OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Research for occupational therapy

Papers an occupational therapist can act on, across daily living, mental health, hand therapy, paediatrics and rehabilitation, each read in full rather than from its abstract.

10,853 PAPERS · PAGE 192 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPOther2026Robotics and artificial intelligence applications in neurorehabilitation: a bibliometric analysis (2003-2025).Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThe literature on robotics and AI in neurorehabilitation has grown rapidly since 2010, but remains heavily focused on stroke and exoskeleton design. There is little published research on Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, or paediatric populations, and the field lacks clinical validation data.
• PTOTCohort2026Quantitative clinical assessment of wrist proprioception with stroke survivors.Clinical rehabilitationA 10-trial wrist position sense test identifies impairment with 85.3% sensitivity and 95.7% specificity compared to the 20-trial version. Updated cut-off scores allow clinicians to confidently diagnose proprioceptive loss after stroke without adjusting for age, sex, or hand dominance.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Synchronous telehealth and face-to-face administration of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.Developmental medicine and child neurologyTelehealth Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores matched face-to-face scores almost perfectly for 8- and 12-month-olds. Agreement dropped for 4-month-olds. Clinicians can use synchronous telehealth for older infants, saving significant travel time while maintaining accuracy.
• PTOTPilot2026Audio-guided exercise at home: Preliminary findings from a pilot study on physical activity for people with low vision.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationAudio-guided home exercise improved walking and strength in people with low vision, though supervised gym training produced greater gains. Home audio sessions are a feasible alternative when travel or supervision is impossible, but they are not as effective as guided training.
• OTSLPQualitative2025'We think differently, we learn differently, but at the end of the day we're not that different': Strengths-based approaches in high school from the perspectives of autistic adolescents.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceSixteen autistic teens described school as most engaging when teachers understood their specific interests, such as coding or writing. They valued clear rules and future-focused career guidance. Generic social programs felt forced, while shared interests helped them build genuine peer connections.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Multicomponent exercise interventions for cognitive function in patients with mild cognitive impairment: a summary of best evidence.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMulticomponent exercise combining aerobic, strength, balance, and flexibility work improved overall cognition in older adults with mild cognitive impairment. Moderate intensity, 30-60 minute sessions, and 3-4 times weekly are recommended. Evidence is graded low and relies on secondary sources.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Effectiveness of post-acute care for patients with cerebral vascular disease in Taiwan between 2014 and 2023: a narrative synthesis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTaiwan's post-acute stroke care, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech and swallowing therapy, was linked to better function, fewer readmissions, and lower costs. Evidence is observational, so single components cannot be separated.
• PTOTRCT2026Women and men profit equally from cardiac rehabilitation: a secondary analysis of the OPTICARE RCT.Journal of rehabilitation medicineWomen and men gain similar benefits from cardiac rehabilitation for walking distance, activity, and quality of life. Women improved more in depressive symptoms. Men benefited more from extra group counselling for physical activity, while women gained more from counselling for mental health.
• PTOTOther2026Brain creatine concentrations are associated with sex and symptom severity after concussion: a cross-sectional MR-spectroscopy investigation of adolescents with concussion.Brain injuryIn adolescents recovering from concussion, higher brain creatine measured by MRS was linked to fewer symptoms, less mobility trouble and less pain interference. Males had higher creatine than females. This does not show creatine causes recovery.
• PTOTCohort2026Physical activity for weight loss maintenance in people with and without physical disability: The international weight control registry.Disability and health journalPeople with physical disabilities reported more sedentary time and higher odds of doing no physical activity at all compared to those without. However, physical activity levels did not differ between those who maintained weight loss and those who regained it.
• OTOther2026Residual gaze behaviour during navigation in blindness and low vision.Disability and rehabilitation. Assistive technologyOn a city walk, people with more vision loss walked slower, made more fixations, and looked over narrower areas. Fully sighted walkers shared a centre-focused scanning pattern, while low vision people varied widely.
• PTOTRCT2026Visual and visual-proprioceptive training improve gait via sensory reweighting after chronic stroke: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVisual-proprioceptive integration training improved comfortable gait speed by 0.08 m/s more than control. It also reduced step-length asymmetry by 28.3% more than control. Oculomotor training alone did not significantly improve gait speed or symmetry compared to control.
• PTOTOther2026Factors associated with long-term functional outcomes and participation in patients with colorectal cancers.Journal of rehabilitation medicineMost colorectal cancer survivors reported good quality of life, but fatigue, pain, bowel and bladder problems, and unmet support needs were common. Lower pain and fatigue were linked with better quality of life.
• PTOTRCT2026Immersive virtual reality upper-limb exercises in people with Parkinson's disease: an observer-blinded randomised controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationConventional upper-limb training improved hand function significantly more than immersive virtual reality, though both groups showed gains in arm function and dexterity. The VR system was usable and well-tolerated, but did not outperform standard therapy for the primary outcome.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2025The Health-related Quality of Life and Voice Handicap Index in Recovered COVID-19 Patients in Comparison to Healthy Subjects.Journal of voice : official journal of the Voice FoundationRecovered COVID-19 patients reported significantly worse quality of life and higher voice handicap than healthy subjects two months post-discharge. Voice problems correlated strongly with poor physical and mental health scores in patients but not in healthy controls.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Effectiveness of a Customized Rehabilitation Program for Adults With Post-Concussion Syndrome-A Randomized Controlled Crossover Trial.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationCustomized rehabilitation targeting specific physical impairments after concussion produced larger and faster symptom improvements than standard symptom-based care. Patients with autonomic, neck, or balance issues saw meaningful gains within six weeks, whereas standard care showed slower, smaller changes.
• PTOTSLPOther2025The Coexistence of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Positive Childhood Experiences, and Parent-reported Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Severity: National Survey of Children's Health.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPChildren with high adverse experiences and low positive supports had 2.2 times the odds of severe parent-reported ADHD compared to those with low adversity and high supports. Adverse and positive experiences do not operate independently; they cluster in ways that predict symptom severity.
• PTOTCohort2025Central Blood Pressure and Augmentation Index in Older Adults With Intellectual Disabilities.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDROlder adults with intellectual disabilities show cardiovascular risk patterns similar to the general population, with women having higher central blood pressure than men. However, these specific vascular measures did not correlate with a history of cardiovascular disease in this group.
• PTOTOther2026Latent profile analysis of social participation in stroke survivors with limb dysfunction: a mixed-methods study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineFour participation patterns emerged after stroke with limb dysfunction. 43.1% were cautious and 33.3% disengaged. In interviews, comparing life with the worst period after stroke was linked to rebuilding, while comparing with before stroke was linked to loss.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Incidence of developmental disorders and special educational needs and disabilities in children in the UK.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren born even one or two weeks before full term face higher odds of developmental disorders and special educational needs. This risk persists after accounting for deprivation and ethnicity, suggesting early term birth is not harmless.
• OTOther2026Leveraging neural drive to assess hand motor function in individuals with chronic stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA wearable muscle sensor tracked hand nerve signals in seven people with stroke. Combined signal features predicted hand function scores well, but the study was too small to guide treatment. Do not change your practice based on these results.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Longitudinal Associations Between Physical Activity Behavior and Structural Brain MRI Features After Stroke: A Sub-Study From the Nor-COAST Project.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStroke survivors who walked more had brains that looked younger on MRI scans. Each extra 1,000 daily steps was linked to a brain appearing 1.15 years younger. This association held for both light and moderate activity, suggesting staying active may help preserve brain structure after stroke.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Age at onset and gene variants predict lifespan and disease duration in childhood neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn children with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, the age at which symptoms first appear strongly predicts how long the patient lives. Later onset meant significantly longer survival and disease duration, while early onset led to rapid decline. Genetic variant severity did not consistently predict this timeline.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Improving dynamic balance in relapsing-remitting MS: insights from robotic-assisted rehabilitation therapy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBoth robotic-assisted and traditional balance training improved clinical balance scores equally. However, the robotic group showed superior recovery speed and trunk stability during dynamic perturbations, suggesting robots help train reactive balance better than standard exercises alone.
• OTQualitative2025'I don't think they understand the reality of autism': The lived experiences of autistic adults in Japan.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceSeven autistic adults in Japan described lifelong feelings of being misunderstood and severe bullying. They faced workplace discrimination and were often told to hide their diagnosis to appear normal. This led to burnout and social withdrawal. They sought acceptance and support but found little post-diagnostic help.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Development of a Screening Intervention for Dysphagia in Hospitalised Geriatric Patients.DysphagiaA new screening protocol for hospitalised older adults combines a four-question survey with a 30ml water test. It was designed for nurses and therapists to complete in five to fifteen minutes. No patient outcomes were measured yet.
• OTSurvey2025COVID-19 Infection and Mitigation for Young Children With Autism and Other Disabilities.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPCaregivers reported more positive tests and more difficulty with masking, handwashing, distancing, and nasal swabs in young children with autism or other developmental disabilities than in population comparison children. No intervention was tested.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Neurological diagnoses in children potentially fulfilling the criteria for developmental coordination disorder.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn children suspected of developmental coordination disorder, neurological exam alone was unreliable for ruling out other conditions. Thirty-eight percent received an alternative diagnosis, with genetic disorders identified in over half of these cases. Clinicians should consider referring for further investigation when motor signs are atypical or progressive.
• OTSLPOther2026Measuring autistic burnout: A psychometric validation of the AASPIRE Autistic Burnout Measure in autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn 379 autistic adults, the 27-item Autistic Burnout Measure worked best as one total score. It identified people who said they were burnt out better than a depression questionnaire.
• PTOTPilot2026Efficacy and biomechanical effects of the powered lower-limbs exoskeletons Keeogo in adults with neuromuscular diseases.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThe Keeogo exoskeleton significantly reduced walking distance and speed in adults with neuromuscular diseases. While it did not affect static balance or increase fall risk, the added weight and biomechanical changes hindered gait performance, making it currently unsuitable for improving mobility in this population.
• OTSystematic Review2026Efficacy of non-invasive neuromodulation technologies in improving cognitive function and activities of daily living in patients with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and stroke: a systematic review and network meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationNon-invasive brain stimulation improved MoCA and MMSE scores versus sham or conventional intervention in adults with Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, or stroke. Theta burst ranked best for cognition, tDCS for instrumental daily tasks, but effects were short-term and heterogeneous.
• OTPilot2026Restoring hand grasping for patients with a complete tetraplegia with selective epineural stimulation: a parsimonious thus relevant clinical approach.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn four men with complete tetraplegia, implanted nerve cuff electrodes and external stimulation let them complete bottle and fork tasks in under 40 seconds during a one-month trial.
• PTOTCohort2026Evolution of bowel function and quality of life after spinal cord injury: a longitudinal registry and survey study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineBowel dysfunction remains a major burden for spinal cord injury survivors, affecting over 70% at discharge and 51% years later. While quality of life generally improved over time, persistent bowel issues kept scores lower. Completeness of injury predicted bowel recovery, not treatment changes.
• OTCohort2026Patient satisfaction with hospital-based outpatient rehabilitation after stroke in Sweden and its association with life satisfaction and health-related quality of life: a longitudinal national register study.Journal of rehabilitation medicineMost stroke survivors rated hospital outpatient rehabilitation positively, and higher satisfaction with the rehabilitation process was linked to better life satisfaction and health-related quality of life at discharge and one year.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Benign External Hydrocephalus in a Subgroup of Autistic Children Prior to Autism Diagnosis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA subgroup of autistic children under two years old had benign external hydrocephalus and enlarged extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid. This pattern was rare in controls and resolved by age four. These findings suggest a specific early brain development issue in some autistic children.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Swallowing Evaluation in Post-COVID-19 Patients with Oropharyngeal Dysphagia.DysphagiaPost-COVID patients who failed swallowing screening early after discharge had high rates of aspiration and silent aspiration. Those screened weeks later had far fewer abnormalities. Higher EAT-10 scores and respiratory rates predicted aspiration risk.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Conductive Education for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review of Outcomes, Practice Time and Motor Performance Assessment.Child: care, health and developmentConductive education studies reported mixed motor outcomes in children with cerebral palsy: some showed gains, others did not, and the review could not combine the results.
• OTSLPCohort2025Characterizing the Relationship Among the Social Competence Elements in Autistic Adolescents.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn 243 autistic adolescents, face memory processing linked to social behavior and functioning primarily through theory of mind skills. This suggests that social difficulties may stem less from basic perceptual deficits and more from a lack of active cognitive engagement with social cues.
• PTOTCohort2025Ten-Year Outcomes of Anticholinergic Use Among Older Adults With Intellectual Disability: Findings From the Intellectual Disability Supplement to the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (IDS-TILDA).Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRHigh anticholinergic burden was associated with more falls and mental health problems after 10 years in older adults with intellectual disability. It did not predict ADL dependency, constipation or laxative use. Medication review is warranted.
• OTSurvey2025"Being Integrated Does Not Mean Being Included": What Factors Contribute to School Exclusion for Autistic Children?Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research42.3% of autistic children in Ontario had experienced school exclusion. Parents reporting lower satisfaction with their child's Individual Education Plan were significantly more likely to report exclusion. Qualitative data highlighted bullying and inadequate staff training as primary drivers.
• PTOTOther2026Analysis of balance in adults with chronic axial spinal pain receiving medial branch block or radiofrequency ablation procedures.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationPeople with chronic spinal pain had worse balance than healthy controls, especially with eyes closed. Medial branch blocks did not improve this. However, procedures at the C2/3 level significantly increased sway. This suggests specific cervical levels affect balance, while others do not.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Cross-modal synchronization of EEG and ECG reveals hidden signatures of recovery in traumatic brain injury.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 11 comatose patients, heart-brain signal synchronization differed between outcomes. A new metric separated good from poor recovery with high statistical significance. This is a proof-of-concept algorithm, not a validated clinical tool, and cannot yet guide patient care.
• PTOTSLPRCT2026Novel lower limb robot-assisted gait phase stimulation enhances walking and balance in stroke patients: a pilot trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationStroke patients walking with assistance who received robot gait training with electrical stimulation timed to each gait phase walked faster and balanced better than those with conventional or sham stimulation. Improvements persisted five weeks after the three-week course ended.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Effectiveness of mirror and robot-assisted therapy for upper extremity rehabilitation in post-stroke patients: a meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCombining robot-assisted and mirror therapy improved arm movement and daily independence in stroke survivors. The gains were large enough to be clinically meaningful. However, the evidence is moderate, mostly from Chinese trials, and long-term effects are unknown.
• PTOTRCT2026A bilateral upper limb interactive game-based virtual reality rehabilitation system for stroke patients: a usability and clinical study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn a small pilot trial, a Kinect-based bilateral game system outperformed conventional therapy on arm function and coordination. Scores on the 66-point Fugl-Meyer scale rose from 30.18 to 39.27. The sample was tiny, so treat this as feasibility data, not proof.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Online Health Literacy Resources for People With Intellectual Disability: A Grey Literature Scoping Review.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDROnline health resources for people with intellectual disability mostly cover tests and physical health but lack content for young people's mental health, sexual health, and men's health. While most use accessible language, very few help users evaluate or apply the information.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Comparing inpatient stroke rehabilitation care and outcomes for people with and without aphasia in Australia.Clinical rehabilitationPatients with aphasia were more likely to have goals and care plans made without them, less likely to be assessed by a psychologist despite more mood impairment when assessed, and less likely to be independent or discharged home.
• PTOTOther2026A Streamlined 4-item Wolf Motor Function Test for Efficient Assessment of Upper Extremity Motor Function in Chronic Stroke Survivors.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairA 4-item version of the Wolf Motor Function Test matches the full 15-item score almost exactly. It takes far less time and equipment, making it a practical choice for tracking arm recovery in chronic stroke patients with mild-to-moderate impairment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Brain lesion extent, growth, and body composition in children with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyGreater brain lesion extent in children with cerebral palsy predicted shorter stature and lower weight, but not differences in body composition. Gross motor function level, not lesion size, drove fat and muscle changes. Children with high GMFCS levels gained excessive fat mass despite similar weight to peers.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Effectiveness and safety of abobotulinumtoxinA in pediatric lower limb spasticity: A phase IV, prospective, observational, multicenter study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn children with lower limb spasticity, abobotulinumtoxinA helped most patients reach their specific functional goals. Goal achievement remained high through eight injection cycles, with ambulatory patients doing better than non-ambulatory ones.