Physical Therapy Assessment

Physical Therapists use standardized tests to measure a child’s progress and/or to compare their motor development to other peers their age. Some frequently used tests include:

Alberta Infant Motor Scale (Piper & Darrah, 1994)
An observational tool used to discriminate typical from atypical motor function in infants 0-18 months of age
Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, 3rd edition (Bayley, 2005)
A standardized tool designed to identify children with developmental delays and to provide information for intervention planning in children 1-42 months of age. Includes Cognitive, Language, Motor, Social-Emotional, and Adaptive Behavior Scales.
Peabody Developmental Motor Scales - Revised (Fewell & Folio, 2000)
A standardized assessment of fine and gross motor abilities in children birth to 6 years of age.
Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, 2nd edition (Bruininks, 2005)
A standardized test assessing gross and fine motor skills in children 4-21 years of age. Gross Motor Function Measure (Russell, Rosenbaum, et al, 1993) An observational measure of change in gross motor function over time for children birth to 5 years of age.

Clinical Observations

PTs commonly include the following clinical observations:

Muscle Tone
Observational Gait Analysis
Strength
Coordination
Range of Motion
Play observation
Balance
Self Care (e.g. eating and dressing)

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Center on Human Development and Disability, Clinical Training Unit, University of Washington,
Box 357920, Seattle, WA 98195-7920 lend@uw.edu