian infants, and to establish Dutch AIMS norms.

STUDY DESIGN

Cross-sectional study.

SUBJECTS

1697 infants, aged 2-18 months, representative of the Dutch population (gestational age 39.7 weeks (27-42)).

OUTCOME MEASURE

AIMS assessments, based on standardized video. Perinatal and social information was obtained by questionnaire and medical records. To create Dutch reference values quantile regression with polynomial splines was used.

RESULTS

1236 Dutch infants (73%) scored below the 50th (P50) percentile of the Canadian norms, 653 (38%) below the P10 and 469 (28%) below the P5. In infants aged 6 to 12 months these values were: 567 infants (81%) < P50, 288 infants (41%) < P10, 201 infants (29%) < P5. The sequence of achievement of motor milestones of Dutch and Canadian infants was similar. Dutch norm-reference values of the AIMS were calculated.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Gross motor development of Dutch infants is considerably slower than that of the Canadian AIMS norms sample. To prevent overdiagnosis of developmental delay and overreferral to paediatric physiotherapy Dutch AIMS norms are required. The paper introduces these norms, including percentile ranks.

Maternal Factors Related to Infant Motor Development at 4 Months of Age

Background: Exercise during pregnancy and breastfeeding after pregnancy both positively influence a number of infant outcomes. However, whether physical activity during late pregnancy and breastfeeding postpartum influence motor development in the offspring at 4 months of age is unknown. Research Aim: The purposes of this study were to investigate the relationships between several important modifiable factors (i.e., maternal physical activity during late pregnancy and breastfeeding after pregnancy) on infant motor development at 4 months of age. Materials and Methods: Thirty-three women-infant pairs participated in this prospective longitudinal study. Maternal physical activity was assessed during late pregnancy with wrist-worn accelerometers for 7 consecutive days. Surveys were provided to determine infant feeding practices and other variables that could influence infant motor development. A pediatric board-certified physical therapist assessed infant motor development at 4 months using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale. Results: Infants who were exclusively breastfed had the highest motor development percentiles when compared with those whose mothers were supplementing with or using formula exclusively (exclusive breastfeeding: 64.3 ± 20.1, combination of mother's own milk and formula: 43.5 ± 5.0, exclusive formula: 31.5 ± 15.1, p = 0.001). No associations between physical activity levels during late pregnancy and infant motor development percentiles at 4 months were found (sedentary time: r = -0.057, p = 0.75; light activity: r = -0.074, p = 0.68; moderate activity: r = -0.094, p = 0.60). Conclusions: Infants who were exclusively breastfed had higher motor development percentiles at 4 months of age than those infants whose mothers supplemented with or used formula exclusively. Physical activity levels during late pregnancy were not related to infant motor development percentiles, which suggests that physical activities do not appear to be harmful to infant motor development.

Urban natural environments and motor development in early life

An emerging body of evidence has associated natural environments with improved brain development in children; however, these studies have mainly focused on cognition and available evidence for motor development is still scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the protective association of neighbourhood greenspace with motor development deficits in children. We obtained data on motor development deficits (separately for fine and gross motor developments) at sub-district level from routine medical check-up of children prior to enrolment into primary schools in the city of Berlin (2015-2016). Neighbourhood natural environments across the sub-districts were measured with three different metrics: the average of satellite-based normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), the share of public green spaces, and the share of both public blue and green spaces (composite nature) across the sub-district. We applied negative binominal models to estimate the association between neighbourhood natural environments and fine and gross motor development deficits (one at a time), controlled for relevant sociodemographic indicators. Higher neighbourhood public green space and composite nature were significantly associated with lower risk of motor development deficits; however, the association were not statistically significant when using NDVI. Our findings, if confirmed by future studies, could provide evidence for implementing targeted interventions to enhance motor development in urban children.

Cross-Cultural Validity: Canadian Norm Values of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale Evaluated for Dutch Infants

PURPOSE

To examine whether the Canadian normative values of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) are appropriate for Dutch infants.

METHOD

In a cross-sectional study, 499 infants developing typically (0.5-19 months) were assessed using the AIMS home video method. The scaling method was used for calculating item locations of the Dutch sample, and Welch test to compare Canadian and Dutch raw scores.

RESULTS

THE: AIMS items (45 of 58) met the criterion for stable regression to calculate item locations of the Dutch data set and compare these with the Canadian data set. Dutch infants passed 42 of 45 items at an older age. Most monthly age groups of Dutch infants had lower mean AIMS scores.

CONCLUSION

The Canadian norms are not appropriate for the Dutch study sample. Dutch infants appear to develop in a similar sequence but at a slower rate. This has implications regarding the clinical use of the AIMS in the Netherlands.

Prenatal and childhood exposure to phthalates and motor skills at age 11 years

BACKGROUND

Previous reports suggest that prenatal phthalate exposure is associated with lower scores on measures of motor skills in infants and toddlers. Whether these associations persist into later childhood or preadolescence has not been studied.

METHODS

In a follow up study of 209 inner-city mothers and their children the concentrations of mono-n-butyl phthalate (MnBP), monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP), monoisobutyl phthalate (MiBP), monomethyl phthalate (MEP), mono-carboxy-isooctyl phthalate (MCOP), and four di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate metabolites (ΣDEHP) were measured in spot urine sample collected from the women in late pregnancy and from their children at ages 3, 5, and 7 years. The Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency short form (BOT-2) was administered at child age 11 to assess gross and fine motor skills.

RESULTS

The total number of children included in the study was 209. Of the 209 children, 116(55.5%) were girls and 93 were (45%) boys. Among girls, prenatal MnBP(b=-2.09; 95%CI: [-3.43, -0.75]), MBzP (b=-1.14; [95%CI: -2.13, -0.14]), and MiBP(b=-1.36; 95%CI: [-2.51, -0.21] and MEP(b=-1.23 [95%CI: -2.36, -0.11]) were associated with lower total BOT-2 composite score. MnBP (b= -1.43; 95% CI: [-2.44, -0.42]) was associated with lower fine motor scores and MiBP(b = -0.56; 95% CI: [-1.12, -0.01]) and MEP (b = -0.60; 95% CI: [-1.14, -0.06])was associated with lower gross motor scores. Among boys, prenatal MBzP (b = -0.79; 95% CI: [-1.40, -0.19]) was associated with lower fine motor composite score. The associations between MEP measured at age 3 and the BOT-2 gross motor, fine motor and total motor score differed by sex. In boys, there was an inverse association between ΣDEHP metabolites measured in childhood at ages 3 (b = -1.30; 95% CI: [-2.34, -0.26]) and 7 years (b = -0.96; 95% CI: [-1.79, -0.13]), and BOT-2 fine motor composite scores.

CONCLUSIONS

Higher prenatal exposure to specific phthalates was associated with lower motor function among 11- year old girls while higher postnatal exposure to ΣDEHP metabolites was associated with lower scores among boys. As lower scores on measures of motor development have been associated with more problems in cognitive, socioemotional functioning and behavior, the findings of this study have implications related to overall child development.

[Corrected motor development in a retrospective cohort of Colombian children of up to one year of age according to the Alberta Infant Motor Scale]

OBJECTIVES

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale is used worldwide to assess motor development in children under 18 months of age, both preterm and full-term. In Colombia, the scale is used, but there is little information on the results it yields. The objective of this study was to characterize a retrospective cohort of children under one year of age according to the Alberta scale to generate information about the results of its application in a Colombian population treated at a highly specialized hospital.

METHODS

Descriptive, retrospective, cross-sectional study, in which the medical records of 411 children with corrected age between 0 and 12 months and a history of gestational age less than 40 weeks were evaluated. The Alberta scale was applied to all children between 2010 and 2016, and scores were analyzed statistically in a descriptive form.

RESULTS

Most patients were classified by the scale as "normal development" as would be expected based on their medical history. The children in our sample had lower scores than those of the original Canadian sample at all ages.

CONCLUSIONS

The scale was useful for screening normal children; however, the patients had lower scores when they were evaluated by the scale than in the original study, thus making evident the need to validate the scale in Colombia and generate reference curves.

Cultural translation and adaptation of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale Thai version

BACKGROUND

The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) is a widely used screening tool used to measure gross-motor maturation for clinical and research usage in various countries. A cross-cultural translation and adaptation process is essential to produce reliable and applicable translated assessment tools.

AIMS

The purposes of this cross-sectional study were to obtain the Alberta Infant Motor Scale Thai version and to determine its reliability, validity, and applicability.

METHODS

The process of translation and cultural adaptation of the AIMS Thai version was performed. The conceptual, semantic, and idiomatic equivalences of the language of the AIMS Thai version were strictly reviewed by committee. The intra-rater/inter-rater reliabilities and concurrent validity with the Bayley III were examined in 30 full-term typically developing infants. Then, 19 infants from an orphanage and 23 typically developing infants were assessed using the final translated version of the AIMS.

RESULTS

The AIMS Thai version was generated systematically. Two therapists showed high intra-rater reliability using the Thai AIMS with an ICC of 0.995 (95% CI 0.989-0.998) and 0.979 (95%CI 0.919-0.992), and the inter-rater reliability was 0.988 (95%CI 0.976-0.994). The concurrent validity of the AIMS Thai version and the Bayley III was 0.969 (p < 0.01). The AIMS percentile of gross-motor development of orphaned infants (94.7%) were equal or lower than the 5th percentile, while the AIMS percentile of home-raised infants ranged from the 5th to the 90th percentile.

CONCLUSION

The translated and adapted AIMS Thai version is reliable and valid to use in Thai infants.

Motor development’s curves of premature infants on the first year of life according to Alberta Infant Motor Scale

Abstract Introduction: The motor trajectory of pre-term children is an important indicator of health during infancy, since alterations may be a signal for the need of professional intervention. Objective: To describe percentiles and motor development curves for Brazilian preterm infants in the first year of life, determining the reference values for categorization of motor performance assessed by the AIMS. Methods: Participated in this cross-sectional study 976 children born pre-term, newly-born to 12 months of corrected age. The Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) was used to assess participants’ motor development. The scores of the Brazilian norms were used as comparison criteria. Results: Children born pre-term showed lower scores compared to children born full-term indicating the need for a specific percentile curve for that population. The scores differentiated at P1 to P99 percentiles allowing for the categorization of children with typical development, at risk and with atypical development. At 0, 4, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 months an overlapping of extreme percentiles (P1, P5 and P10; P90, P95 and P99) was observed, but not in the other percentiles. Conclusion: The percentiles described indicate that preterm children presented lower motor performance than full-term children and AIMS has discriminant power for the clinical evaluation of these children. The developmental curves showed lower capacity for behavioral differentiation in the extreme percentiles.

The Spanish version of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale: Validity and reliability analysis

OBJECTIVES

Validity and reliability of the cross-cultural adaptive translation of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), to monitor gross motor development in infants from 0 to 18 months of age, were evaluated.

METHODS

A cross-cultural translation was used to generate a Spanish version of the AIMS. Fifty infants at risk or with diagnosis of motor delay, 0-18 months of age, participated in this study. Two independent physical therapists scored infants on the AIMS. Concurrent validity was tested using the AIMS and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development - III (Bayley - III).

RESULTS

Reliability and the internal consistency were high (ICCs ranged from 0.94 to 1.00 and KR-20 ranged from 0.90 to 0.98, respectively). AIMS and Bayley - III scores correlated strongly (r = 0.97).

CONCLUSION

The Spanish version of the AIMS presented excellent validity and reliability. Further studies are suggested in order to assess the AIMS in preterm babies.

Cross-cultural validity of standardized motor development screening and assessment tools: a systematic review

AIM

To investigate whether standardized motor development screening and assessment tools that are used to evaluate motor abilities of children aged 0 to 2 years are valid in cultures other than those in which the normative sample was established.

METHOD

This was a systematic review in which six databases were searched. Studies were selected based on inclusion/exclusion criteria and appraised for evidence level and quality. Study variables were extracted.

RESULTS

Twenty-three studies representing six motor development screening and assessment tools in 16 cultural contexts met the inclusion criteria: Alberta Infant Motor Scale (n=7), Ages and Stages Questionnaire, 3rd edition (n=2), Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (n=8), Denver Developmental Screening Test, 2nd edition (n=4), Harris Infant Neuromotor Test (n=1), and Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, 2nd edition (n=1). Thirteen studies found significant differences between the cultural context and normative sample. Two studies established reliability and/or validity of standardized motor development assessments in high-risk infants from different cultural contexts. Five studies established new population norms. Eight studies described the cross-cultural adaptation of a standardized motor development assessment.

INTERPRETATION

Standardized motor development assessments have limited validity in cultures other than that in which the normative sample was established. Their use can result in under- or over-referral for services.

Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) Performance of Greek Preterm Infants: Comparisons With Full-Term Infants of the Same Nationality and Impact of Prematurity-Related Morbidity Factors

BACKGROUND

Only a few studies have been conducted with the objective of creating norms of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) for the assessment of gross motor development of preterm infants. The AIMS performance of preterm infants has been compared with that of the Canadian norms of full-term infants, but not with that of full-term infants of the same nationality. Moreover, the possible impact of prematurity-related morbidity factors on AIMS performance is unknown.

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were: (1) to evaluate AIMS trajectory in a large population of Greek preterm infants and create norms, (2) to compare it with the AIMS trajectory of Greek full-term infants, and (3) to examine the possible influence of neonatal morbidity on AIMS scores in the preterm sample.

DESIGN

This was a cross-sectional study.

METHODS

Mean AIMS scores were compared, per month (1-19), between 403 preterm infants (≤32 weeks of age, corrected for prematurity) and 1,038 full-term infants. In preterm infants, the association of AIMS scores with respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH) of grade ≤III, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), retinopathy of prematurity (ROP), and sepsis was assessed by hierarchical regression analysis.

RESULTS

Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores were significantly lower in preterm infants than in full-term infants. Mean AIMS scores in preterm infants were significantly associated with RDS (b=-1.93; 95% CI=-2.70, -1.16), IVH (b=-0.97; 95% CI=-1.69, -0.25), and ROP (b=-1.12; 95% CI=-1.99, -0.24) but not with BPD or sepsis in hierarchical regression analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Alberta Infant Motor Scale norms were created for Greek preterm infants. This study confirms that AIMS trajectories of preterm infants are below those of full-term infants of the same nationality. The influence of morbidity factors, including RDS, IVH, and ROP, should be taken into account when administering the AIMS in preterm infants.