Children Hospital of Philadelphia Infant Test of Neuromuscular Disorders (CHOP INTEND)

The CHOP INTEND measures motor function in babies who are very weak — primarily infants with spinal muscular atrophy type 1, where standard developmental tests hit the floor immediately and cannot show change. It was adapted from the Test of Infant Motor Performance for exactly that reason.

Sixteen items cover head, neck, trunk, and limb strength, mixing spontaneous movement the examiner watches for with movements the examiner elicits: hand grip, rolling prompted from the legs, head control, knee extension, spinal incurvation. Items are ordered easiest to hardest, and lower scores reflect gravity-eliminated movement while higher scores reflect movement against gravity. Each item scores 0 to 4, totaling 0 to 64, where higher means more strength.

• Test Development and Reliability: Glanzman et al. (2010)

Licensing Notes: Clinical trials require administration by a specifically trained clinician, often with video recording for quality control.

Learn More: A 4-point increase is the improvement threshold used across major trials, and a typical symptomatic SMA type 1 infant scores around 20 to 22 at baseline — useful context when reading a number. Trials generally stop administering it after 24 months of age or once a child reaches near-ceiling scores.