Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the reliability of measurement obtained with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) in Japan. Thirty-two healthy children, aged from 2 to 17 months old, were examined according to the AIMS method. These examinations were recorded on videotape under the informed consent of the parents. Four raters, including one experienced expert physical therapist and three physical therapy students, were instructed about the AIMS. The method of AIMS based on a book of motor assessment for the developing infant was explained to them for 6 hours. The 4 raters observed and assessed the development of each child in separate rooms by watching the videotapes of each child's posture and performance. Inter-rater and intra-rater reliability were analyzed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and the standard error of measurement (SEM). The SEM, which provides an estimate of the amount of error in an individual's observation test score, was calculated. The ICC, which provides an estimate of the degree of agreement between observation test scores, was calculated. Both inter-rater reliability and intra-rater reliability were high. The SEM of the students was almost the same as that of the experienced expert. High degrees of intra-rater and inter-rater reliability for the AIMS were observed, in this study of Japanese healthy young children. These results suggest that the AIMS might help inexperienced raters to assess the motor function of young children precisely through videotape recordings.
