A Preliminary Study on Artificial Intelligence for Infant Motor Screening

The purpose of this preliminary study is to apply AI technology on a sample of infants aged 4 to 18 months to develop an action tracking and recognition algorithm for infant motor screening and to determine the accuracy of the captured movements during the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) assessment using an experienced physical therapists' assessment results as the reference.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Motor Disorders

Detailed Description

Background and Purpose. Although there is an increase in the public awareness of early intervention for children with developmental disorder in Taiwan, the number of children reported for early intervention by the Ministry of Health and Welfare is limited, particularly for those aged under two years, outside of hospital settings, and in remote areas. This has highlighted the need of early screening for infants who are at risk or have developmental disorders. While motor development has a potential impact on the emergence of abilities in other domains in children at later age, motor screening may serve as the cornerstone to help detect signs of developmental dysfunction. Artificial Intelligence (AI), based on machine learning of big data, may be an alternative for assisting healthcare professionals to efficiently screen children's development and to help plan for further diagnostic assessment. The purpose of this preliminary study is to apply AI technology on a sample of infants aged 4 to 18 months to develop an action tracking and recognition algorithm for infant motor screening and to determine the accuracy of the captured movements during the Alberta Infant Motor Scale (AIMS) assessment using an experienced physical therapists' assessment results as the reference. Method. This study will recruit 50 infants (40 preterm infants and 10 term infants age 4-18 months (corrected age for preterm infants) from the National Taiwan University Children's Hospital. Each infant will be evaluated by a physical therapist for their gross motor development during prone, spine, sitting and standing positions using the AIMS assessment. The whole assessment procedure will be video recorded by five cameras. The data processing of movement video records will consist of selection of movement records, establishment of a pose estimation model, and establishment of an action recognition model. The accuracy of the pose and action recognition model in identifying infants' movements will be examined using the physical therapist's results as the gold standard. The results of this study will provide preliminary data to help establish the best and appropriate action recognition model of infant motor screening for future validation on a large sample.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 47

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Taiwan
  • Taipei, Taiwan, 100
    • School and Graduate Institute of Physical Therapy, National Taiwan University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 4 months to 1 year (CHILD)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

The inclusion criteria for preterm infants are: gestational age <37 weeks, birth weight <2,500 grams, and no congenital/genetic abnormalities. Their mothers are older than 20 years of age, have no history of alcohol or drug abuse, and are married or live with fathers.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• The inclusion criteria for term infants are: gestational age 37-42 weeks, birth weight >2,500 grams, and no congenital/genetic abnormalities.
• The inclusion criteria for preterm infants are: gestational age <37 weeks, birth weight <2,500 grams, and no congenital/genetic abnormalities.
• Their mothers are older than 20 years of age, have no history of alcohol or drug abuse, and are married or live with fathers.

Exclusion Criteria:

• No

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Term infants; The inclusion criteria for term infants are: gestational age 37-42 weeks, birth weight >2,500 grams, and no congenital/genetic abnormalities. Their mothers are older than 20 years of age, have no history of alcohol or drug abuse, and are married or live with fathers.
Preterm infants; The inclusion criteria for preterm infants are: gestational age <37 weeks, birth weight <2,500 grams, and no congenital/genetic abnormalities. Their mothers are older than 20 years of age, have no history of alcohol or drug abuse, and are married or live with fathers.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
gross motor development	motor function in supine, prone, sitting and standing position	4-18 months of age

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
age of walking attainment	age of attaining independent walking for at least five steps	10-18 months of age

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: National Taiwan University Hospital

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): November 17, 2020
• Primary Completion (Actual): March 30, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): December 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 21, 2020
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 21, 2020
• First Posted (Actual): December 24, 2020

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 14, 2022
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 12, 2022
• Last Verified: January 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Screening; Infant; AI; Motor
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Motor Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 202010031RINB

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No