Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Infant Motor Activity Log in infants with upper extremity functional asymmetry: how often and how well?

Achoimre

Background/aim: Functional asymmetry in the upper extremities may occur in infants with neuromotor problems due to neurodevelopmental or musculoskeletal disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Turkish version of the Infant Motor Activity Log Scale (IMAL-T), which asks about the frequency (how often) and quality (how well) of the affected arm usage during activities in infants with functional asymmetry in the upper extremities.Materials and methods: The IMAL-T was administered face-to-face to parents of 102 infants (60 infants at high risk of cerebral palsy (CP) and 42 infants with brachial plexus birth injury (BPBI)) aged 6-24 months with functional asymmetry in the upper extremities. One week later, the IMAL-T was administered again to 22 parents to determine test-retest reliability. Cronbach α and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used for internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Discriminant validity was assessed by manual ability level (mini-MACS) and nerve injury type using independent samples t-test. For concurrent validity, the relationship between the IMAL-T and the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) self-care was examined using Spearman's correlation coefficient.Results: Internal consistency (Croanbach's α ≥ 0.91) and test-retest reliability (ICC ≥ 0.93) of the IMAL-T were adequate. IMAL-T scores differed according to mini-MACS and nerve injury type (p < 0.05). Moderate to strong (CP, r ≥ 0.706, p < 0.001; BPBI, r ≥ 0.579, p < 0.001) correlation coefficients were found between IMAL-T and PEDI self-care scores.Conclusion: The IMAL-T is a reliable and valid parent-reported outcome measure that indicates the frequency and quality of the affected arm use during activity in infants aged 6-24 months with upper extremity functional asymmetry due to neuromotor problems. The IMAL-T can be used in early intervention to assess upper extremity functional asymmetry in Turkish infants.