Known-Groups Analysis of the Harris Infant Neuromotor Test

Abstract

The Harris Infant Neuromotor Test (HINT) is a screening tool designed to identify neuromotor or cognitive/behavioral concerns in infants who are healthy or at high risk between the ages of 3 and 12 months. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the HINT could distinguish between infants at high risk and infants at low risk for neuromotor delays. Following HINT administration by trained health care professionals, scores were compared for 54 high-risk infants and 412 low-risk infants with a t test. Mean HINT scores for infants at low risk were lower than mean scores for infants at high risk, as would be expected in that higher scores indicate higher risk. Significant differences were found at 4, 5, 7, and 8 months. At 6 months, there were no significant differences. There were not enough high-risk infants in other subgroups for reliable comparison. The HINT appears to discriminate effectively between infants who are at low risk and infants who are at high risk for neuromotor delays, supporting the use of the HINT as a screening tool for infants in the first year of life.