Concurrent Validity of the Head Control Scale and Alberta Infant Motor Scales

Head control development is an important aspect of overall motor control in infants. Deficits in head control can affect multiple areas of development including motor milestones, feeding, and use of power mobility. Research indicates pediatric physical therapists do not have a reliable and valid method to assess head control in isolation and are instead using standardized assessments with few head control items or non objective assessments such as labels of present or not present. The Head Control Scale (HCS) is an observational tool designed to assess head control in supine, prone, pull to sit, and sitting. The HCS has been shown to have great interrater reliability.