Towards universal early screening for cerebral palsy: a roadmap for automated General Movements Assessment.

Unlabelled: Cerebral palsy (CP) is the most common lifelong physical disability, affecting millions globally. Early detection and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes, yet many children are diagnosed late. The General Movements Assessment (GMA) is a highly accurate clinical tool for detecting infants at high probability of CP, but access to health professionals trained in the GMA limits its use.

From data to discovery: Technology propels speech-language research and theory-building in developmental science.

Research on speech and language development has a long history, but in the past decade, it has been transformed by advances in recording technologies, analysis and classification tools, and AI-based language models. We conducted a systematic literature review to identify recently developed (semi-)automatic tools for studying speech-language development and learners' environments in infants and children under the age of 5 years. The Language ENvironment Analysis (LENA) system has been the most widely used tool, with more and more alternative free- and/or open-source tools emerging more recently.

Context Shapes (Proto)Conversations in the First Year of Life.

Speech development occurs in highly variable environments; however, little is known about the effect of situational context on emerging infant vocalizations. At 4 time points (4, 6, 9, and 12 months), we longitudinally measured vocalizations of 104 White infant-caregiver dyads (41 girls) during three play contexts: book-sharing, toy play, and rattle-shaking. The frequency of infant vocalizations differed between contexts only at 12 months of age.

Comparison of marker-less 2D image-based methods for infant pose estimation.

In this study we compare the performance of available generic- and specialized infant-pose estimators for a video-based automated general movement assessment (GMA), and the choice of viewing angle for optimal recordings, i.e., conventional diagonal view used in GMA vs.

Breech presentation at birth has short-term but no long-term effect on neurodevelopmental outcome in moderate and late preterm infants.

Aim: To investigate the effects of fetal presentation at birth on spontaneous postnatal movements, postures and neurodevelopmental outcome in moderate and late preterm (MLPT) infants.

Methods: The study population comprised 154 infants (55 % male, 55 % singletons) of whom 33 (21 %) were born in breech presentation. During the neonatal period and at 3-4 months post-term age, categorical Prechtl general movements assessment (GMA) and detailed scoring of motor functions was performed by means of the General Movement Optimality Score (GMOS) neonatally and Motor Optimality Score-Revised (MOS-R) later.

Sit and face the world: ontogenetic adaptation in infant vocal production and visual attention during the transition to independent sitting.

Background: Motor milestones are not only indicators of developmental progress, but they also open up new opportunities for infants to interact with the environment and social partners, as the development of motor, social, and language skills is tightly interconnected in infancy. This study will investigate how the transition to independent sitting relates to key areas of socio-communicative development in infancy: vocal production and visual attention.

Methods: This study addresses the relationship between sitting acquisition and social cognition skills in infancy.

Shared Environment - Different Genes: Speech-Language Development in a Pair of Dizygotic Twins with and Without Mutation.

This retrospective study compared the speech-language development of a pair of dizygotic twin girls during the first 2 years of life: one with typical development (Twin A) and one with atypical development (Twin B), who was later diagnosed with Rett syndrome (RTT). Audio snippets were extracted from home videos, with nearly equal representation from each child. The audio analysis focused on articulatory complexity, voice characteristics, and linguistic variability.

Neurodevelopmental Follow-Up in Children with Intrauterine and Perinatal Exposure to Chikungunya Virus.

Objective: To investigate the effects of intrauterine and perinatal exposure to chikungunya virus (CHIKV) on neurodevelopment in infants and toddlers.

Study Design: We conducted a cohort study comparing children with intrauterine or perinatal exposure to maternal CHIKV infection with unexposed controls in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Neurodevelopment was assessed with General Movement Assessments in the first 6 months of life, and the Bayley-III Scales of Infant and Toddler Development and Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers for older children.

Deep learning empowered sensor fusion boosts infant movement classification.

Background: To assess the integrity of the developing nervous system, the Prechtl general movement assessment (GMA) is recognized for its clinical value in diagnosing neurological impairments in early infancy. GMA has been increasingly augmented through machine learning approaches intending to scale-up its application, circumvent costs in the training of human assessors and further standardize classification of spontaneous motor patterns. Available deep learning tools, all of which are based on single sensor modalities, are however still considerably inferior to that of well-trained human assessors.

The General Movement Optimality Score-Revised (GMOS-R) with Socioeconomically Stratified Percentile Ranks.

The general movement optimality score (GMOS) quantifies the details of general movements (GMs). We recently conducted psychometric analyses of the GMOS and developed a revised scoresheet. Consequently, the GMOS-Revised (GMOS-R) instrument necessitated validation using new percentile ranks.

The Gestalt of functioning in autism revisited: First revision of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets.

Autistic people experience individual strengths and challenges as well as barriers and facilitators in their environment. All of these factors contribute to how well autistic people can cope in everyday life, fulfill the roles they choose, and meet their needs. The World Health Organization has developed a system aiming to capture the many factors within people (like how someone thinks and feels) and outside of people (things around a person) that influence their daily living, called the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

Assessment of functioning in ADHD according to World Health Organization standards: First revision of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets.

Aim: To conduct the first revision of the World Health Organization International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) Core Sets for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

Method: A Delphi-like method was used, integrating evidence from stakeholder feedback and developing and piloting the ADHD ICF Core Set platform to inform revisions to the ADHD Core Sets.

Results: A total of 27 second-level ICF codes were added to the comprehensive ADHD Core Set: body functions of temperament and personality, and basic sensory functions; activities and participation in terms of learning to read and write, spoken communication, community life, religion and spirituality, education, economy, and human rights; environmental factors for domestic animals; and several societal services.

Music therapy modulates mothers' perception of their preterm infants.

Premature birth imposes considerable challenges on the preterm infant, but also challenges the mother, who may not yet be prepared for motherhood and encounter psychological stress during the post-partum period. This secondary analysis of a prospective randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to investigate how mothers perceive their preterm infants. We surveyed 33 mothers of preterm infants born before 32  weeks of gestation, who were participating in an RCT on music therapy.

Infant movement classification through pressure distribution analysis.

Background: Aiming at objective early detection of neuromotor disorders such as cerebral palsy, we propose an innovative non-intrusive approach using a pressure sensing device to classify infant general movements. Here we differentiate typical general movement patterns of the "fidgety period" (fidgety movements) vs. the "pre-fidgety period" (writhing movements).

Updated systematic-narrative review on communication intervention in Rett Syndrome: 2010-2022.

Due to loss of spoken language and resulting complex communication needs, people with Rett syndrome are obvious candidates for communication intervention. To advance evidence-based practice and guide future research efforts, we identified and summarized 16 communication intervention studies published since a previous 2009 review on this topic. Studies were summarized in terms of (a) participants, (b) dependent variables related to communication, (c) intervention characteristics, (d) outcomes, and (e) certainty of evidence.

Mobile Solutions for Clinical Surveillance and Evaluation in Infancy-General Movement Apps.

The Prechtl General Movements Assessment (GMA) has become a clinician and researcher toolbox for evaluating neurodevelopment in early infancy. Given that it involves the observation of infant movements from video recordings, utilising smartphone applications to obtain these recordings seems like the natural progression for the field. In this review, we look back on the development of apps for acquiring general movement videos, describe the application and research studies of available apps, and discuss future directions of mobile solutions and their usability in research and clinical practice.

Learning about neurodiversity from parents - Auditory gestalt perception of prelinguistic vocalisations.

Background: Infants with Rett syndrome (RTT) may have subtle anomalies in their prelinguistic vocalisations but the detection of these is difficult, since their conspicuous vocalisations are often interspersed with inconspicuous ones.

Aims And Methods: Extending a previous study with predominantly non-parents, the present study sampled parents of children with RTT and aimed to examine their gestalt perception of prelinguistic vocalisations.

Methods And Procedure: Parents (n = 76) of female children with RTT listened to vocalisation recordings from RTT and typically developing (TD) infants, including an inconspicuous vocalisation from a RTT girl.

Open video data sharing in developmental science and clinical practice.

In behavioral research and clinical practice video data has rarely been shared or pooled across sites due to ethical concerns of confidentiality, although the need of shared large-scaled datasets remains increasing. This demand is even more imperative when data-heavy computer-based approaches are involved. To share data while abiding by privacy protection rules, a critical question arises whether efforts at data de-identification reduce data utility? We addressed this question by showcasing an established and video-based diagnostic tool for detecting neurological deficits.

Building Blocks for Deep Phenotyping in Infancy: A Use Case Comparing Spontaneous Neuromotor Functions in Prader-Willi Syndrome and Cerebral Palsy.

With the increasing worldwide application of the Prechtl general movements assessment (GMA) beyond its original field of the early prediction of cerebral palsy (CP), substantial knowledge has been gained on early neuromotor repertoires across a broad spectrum of diagnostic groups. Here, we aimed to profile the neuromotor functions of infants with Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) and to compare them with two other matched groups. One group included infants with CP; the other included patients who were treated at the same clinic and turned out to have inconspicuous developmental outcomes (IOs).

Sex and gender in neurodevelopmental conditions.

Health-related conditions often differ qualitatively or quantitatively between individuals of different birth-assigned sexes and gender identities, and/or with different gendered experiences, requiring tailored care. Studying the moderating and mediating effects of sex-related and gender-related factors on impairment, disability, wellbeing and health is of paramount importance especially for neurodivergent individuals, who are diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions with uneven sex/gender distributions. Researchers have become aware of the myriad influences that sex-related and gender-related variables have on the manifestations of neurodevelopmental conditions, and contemporary work has begun to investigate the mechanisms through which these effects are mediated.

Neuromotor repertoires in infants exposed to maternal COVID-19 during pregnancy: a cohort study.

Objective: To evaluate neuromotor repertoires and developmental milestones in infants exposed to antenatal COVID-19.

Design: Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting: Hospital-based study in Los Angeles, USA and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil between March 2020 and December 2021.

Music Therapy in Preterm Infants Reduces Maternal Distress.

Preterm delivery is a stressful event for mothers, posing them at risk for post-traumatic stress reactions. This study examined the degree of depressive symptoms and post-traumatic stress in mothers of preterm infants born before 32 gestational weeks depending on whether the infant received music therapy in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) or not. We included 33 mothers of preterm infants enrolled in a previously described prospective randomized controlled trial, of whom 18 received music therapy (mean mothers' age 34.