Development of a Scale for Evaluation of Neuromotor Development of Infants
Condition: Infant Development; Premature; Neurodevelopmental Disorders; Neonatal Disease; Motor Delay
MeSH terms: Infant, Newborn, Diseases; Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Although the scales used so far provide information about the neuromotor progression of a
      single baby, it is thought that they are not sufficient to distinguish babies from each
      other, and it is thought that there is no assessment battery that will adapt to the knowledge
      in their conditions and the functional development of babies. Therefore, the aim of our study
      is to reveal the applicability and psychometric properties of the Neonatal Infant Motor
      Assessment Scale (NIMAS) test, which reveals the neurological and motor performance of
      infants hospitalized in the NICU, both as automatic responses and functional behavior.
    

Detailed description: 
      Evaluations in the neonatal period become extremely important in terms of early diagnosis,
      medical follow-up, and planning of necessary interventions. Considering the sensitive and
      unstable physiological conditions of term and preterm babies who need neonatal intensive
      care, the tests to be used in the evaluation should be of valid, reliable, and easily
      applicable standards. There are various neuromotor and neurobehavioral scales according to
      the purpose of use in the evaluation of the baby. These scales are used to detect disorders
      of the infant's central nervous system function, examine the relationship between neuromotor
      and behavioral functions, determine the risk of complications that may be encountered in the
      future, monitor the infant's development, and determine the effectiveness of the
      interventions. While rating scales focus on examining all aspects of behavioral performance,
      they provide a comprehensive assessment of higher neurological functions. These scales are
      used in the follow-up of premature babies receiving care in the neonatal intensive care unit
      and to determine the differences that may occur in their neurobehavioral development. It is
      stated that more specific neurological examinations are required for the diagnosis of
      neurodevelopmental problems that the premature baby may encounter in the long term or the
      evaluation of general movements (GMs) provides better predictive value. In addition, the fact
      that premature babies continue to mature by compensating for the deficiencies in the newborn
      period thanks to their high neuroplasticity ability makes it difficult to predict the
      neurobehavioral status of premature babies precisely. Although the scales used so far give
      information about the neuromotor progression of a single baby, it is thought that they are
      not sufficient to distinguish babies from each other. Today, it is thought that no evaluation
      battery will adapt to the knowledge of their conditions and the functional development of
      babies. Therefore, our study aims to reveal the applicability and psychometric properties of
      the Neonatal Infant Motor Assessment Scale (NIMAS) test, which reveals the neurological and
      motor performance of infants hospitalized in the NICU, both as automatic responses and
      functional behavior.
    

Intervention name(s): Test Scale
Intervention type(s): Other
Intervention description(s): Developing an Neurodevelopment Test for evaluating infants in their neonatal period.
Intervention model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Other