General movement assessment

What are general movements?

All babies move spontaneously. There is a type of spontaneous movement that young babies make called ‘general movements’. These general movements develop and change as the babies get older.

Young babies around term age make writhing general movements and older babies around nine to 20 weeks make fidgety, general movements.

What information does a general movement assessment give?

By carefully looking at the general movements, we get more information about your baby’s future development. They can be classed as normal or abnormal. Normal general movements are strongly associated with normal development.

An abnormal result may be associated with an increased risk of problems with the development of movement such as crawling and walking. Some of these children are later diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

What will happen if an abnormal result is given?

Your baby will receive close surveillance and referral to early intervention services to support development of their movements to the best of their potential.

How can general movements be assessed?

General movements are assessed in babies through a video recording. You can remain with your baby during filming and will need to sign a consent form agreeing to your baby being filmed. The videos will be securely stored in the hospital.

A video will be taken of your baby lying on its back, calm and awake, lightly dressed and unwrapped from blankets. In young babies the video recording takes 30 minutes and at nine to 20 weeks takes around five minutes.

The video at nine to 20 weeks is generally more predictive than the video at term. The video recording will be reviewed away from the baby by trained staff.

When will I know the result?

The video will be reviewed within three to four days and the consultant supervising your baby’s care will then receive the result. If you are an outpatient, the result will be given to you at your next medical appointment. If you are an inpatient, the results will be discussed with you at the next available opportunity.

This document can be made available in alternative formats on request for a person with a disability.