Avaliação do desenvolvimento motor de bebês com deficiência auditiva.

Objective: To evaluate the motor development of babies from zero to 18 months of age, with hearing impairment of any degree or type with the use of the AIMS. Method: Participated in the research, seven children, born term with age from 0 to 18, diagnosed with hearing impairment of any site or degree. Motor performance was assessed using the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS), composed of 58 items, 21 items in prone posture, 9 items in supine posture, 12 items in seated posture and 16 items in standing posture. Results: It was observed that three children presented suspicious motor performance and one presented motor performance of risk. Among these children, the postures with the greatest difficulty were prone, seated and standing. This evidence that the postures with greater difficulty were those that is needed greater sensorial integration, greater postural control and balance. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that children with hearing impairment may present motor performance deficits, mainly in relation to postural control and balance. The AIMS proved to be a valid instrument for the evaluation of the motor performance of this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]