The assessment of GMs is a valuable tool, in particular when combined with the traditional neurological examination, to predict at early age the development of complex MND.

The consistent presence of an abnormal quality of general movements (GMs) during the first postnatal months points to a high risk for the development of a neurological disability. To elucidate the significance of abnormal GMs during a single assessment, a classification system for abnormal GMs was developed. To this end six term and ten preterm infants with abnormal GMs were studied longitudinally with video and electromyographic (EMG) recordings till 59 weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). Two basic categories of abnormal GMs were distinguished: (1) mildly abnormal GMs (two types), which lacked fluency while conserving pattern complexity, and (2) definitely abnormal GMs (four types), which lacked fluency and complexity altogether. GM type before 39 weeks PMA correlated with findings on neonatal ultrasound brain scans. GM quality after 47 weeks PMA was strongly related to neurodevelopmental outcome at IK years of age, suggesting that the absence of the age‐specific ‘fidgety’ character of GMs could be a herald of disability.

Unilateral brain lesions induce clear neurological signs and abnormal GMs in particular, although these abnormalities are not initially asymmetrical. A reduction of segmental movements on one side of the body during the third month postterm is highly predictive of hemiplegia.

No abstract

The majority of surviving preterm children with periventricular hemorrhagic infarction had cerebral palsy with limited functional impairment at school age. Intelligence was within 1 SD of the norm of preterm children without lesions in 60% to 80% of the children. Verbal memory, in particular, was affected. Behavioral and executive function problems occurred slightly more than in preterm infants without lesions. The functional outcome at school age of preterm children with periventricular hemorrhagic infarction is better than previously thought.