Influence of Medical History on Assessment of At‐Risk Infants

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Abstract
The influence of knowledge of their medical history on the assessment of at-risk infants was examined. Two at-risk infants, one with a high-risk medical history and one with a low-risk history, were assessed and videotaped using the Movement Assessment of Infants. 41 physical therapists were randomly assigned to assess the videotaped examinations in four groups with different knowledge of the infants' histories (high-risk infant with actual or low-risk history; low-risk infant with actual or high-risk history). The clinical significance of the difference in total risk scores between knowledge conditions of a high-risk history and a low-risk history was greater for the low-risk infant. The higher mean total risk score for the low-risk infant assessed with a high-risk history suggests that false positive results could occur which may alter parents' perceptions and interactions with the infants and consequently influence their development.