AIMS

Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale

7 items

Score 0–28

during exam

A clinician-administered scale for screening and tracking tardive dyskinesia. The movement-severity subset (items 1–7) is scored here; a composite sum and any single-area score of moderate or greater should prompt further evaluation.

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Observe the patient unobtrusively, then conduct the standard AIMS exam maneuvers. Rate the highest severity observed for each body area over the examination.

0 / 7 answered

1. Muscles of facial expression (forehead, eyebrows, periorbital, cheeks)

2. Lips and perioral area (puckering, pouting, smacking)

3. Jaw (biting, clenching, chewing, mouth opening, lateral movement)

4. Tongue (rate only increase in movement both in and out of the mouth — NOT inability to sustain movement)

5. Upper extremities (arms, wrists, hands, fingers — choreic, athetoid movements)

6. Lower extremities (legs, knees, ankles, toes — lateral knee movement, foot tapping, heel dropping, foot squirming, inversion/eversion of foot)

7. Trunk (neck, shoulders, hips — rocking, twisting, squirming, pelvic gyrations)

Licensing

Developed by the U.S. National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, 1976). Public domain.

Citation

Guy W. ECDEU Assessment Manual for Psychopharmacology. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare; 1976:534-7.

This tool is for education and clinical decision support — it does not substitute for a full clinical evaluation. Always interpret results in the context of a complete history and exam.