Infant motor profile (IMP): translation and concurrent validity for Brazilian infants.

BACKGROUND

The Infant Motor Profile (IMP) evaluates gross and fine motor behavior in infants aged 3-18 months. It offers broad applicability, accessibility, and reliable measurement properties.

OBJECTIVE

To translate the IMP from British English into Brazilian Portuguese and examine the concurrent validity with the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS).

METHODS

Followed a five-stage translation protocol (1) authorization, (2) translation, (3) back-translation, (4) final version review, and (5) evaluation. Concurrent validity was assessed in a cross-sectional sample of 120 infants at 4, 6, 10, and 12 months. Spearman's (rho) was applied (5% significance).

RESULTS

The translation was completed and approved by one of the IMP's original authors. Weak correlation was observed between the IMP symmetry domain and AIMS total score (rho=0.245, R²=0.06, p-value=0.0069). Moderate correlations emerged between IMP variation (rho=0.525, R²=0.275, p-value=7.64e-10), adaptability (rho=0.571, R²=0.326, p-value=1.89e-06) and fluency (rho=0.622, R²=0.387, p-value=3.36e-14) domains and the AIMS total score. Strong correlations between the performance domain (rho=0.935, R²=0.873, p-value<2e-16) and IMP total score (rho=0.894, R²=0.793, p-value<2e-16) with the AIMS total score.

CONCLUSION

The Infant Motor Profile was successfully translated into Brazilian Portuguese and presented concurrent validity with AIMS. This research enables the widespread application of an easy, affordable, and validated instrument to assess and early detect infant neurodevelopmental delays or changes in the first months of life. Therefore, Brazilian infants can promptly be referred to appropriate physical therapy interventions.