With the advent of modern technology and neonatology, the increasing survival rate of infants with complicated birth and perinatal histories meant there was a need for a test that assessed functional motor performance and identified infants aged under four months with delayed development. The Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) is special among standardized motor tests because it catches problems early, even in tiny babies (as young as 34 weeks post conceptual age).

Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) stands out as a gold-standard tool for early identification of motor and postural control challenges in infants from preterm age through 4 months corrected age. Its unique combination of observational and elicited items offers a sensitive and developmentally appropriate assessment of the neuromotor system at a critical stage in early development. By capturing subtle motor patterns and functional postural responses, the TIMP not only informs clinical decision-making and early intervention planning but also provides valuable insight into an infant’s capacity for interaction, movement, and adaptation. Understanding how to administer and interpret the TIMP equips healthcare professionals with a powerful resource to support infants at risk and promote the best possible developmental outcomes. 

The TIMP is a powerful, reliable, and predictive tool for assessing functional motor performance in young infants, offering high reliability and predictive validity for motor and neurodevelopmental outcomes with applications in early intervention, research, and clinical monitoring. By comparing raw scores to age-specific norms, therapists can calculate z-scores and percentage delays to determine eligibility for early intervention. Its strengths include early detection, functional focus, and high reliability, but limitations like age restrictions, training needs, and cultural considerations should be noted. The many case examples concretely illustrate how the TIMP identifies infants with varying degrees of risk (preterm, brain insult, typical development) and guides clinical decision-making across motor challenges typically encountered by occupational and physical therapists.

Our primer handholds the reader to provide a detailed explanation of the TIMP, its functionality, scoring, interpretation, and case examples with computed percentage delays and standard deviations to illustrate eligibility for early intervention services. This primer is a MUST study for evaluators who require computed initial eligibility and service providers who – when computing their standard deviation values during of their 6-month progress note– must justify continued eligibility in very young babies.

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EITTOC is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development.  This distance learning-independent is offered at 0.4 CEUs, introductory, OT service delivery/foundational knowledge. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA or indicate AOTA approval of a certification or other professional recognition.

APPROVED BY THE ILLINOIS EARLY INTERVENTION TRAINING PROGRAM FOR EARLY INTERVENTION CREDENTIAL CREDIT for 4.0 Hours

Meets NY State (NYSOTA) Continuing Compliancy Requirements for continued Core Competency Hours (CCH) 

Disclosure :David C Saidoff PT - course developer/presenter - has the following relevant financial relationships to disclose: he receives monetary compensation for the preparation of this course, in addition to a percentage of company sales, and has the following relevant non-financial relationships to disclose: EITTOC Board of Directors: volunteer member. Melissa Whelan, OTR - course developer/presenter - has the following relevant financial relationships to disclose: she receives monetary compensation for the preparation of this course, in addition to a percentage of company sales, and has the following relevant non-financial relationships to disclose: EITTOC Board of Directors Kristen O’Leary, SLP, has the following relevant financial relationships to disclose: she receives monetary compensation for the preparation of this course, in addition to a percentage of company sales, and has the following relevant non-financial relationships to disclose: EITTOC Board of Directors: volunteer member.  EITTOC Board of Directors: volunteer member.  EITTOC Board of Directors: volunteer member.Dr. Robert Koppel, M.D.,FAAP, Diplomate of the American Board of Pediatrics has the following relevant financial relationships to disclose: he receives monetary compensation for the preparation of this course, in addition to a percentage of company sales, and has the following relevant non-financial relationships to disclose: EITTOC Board of Directors: volunteer member. Declaration: Approval of this course does not necessarily imply that any of the governing bodies (e.g., West Virginian Board of Physical Therapy, or other such governmental or NGO’s supports the views of the presenter or sponsor. Information provided should be used within the scope of practice. No relevant financial or non-financial relationships exists between EITTOC or the products discussed any course; no such relationship or endorsement exists for any products mentioned in any courses sponsored by EITTOC, or in any of the items (such as specific AED or Epinephrine injection product) or any testing instrument used to evaluate children; the above course is specific to said-topic, and may not be extrapolated to any other course or topic outside the scope of this course. Course instructor(s) have no other financial or non-financial remuneration - whether prior to or following course delivery; the above advertisement is made available to all physical therapy (and other) licensee on a non-discriminatory basis. Ascend has approved this course and may be contacted about any concerns. Information provided should be used within scope of practice. AOTA does not endorse specific course content, products, or clinical procedures. The onus of responsibility for this course – granted contact hours by the AOTA – is for each OT professional to check with their State board of OT to see if this course meets licensure requirement for continuing education. AOTA does not endorse specific course content, products, or clinical procedures.