Early developmental assessment with a short screening test, the STEP, predicts one-year outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the Specific Test of Early Infant Motor Performance (STEP), a rapid screening test of preterm infants at risk for developmental delay.

STUDY DESIGN: We prospectively studied 23 preterm infants' performance on the STEP and the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) at term and 3 months, and on the Bayley-III at 12 months. We investigated the psychometric qualities of the STEP and determined STEP cutoff scores for low and high-performing infants.

RESULTS: STEP scores at term and 3 months strongly correlate with 12-month Bayley-III gross motor and cognitive scaled scores, while TIMP scores did not. The STEP showed excellent reliability and required 6-10 min to administer.

CONCLUSION: STEP is a short, easy to administer, early developmental assessment with unique scoring that emphasizes qualitative and quantitative aspects of muscle tone in movements and predicts 12-month Bayley gross motor and cognitive scaled scores.