Early developmental assessment with a short screening test, the STEP, predicts one-year outcomes

To evaluate the Specific Test of Early Infant Motor Performance (STEP), a rapid screening test of preterm infants at risk for developmental delay. We prospectively studied 23 preterm infants’ performance on the STEP and the Test of Infant Motor Performance (TIMP) at term and 3 months, and on the Bayley-III at 12 months. We investigated the psychometric qualities of the STEP and determined STEP cutoff scores for low and high-performing infants. STEP scores at term and 3 months strongly correlate with 12-month Bayley-III gross motor and cognitive scaled scores, while TIMP scores did not. The STEP showed excellent reliability and required 6–10 min to administer. STEP is a short, easy to administer, early developmental assessment with unique scoring that emphasizes qualitative and quantitative aspects of muscle tone in movements and predicts 12-month Bayley gross motor and cognitive scaled scores.