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Aim: To compare the order and age of emergence of rolling prone to supine and supine to prone before the introduction of back to sleep guidelines and 20 years after their introduction., Methods: The original normative data for the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) were collected just prior to the introduction of back to sleep guidelines in 1992. Currently these norms are being re-evaluated. Data of rolling patterns of infants 36 weeks of age or younger from the original sample (n=1114) and the contemporary sample (n=351) were evaluated to compare the sequence of appearance of prone to supine and supine to prone rolls (proportion of infants passing each roll) and the ages of emergence (estimated age when 50% of infants passed each roll)., Results: The sequence of emergence and estimated age of appearance of both rolling directions were similar between the two time periods., Conclusion: The introduction of the supine sleep position to reduce the prevalence of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) has not altered the timing or sequence of infant rolling abilities. This information is valuable to health care providers involved in the surveillance of infants' development. Original normative age estimates for these two motor abilities are still appropriate., (Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: Neuromaturational theory and dynamic systems theory make different assumptions about the rate of development of motor and communication skills., Aims: The stability of fine motor, gross motor, and communication scores of infants was evaluated to test these assumptions., Study Design: This longitudinal descriptive study evaluated infants in their homes at 9, 11, 13, 16, and 21 months of age., Participants: One hundred and two Canadian children of English-speaking parents classified as typically developing at 23 months of age using the Diagnostic Inventory for Screening Children Preschool Screen were included., Outcome Measures: The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales and the Communication Symbolic Behavior Scales-Developmental Profile were used to assess development at each time. Scores were stable if the 95% confidence intervals around the scores overlapped across all assessments. Correlations evaluated the relationship of scores in a domain over time (normative stability) as well as the relationship of scores between domains (ipsative stability)., Results: There was large variability in scores within an infant, among infants and across developmental domains. Typical development is nonlinear rather than occurring at a constant rate. Fine motor, gross motor, and communication skills appear to develop independently., Conclusions: These results have implications both for developmental screening policies and for early intervention programs. Screening should include multiple domains and multiple time points before referrals are made to early intervention programs.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the intra-individual stability of gross motor scores obtained by normally developing full-term infants on the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS). The gross motor skills of 47 infants were assessed monthly in their homes by pairs of physical therapists. Infants were followed from two weeks of age until they achieved independent walking. A developmental pediatrician assessed each infant at 18 months of age, and classified the infant's gross motor skills as normal, suspicious or abnormal. Only the data of infants receiving a normal classification at 18 months were included in the analyses (n = 45). Individual infants' percentile ranks varied considerably from month to month, with no systematic pattern of change noted across infants. As a group, the mean percentile range over 13 assessments was 66.78 (S.D. 13.47). Fourteen infants (31.1%) received a score below the 10th percentile on at least one occasion. The results suggest that normally developing infants are not stable in the rate of emergence of gross motor skills. This instability has implications for infant screening programs, and supports the premise of serial assessments to identify accurately those infants with a motor delay.