A comparison of cognitive development in normal and psychotic children in the first two years of life from home movies.

Researchers watched old home movies of babies who later received a psychosis diagnosis.

They scored each baby on Piaget sensorimotor milestones like reaching and object permanence.

A second group of movies showed babies who grew up with typical development.

The team compared the two groups to see which milestones looked different.

Babies who later developed psychosis showed small lags in early sensorimotor skills.

These gaps were visible before anyone suspected a problem.

The study proved that home movies can hold early red flags if you know what to code.

Palomo et al. (2008) used the same movie-mining idea to show one child with childhood disintegrative disorder lost skills abruptly after 48 months.

Their case study extends the 1980 work by revealing a sudden plunge rather than a slow drift.

De Roubaix et al. (2025) also coded infant videos, but they tracked movement quality instead of Piaget steps.

They found poorer movement at 18–24 months in babies later diagnosed with developmental coordination disorder.

Together the three papers say: pick your coding rule—milestones, movement, or regression—and home footage still gives a valid early signal.

You can borrow this low-cost method today. Ask caregivers to bring old phone clips. Code a short checklist: Does the baby find hidden toys? Sit without support? Reach for people? Missing bits can guide you to refer sooner. No extra filming, no stress for the child, just clearer data for earlier action.