The Relationship between Motor Function and Behavioral Function in Infants with Low Birth Weight

OBJECTIVE: Nowadays, the evaluation of all aspects of infant development is important. However, in practice, some of these assessments, especially those requiring more manipulation on high-risk infants, may impose additional stress on them. Therefore, sometimes it is essential to utilize the results of a developmental assessment for the prediction of some other aspects of development. This study evaluated the relationship between the scores of the behavioral tests and the motor function test. MATERIALS & METHODS: This cross-sectional study and was undertaken in the Neonatal Intensive Care Center and Clinic of Shahid Akbar Abadi Hospital, Tehran, Iran. A group of 50 infants with low birth weights was selected based on the easy non-contingency method and the inclusion criteria, and served as the participants. In order to assess the motor function and the behavioral performance, the motor function test (a test of infant motor performance (TIMP)) and the neonatal behavioral assessment scale (neonatal behavioral assessment scale (NBAS)) were used respectively. TIMP has both stimulation and observation sections. The items include habituation, social interaction, motor system, state organization, state regulation, autonomic system, smile, supplementary items, and the reflex. RESULTS: No significant association was found between the items of the habituation of behavioral testing and the observation of the movement test. There was no statistically significant relationship between the habituation and stimulation sections as well as between the system autonomous of the behavioral test and the observation section of the motor test (P>0.05). The relationship between other variables was statistically significant (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: The scores of some behavioral performance items could be a good predictor of the scores of the motor function items for low birth weight infants in the neonatal period.