TIMPSI Article Summary
Title: VALIDITY OF THE TIMPSI FOR ESTIMATING CONCURRENT PERFORMANCE ON THE TIMP
Summary: The TIMPSI (Test of Infant Motor Performance Screening Items) is used to determine postural control and selective functional movements needed by infants <5 months of age. Seeing that the TIMPSI is a shortened version of the TIMP (Test of Infant Motor Performance), the purpose of this study was to determine the validity of the TIMPSI in its estimation of concurrent performance to the TIMP. The TIMPSI tests rolling, crawling, and many activities in the prone position; however, it does not test sitting capabilities like the TIMP does. 990 infants participated in this study, all of which were classified as infants with low birth weight in the US. The Rasch model and equating method was used to calibrate responses from both the TIMP and TIMPSI (the two outcome measures used in this study) based on each subject’s skill levels. This study was able to conclude that the TIMPSI was in fact a valid screening instrument when compared to the TIMP. There were no interventions applied to this population otherwise. With this information, clinicians can better consider the idea of using the TIMPSI compared to the TIMP, as the TIMP has 42 items, and the TIMP only has 11 items. These tests are used to help predict developmental delays in infants to better promote early intervention.
Strengths: There was a high correlation observed between the TIMP and TIMPSI in that they generally rank infants in the same order. The specificity for clinical use was 84%, while the sensitivity was 72%.
Limitations: This study noted that the TIMPSI should be used with caution in infants at 34-35 weeks post-menstrual age (PMA) because the scores may underestimate TIMP performance. This is ultimately because the TIMPSI items aren’t tailored to the performance of the youngest subjects, as the items on average are more difficult to complete than that of the TIMP. It is suggested that repeating screening with the TIMPSI can reduce the risk of false positives, especially as children age and the test becomes more accurate.
Overall conclusion: The TIMPSI’s screening items show a strong correlation with TIMP’s results, making it an appealing alternative for a large portion of the infant population; however, with select populations (infants 34-35 weeks PMA), it would be more appropriate for the clinician to use the TIMP.
References
Campbell SK, Swanlund A, Smith E, Liao PJ, Zawacki L. Validity of the TIMPSI for estimating concurrent performance on the test of infant motor performance. Pediatr Phys Ther. 2008;20(1):3-10. doi:10.1097/PEP.0b013e31815f66a6
Infant Motor Performance Scales, https://www.thetimp.com/.
Physiopedia. Test of Infant Motor Performance. https://www.physio-pedia.com/Test_of_Infant_Motor_Performance.
2 responses to “TIMPSI Article Summary”
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Hi Miranda! This study appears to give physical therapists important information regarding the validity, specificity, and sensitivity of the TIMP and TIMPSI outcome measures. It is important for studies like this to be done to ensure the outcome measures we are using reflect clinically significant results. The article also differentiates between when to use the TIMP vs. the TIMPSI.
Are there any other select populations (besides infants 34-35 weeks PMA) where the TIMP should be used intead of the TIMPSI?