Research Updates
New research, analysis, and explainers on Dynamic Movement Intervention, pediatric motor development, neuroplasticity, early intervention, and the conditions this site covers: cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, hypotonia, global developmental delay, and prematurity. We also cover adjacent approaches (CME, NDT/Bobath, intensive models) and Idaho policy changes affecting therapy access. Every post states what a study found and what it does not tell you. We publish when something worth reporting appears.
Muscle Tone Explained
Muscle tone is the tension in a relaxed muscle. What low and high tone mean, how tone is measured, what the research shows about whether therapy changes it, and what DMI says about tone.
Read moreMotor Learning Explained
Motor learning is how practice becomes skill: what the principles are, what the cerebral palsy research shows, and what it means when a clinic says a program is built on them.
Read moreCorrected Age for Premature Babies, Explained
Corrected age counts your baby from the due date, not the birth date: what it is, how to calculate it, what the WHO and AAP say, and what to ask anyone who quotes a milestone.
Read moreGross Motor Milestones Explained
Where the typical ages for sitting, crawling, and walking come from: the WHO motor development study followed 816 healthy children at five sites to build the 1st to 99th percentile windows used worldwide.
Read moreThe Apert Syndrome DMI Case Report, Explained
The only peer-reviewed DMI case report so far: a girl with Apert syndrome whose GMFM-88 score rose from 29.00% to 68.68% over eight months of intensive DMI, and what one child's result does and does not show.
Read morePrimitive Reflexes Explained
Primitive reflexes are involuntary movements babies are born with that normally fade in the first year. What persistence means, what DMI says about reflexes, and what to ask.
Read moreAtlantoaxial Instability Explained
Atlantoaxial instability is extra movement between the neck's first two vertebrae. What the AAP says for children with Down syndrome and what it means before hands-on therapy.
Read moreWhat Is an Intensive Model of Therapy (IMOT)?
An intensive model of therapy delivers the same therapy every day over a short, set block of time. What the term means, what the research on therapy intensity shows, and what it does not.
Read moreNeuroplasticity Explained
Neuroplasticity is real and well documented, and DMI is built on it, but a therapy grounded in a mechanism is not thereby proven. What the research shows, what it does not, and what to ask a provider.
Read moreThe Idaho Infant Toddler Program, explained
Idaho's free early intervention program evaluates any child under three at no cost, with no doctor's referral needed. Who qualifies, how to request an evaluation, and what an IFSP is.
Read moreAutomatic Postural Responses Explained
Automatic postural responses are the unplanned adjustments a child's body makes to stay upright. This explainer covers what they are, how they develop, and why DMI targets them.
Read moreHINE: Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination
The HINE is a 26-item exam that scores an infant's neurological function to help detect cerebral palsy before 6 months. Learn what it measures, how it is scored, and how to request one.
Read morePrechtl's General Movements Assessment Explained
The General Movements Assessment evaluates spontaneous movements in infants to predict cerebral palsy before 6 months. Learn how it works, what it measures, and how to request one.
Read moreShoaib Sensorimotor Development Tool Explained
The Shoaib Sensorimotor Development Tool is a 72-item assessment covering nine domains, used as one of three primary outcome measures in the DMI trial. Learn what it measures and why it matters.
Read moreTrunk Impairment Scale: What It Measures and Why
The Trunk Impairment Scale (TIS) was one of three outcome measures in the DMI clinical trial. Learn what it assesses, how it differs from the GMFM-88, and what it tells you about trunk control.
Read moreGMFM-88: What the Gross Motor Function Measure Tells You
The GMFM-88 is an 88-item assessment that measures gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy. Learn what it scores, how it differs from the GMFCS, and why it matters for the DMI trial results.
Read moreEPSDT: How to get more therapy through Idaho Medicaid
EPSDT lets Idaho children on Medicaid get therapy beyond normal limits. How the benefit works, what to ask for, and where to file the request.
Read moreGMFCS Levels: What They Mean for Your Child
The five-level GMFCS scale is used throughout CP research but rarely explained to parents. What each level means, how it is classified, and how it helps you interpret the research on this site.
Read moreWhy DMI isn't in the major evidence reviews
DMI is absent from the major cerebral palsy evidence reviews because it postdates their research, not because it was assessed and rejected. What that distinction means for parents.
Read moreDMI and CME evidence: the critique and the response
A January 2026 paper in Pediatric Physical Therapy argues that neither DMI nor CME is supported by well-designed studies. DMI's co-founders responded in the same journal. What the critique establishes, and what it does not.
Read moreNothing here is medical advice, and no single study should change your child's care on its own. Discuss anything you read here with your child's pediatrician or therapist.