Reliability of the Motor Optimality Score-Revised: A study of infants at elevated likelihood for adverse neurological outcomes
Acta Paediatrica · 2023
Two trained assessors scoring infant movement videos with the MOS-R agreed almost perfectly, across three high-risk groups of infants.
Research question
Is the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R) reliable between assessors in infants at elevated likelihood of adverse neurological outcome?
Clinical & scientific significance
The MOS-R can be used reliably in high-risk infant populations, though the postural-patterns subcategory and clinical applicability need further study.
Key findings reported in the paper
- Total MOS-R reliability was almost perfect (ICC 0.98–0.99) for all cohorts and age spans.
- Subcategories showed substantial to perfect reliability (κw 0.67–1.00); postural patterns were lowest (0.67).
- infants in three countries
- 252
- intraclass correlation, total MOS-R
- 0.98–0.99
Objectives
To measure inter-assessor reliability of total and subcategory MOS-R scores across cohorts and age spans.
Methods
252 infants from Sweden (born extremely preterm, n = 97), India (low-resource communities, n = 97) and the USA (prenatally SARS-CoV-2-exposed, n = 58), scored by two assessors per cohort; intraclass correlation and weighted kappa.
This summary is based only on the published abstract.
How infant neurodevelopment is assessed in these studies
01
3–5 months
Video recording of spontaneous movements scored with the Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R).
02
6–8 months
Clinical assessment of developmental milestones.
03
Bayley-III
Cognitive, motor and language domains; delay defined as a score below 70.
04
ASQ-3
Parent questionnaire across five domains; delay = score below the cut-off.
Read the publication
Authors
Örtqvist M, Marschik PB, Toldo M, Zhang D, Fajardo-Martinez V, Nielsen-Saines K, Ådén U, Einspieler C
Citation
Reliability of the Motor Optimality Score-Revised: A study of infants at elevated likelihood for adverse neurological outcomes. Acta Paediatr. 2023; 112(6):1259-1265. doi:10.1111/apa.16747. PMID: 36895106.
Related publications
- 2024First author
Neurodevelopmental delay in children exposed to maternal SARS-CoV-2 in-utero
Scientific Reports
Children exposed to maternal SARS-CoV-2 before birth had developmental delay about ten times more often than pre-pandemic controls.
- 2023First author
Neuromotor repertoires in infants exposed to maternal COVID-19 during pregnancy: a cohort study
BMJ Open
Infants exposed to COVID-19 before birth more often showed suboptimal early motor development than matched pre-pandemic infants.
- 2026First author
Maternal-infant immune signatures in infants at risk for SARS-CoV-2-associated neurodevelopmental disorders
Communications Biology
Blood immune profiles of mothers and newborns exposed to SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy showed changes that have been linked to neurodevelopmental disorders.