Motor Development in Canadian Infants of Asian and European Ethnic Origins

Abstract

Ethnic origin is one factor that may influence the rate or sequence of infant motor development, interpretation of screening test results, and decisions regarding early intervention. The primary purpose of this study is to compare motor development screening test scores from infants of Asian and European ethnic origins. Using a cross-sectional design, the authors analyzed Harris Infant Neuromotor Test (HINT) scores of 335 infants of Asian and European origins. Factorial ANOVA results indicated no significant differences in test scores between infants from these two groups. Although several limitations should be considered, results of this study indicate that practitioners can be relatively confident in using the HINT to screen infants of both origins for developmental delays.