Reliability and Validity of the Posture and Fine Motor Assessment of Infants

Abstract

The Posture and Fine Motor Assessment of Infants (PFMAI) (Case-Smith, 1987) is a newly developed instrument for assessing the quality of motor function in infants. The test measures components of posture and fine motor control as they first develop. The purpose of this study was to support the test's reliability and validity. Interrater reliability, analyzed with intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), was high (.989 for total scores). Test-retest reliability, measured by ICCs, was .853 and .913 for the two test sections. The PFMAI demonstrated concurrent validity with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales, Revised (Folio & Fewell, 1983) (correlations were .673 and .829 for the individual sections). Scores on the PFMAI were highly correlated with the infant's ages (.892 to .941); this finding provided one indication of construct validity.