Movements induced by optic flow in relation to HINE

Early recognition of developmental disorders is key to initiating effective physiotherapeutic intervention. The literature emphasizes the importance of visual perception and eye-hand coordination in motor development. This study aimed to determine whether the number of limb movements evoked by visual flow at 3 months of age correlates with HINE scale scores and can predict motor development by month 4. Twenty-nine infants (12 girls, 17 boys) born at term without congenital anomalies or neurological disorders were included. In the third month, motor responses to static and moving images (a sliding checkerboard) were recorded, focusing on the number of limb movements, movement cycles and head movements. At the same time, a HINE assessment was carried out and repeated in the fourth month. A significantly higher number of movements at the moving stimulus was found (p < 0.05). The number of hand movements correlated positively with muscle tone and total HINE score (rho ≈ 0.4). Most infants improved HINE scores by month 4, especially in posture and reflexes, but children with less improvement were noted to have fewer limb movements by month 3. The optical flow method may be a promising tool to aid in the early diagnosis of eye-hand coordination and capture infants at risk for poor gross motor development.