Validation and Reliability of the Test of Infant Motor Performance for Brazilian Infants

Abstract

Aim: To investigate the validity and reliability of the Portuguese version of the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) for Brazilian infants.

Methods: The study was conducted with 20 health professionals and 655 Brazilian infants (between 34 weeks of Post-Menstrual Age and 17 weeks Corrected Age).

Results: (1) Content validity: High concordance among the experts, for language clarity and pertinence, were found (ICC from.74 to .100; AC1 from .87 to 1.00); (2) Inter-rater, intra-rater, and test-retest reliability: Strong inter (α from .65 to .99) and intra (α from .97 to .99) raters agreement, and high test-retest reliability (r = 1.00; ICC = 1.00); (3) Internal consistency: Excellent internal consistency (α from .71 to .98); (4) Discriminant validity: Significant power to identify groups at-risk for delays (p < .0001); (5) Predictive validity: Capability to predict motor delay (r .55 to .89) was found; and, (6) Concurrent validity: Significant (p < .05) and low correlations at the first months (τ .21 to .24) and weak to moderate correlations at 3 and 4 month-old (τ .42 and .44, respectively) were observed between the TIMP and Alberta Infant Motor Scale.

Conclusions: The results provide evidence of validity and reliability of the Portuguese version of the TIMP for Brazilian infants.

Keywords:

• Infants
• motor performance
• reliability
• Test of Infant Motor Performance
• validity

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr. S. K. Campbell for her helpful advice and comments in this paper.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by CAPES and CNPq.

Notes on contributors

Eloá Maria dos Santos Chiquetti

Eloá Maria dos Santos Chiquetti is a professor at the Universidade Federal do Pampa, Brazil, e has an undergraduate degree in Physiotherapy at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Brazil. The master's degree was exercise physiology at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo and a Ph.D. in Human Movement Sciences at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. The researcher focuses on Investigating and follow-up Infants at risk for developmental delays and implementing early motor intervention.

Nadia Cristina Valentini

Nadia Cristina Valentini is a Full professor at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul and the head of the Graduate Program in Human Movement Science. Has a Post-Doctor at the School of Public Health at the University of Maryland - EUA, and Ph.D. and Master's degrees in Human Exercise Science, focus on Motor Behavior, at Auburn University – EUA. The main focus of the research is the investigation of risk and protective factors affecting the development of motor, cognitive and social skills in children living in social-economic vulnerability and the implementation of intervention programs for children with delays.

Raquel Saccani

Raquel Saccaniis is a professor at the Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Brazil e has a major in Physiotherapy at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul e has Post Doctor in Human Movement Science at the Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul. The research focuses on neurodevelopment assessment, early intervention, and assistive technology.