Analysis of Current Motor Development Theory and Recently Published Infant Motor Assessments

Four primary tenets of dynamic systems theory related to motor development are applied to recently developed infant motor assessments: (1) coupling of perception and action, (2) development of adaptable and functional movement synergies, (3) phase shifts in which new movement patterns are explored and selected, and (4) identification of the constraining and facilitating forces of motor development. The Alberta Infant Motor Scales, the Toddler and Infant Motor Evaluation, the Posture and Fine Motor Assessment of Infants, and the Test of Infant Motor Performance are reviewed and critiqued as to their fit with these principles. Strategies for clinicians who administer these motor assessments that are consistent with dynamic systems theory are suggested