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 209 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTRCT2022VR-based cognitive rehabilitation for children with traumatic brain injuries: Feasibility and safety.Rehabilitation psychologyA VR cognitive training game was safe and doable for children with TBI. Twenty-six children stuck with their assigned game, over 80% completed all measures, and the two who stopped for eye strain or headache recovered. Thinking-skill scores did not improve significantly.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2025Post-diagnostic support for adults diagnosed with autism in adulthood in the UK: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMost adults diagnosed with autism in adulthood who were surveyed said post-diagnostic support did not meet their needs, and no included study measured whether any of it works. Adults valued psychoeducation, peer contact and one-to-one help; follow-up and signposting alone were not enough.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Effects of electrical and magnetic stimulation on upper extremity function after stroke: A systematic review and network meta-analysis.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationCombining repetitive peripheral magnetic stimulation with electrical stimulation ranked highest for upper limb recovery after stroke, ahead of electrical stimulation alone, but confidence is very low and spasticity did not improve with any of these treatments.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2023Comparison of Different Rehabilitation Techniques of Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine in the Treatment of Motor Dysfunction After Stroke Based on Frequency Method: A Network Meta-analysis.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationAdded to routine stroke rehabilitation, biofeedback, acupuncture and virtual reality beat routine therapy alone on movement, balance and hand function scores. Most comparisons between therapies showed no significant difference and the authors say the rankings are only for reference.
• PTOTRCT2022Usage Patterns of an mHealth Symptom Monitoring App Among Adolescents With Acute Mild Traumatic Brain Injuries.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationTeens who used the concussion app logged their symptoms about nine times each but mostly stopped before the learning modules, so most got feedback without the education meant to help them act on it. Total app time averaged just over an hour.
• OTRCT2022Working memory training in children with borderline intellectual functioning and neuropsychiatric disorders: a triple-blind randomised controlled trial.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAdaptive working memory training was no better than a placebo version of the same computer programme. Both groups improved on working memory, attention and parent-rated behaviour, but children with a low IQ and ADHD or ASD got no extra benefit.
• PTOTRCT2025Hand Functions Following Prone-weight Bearing on Upper Limb with Active Elbow Extension Versus Modified Constraint Induced Movement Therapy in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy - A Randomised Clinical Trial.NeuroRehabilitationIn 38 children with unilateral cerebral palsy aged 2 to 5, two weeks of prone weight-bearing on the arms improved hand-function scores more than modified constraint therapy did, though both improved. The weight-bearing group started lower and no one was followed up.
• OTSystematic Review2025Quality-of-life measurement in randomised controlled trials of mental health interventions for autistic adults: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceOnly 5 of 19 trials of mental health treatments for autistic adults measured quality of life at all, and just one of the measures they used had been validated with autistic people. Most trials also excluded autistic adults with intellectual disability.
• PTOTRCT2025Lamotrigine for cognitive deficits associated with neurofibromatosis type 1: A phase II randomized placebo-controlled trial.Developmental medicine and child neurologyLamotrigine 200 mg a day for 26 weeks did not improve performance IQ or any other cognitive or behavioural measure in adolescents with NF1. The trial stopped early at 31 of a planned 60 participants, but the groups' scores barely differed.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2024Cognitive approaches in the rehabilitation of upper limbs function in children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineAdding action observation therapy to usual rehabilitation did not significantly improve upper limb function in children with cerebral palsy when five trials were pooled. Individual trials reported gains, and mirror therapy trials also reported improvements, but mirror therapy could not be pooled.
• OTRCT2024Behavioral Intervention that Extends Sleep Duration Leads to Greater Self-Control in School-Aged Children.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPChildren aged 8 to 11 who slept 9.5 hours or less a night and got a brief behavioural sleep programme slept longer and their caregivers rated them as more self-controlled than controls. Caregivers knew which group their child was in.
• PTOTRCT2022Changes in physical activity across a 6-month weight loss intervention in adolescents with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRActivity barely moved: moderate-to-vigorous activity rose about 4.5 minutes a day, from 15.2 to 19.7, and did not reach significance. Only 2 of 30 met the 60 minute a day goal at six months.
• OTRCT2022Helpers help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities and hypertension to understand their condition and the need to adhere to anti-hypertensive medication.Disability and health journalCoaching the family member or paid helper, not the person with intellectual disability themselves, was what raised knowledge about high blood pressure and why the pills matter. Adults with IDD who got the messages directly showed no gain over the comparison group.
• PTOTRCT2025Early developmental trajectories of the impaired hand in infants with unilateral cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyWith early therapy, 63 infants with unilateral CP followed three paths of hand development: 29% barely improved, 35% improved steadily, 36% began high-functioning. Which therapy they got, the dose, the side affected and the brain lesion did not predict the path.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Effectiveness of nonpharmacological therapeutic interventions on pain and physical function in adults with rib fractures during acute care: A systematic review and meta-analysis.The South African journal of physiotherapyCare bundles that include physiotherapy, pain control and respiratory care cut pneumonia after rib fractures: pooled risk fell 63% across two cohort studies. Hospital stay and death rates showed no difference in pooled analyses, and no study measured physical function objectively.
• OTRCT2022The online mindset intervention 'The Growth Factory' for adolescents with intellectual disabilities: moderators and mediators.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRAge, baseline mindset and level of intellectual disability did not change how much this six-session online mindset programme helped. Adolescents who rated it more satisfying showed bigger falls in emotional and behaviour problems, and gains in perseverance explained the emotional-problem improvement.
• OTRCT2022A randomized control trial of the effects of home-based online attention training and working memory training on cognition and everyday function in a community stroke sample.Neuropsychological rehabilitationFour weeks of daily home-based attention or working memory training did not improve spatial bias or any standardised cognitive test in 80 community stroke survivors. Only participants' ratings of memory, concentration and mood favoured attention training, but the researcher collecting those ratings knew the groups.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2021Fever during pregnancy as a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders: results from a systematic review and meta-analysis.Molecular autismChildren whose mothers had a fever during pregnancy were diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition more often (pooled odds 1.24). Fever in the first three months was linked; fever later on was not. Observational data, so this is an association, not proof of cause.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2025First Impressions Towards Autistic People: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic people are judged less favourably than non-autistic people on first impression, from a photo, a voice or a video. When raters only read a transcript of what was said, there was no clear bias either way.
• OTRCT2024Associations Between Sleep Health and Child Behavior at Age 6 Years in the INSIGHT Study.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPDuration and quality of sleep showed no link to behaviour; how regular the timing was did. Children whose sleep onset shifted more night to night were coded as more impulsive, and the link to poorer emotion regulation appeared only in the home safety control group.
• OTMeta-Analysis2024Efficacy and safety of acupuncture therapy for neuropsychiatric symptoms among patients with Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Clinical rehabilitationAcupuncture added to medication or brain stimulation improved depression, anxiety, cognition and quality of life scores in people with Parkinson's disease. Acupuncture on its own worked no better than sham or no treatment, and fatigue did not improve.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2024Upper extremity function and disability recovery with vibration therapy after stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding vibration to usual stroke rehabilitation improved arm and hand movement and daily independence across 30 trials in 1,621 people. Most participants also received standard therapy, so how much the vibration itself contributed is unclear, and benefits faded beyond three months.
• PTOTRCT2021Corticospinal Tract Microstructure Predicts Distal Arm Motor Improvements in Chronic Stroke.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTIn chronic stroke with mild-to-moderate arm weakness, people whose corticospinal tract looked more damaged at baseline improved more on a timed hand and arm test after four months of practice. That reversed what the authors expected. Do not use imaging to pick who to treat.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Digital motor intervention effects on physical activity performance of individuals with developmental disabilities: a systematic review.Disability and rehabilitationDigital exercise games (Wii, virtual reality, Zoom) improved fitness, cardiovascular and motor measures in people with intellectual disability, with strongest support in Down syndrome and autism. Evidence for people without intellectual disability is weak, and most studies were small and poorly controlled.
• OTRCT2024Feasibility study of a parent-driven intervention for youth with Down syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRBoth five-session parent programmes, one behavioural and one educational, were practical to run and children's behaviour problems, irritability and hyperactivity fell over the study in both. The behavioural programme was not clearly better than the educational one. Only 20 families took part.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2023Effects of Parent-Implemented Interventions on Outcomes of Children with Autism: A Meta-Analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTraining parents to deliver autism intervention produced moderate gains in children's social skills, behaviour and communication versus usual care or waiting lists, but little improvement in daily living skills. Better-run trials showed smaller gains.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2022Calm with horses? A systematic review of animal-assisted interventions for improving social functioning in children with autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceHorse-based programmes were the only animal interventions with supporting evidence: most trials reported better social functioning in children with autism, but none was free of bias. The single dog-reading trial found nothing, and the dolphin programme did no better than an animal-free control.
• OTRCT2022An app-based just-in-time-adaptive self-management intervention for care partners: The CareQOL feasibility pilot study.Rehabilitation psychologyPeople caring for someone with spinal cord injury, Huntington disease or a stem cell transplant stuck with a 90-day app and Fitbit: 69 of 70 finished. The app group scored better on 3 of 10 measures, but the trial was too small to confirm benefit.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2024The Effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy in Helping People on Sick Leave to Return to Work: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of occupational rehabilitationCBT-based programmes cut sick leave by 3.649 days and got more people back to work, but anxiety and work ability did not improve. Sixteen of the 34 treatment groups combined CBT with other treatments, so the effect cannot be pinned on CBT alone.
• PTOTRCT2023Fidelity of Delivery in a Multisite Randomized Clinical Trial of Intervention Efficacy for Infants With Unilateral Cerebral Palsy.Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy AssociationTherapists delivered baby bimanual and baby constraint-induced therapy as designed in 64 of 72 recorded home sessions. All 8 lower-fidelity sessions were Baby-BIM, 6 of them from home visit 4 onwards. This shows delivery, not whether either therapy works.
• PTOTRCT2023Multisensory Stimulation and Priming (MuSSAP) in 4-10 Months Old Infants with a Unilateral Brain Lesion: A Pilot Randomised Clinical Trial.Occupational therapy internationalAdding a wristband that gave light, song and vibration to eight weeks of home hand training did not improve hand use more than the home training alone in 16 infants with a brain injury on one side. Both groups improved.
• OTRCT2022Effects of Task-Based LSVT-BIG Intervention on Hand Function, Activity of Daily Living, Psychological Function, and Quality of Life in Parkinson's Disease: A Randomized Control Trial.Occupational therapy internationalIn 14 people with Parkinson's, adding task-based LSVT-BIG to occupational therapy improved everyday activity scores and anxiety more than occupational therapy plus relaxation, and improved hand dexterity in both hands. Depression and quality of life did not differ between the groups.
• PTOTRCT2022Use of an EMG-Controlled Game as a Therapeutic Tool to Retrain Hand Muscle Activation Patterns Following Stroke: A Pilot Study.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTChronic stroke survivors with moderate hand weakness got faster and more direct at steering a cursor with their hand muscles after nine sessions of an EMG-controlled game. Training with the affected hand alone or with both hands worked equally well.
• OTMeta-Analysis2022Perinatal Physiological and Psychological Risk Factors and Childhood Sleep Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPPrenatal alcohol, tobacco and preterm birth, and depression before or after birth were each linked to more sleep problems and shorter sleep in children. Maternal anxiety, caffeine and opioid maintenance treatment were not. This is risk-factor evidence; no treatment was tested.
• OTRCT2025Effects of Client-Centered Occupational Therapy Intervention in Older Adults With Depression: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Occupational therapy internationalIn 30 older adults with long-standing depression, 16 sessions of client-centred occupational therapy at home reduced depression and stress more than case management plus seated gymnastics, and improved social integration. Daily-living skills did not change in either group, and anxiety did not differ between groups.
• OTSystematic Review2025Oral care interventions for autistic individuals: A systematic review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceVisual supports such as social stories, videos and picture schedules, used before and during dental visits, were the strategies most often linked to less anxiety and better cooperation at the dentist. But only 5 of the 36 studies were judged strong on quality.
• OTRCT2025Effect of Telerehabilitation on Handwriting Performance in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: Randomized Controlled Trial.Child: care, health and developmentEight weeks of online, therapist-led fine motor training improved handwriting and fine motor scores in 6-8 year olds with inattentive-type ADHD, with mothers helping at home. Writing rate did not improve. All 35 children finished the programme.
• PTOTRCT2025Effects of Inline Skating Exercise on Symptoms, Executive Functions, and Motor Proficiency in Children With ADHD: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Occupational therapy internationalTwelve weeks of inline skating improved ADHD symptoms, executive function and motor proficiency more than waiting did in children with ADHD, and the gains were still there at follow-up. The trial was small, the changes modest, and medication was not recorded.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Effects of brain-computer interface based training on post-stroke upper-limb rehabilitation: a meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding brain-computer interface training to usual rehabilitation improved upper-limb motor scores after stroke: 3.69 points more than control on the Fugl-Meyer upper-extremity scale. Independence in daily activities and spasticity did not improve.
• OTMeta-Analysis2024A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials to reduce burden, stress, and strain in informal stroke caregivers.Clinical rehabilitationPooling 19 trials with 1440 informal stroke caregivers, programmes built from education, support and problem-solving did not significantly reduce caregiver burden, strain or stress.
• OTSystematic Review2022Barriers and facilitating factors influencing implementation of occupational therapy home assessment recommendations: A mixed methods systematic review.Australian occupational therapy journalStudies reported better uptake of home assessment recommendations when patients helped decide what was recommended, carers were involved, equipment was paid for, and follow-up visits happened. Across 22 studies, implementation ranged from 55% to 90%.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022A systematic review of working conditions and occupational health in home office.Work (Reading, Mass.)Home-based teleworkers reported poorly set-up workstations, long unbroken computer hours, and pain in the neck, back, shoulders, wrists and eyes, yet most get no employer training or equipment. Many still felt healthier at home and kept working while unwell.
• OTMeta-Analysis2025Online interventions for the mental health and well-being of parents of children with additional needs: Systematic review and meta-analysis.Australian occupational therapy journalOnline programmes improved parents' depression, stress and wellbeing when trial results were pooled, though the trials disagreed so much, especially on stress, that those pooled figures are unreliable. Only 3 of the 30 studies involved an occupational therapist.
• OTSystematic Review2025Occupational therapy interventions in facilitating return to work in patients with traumatic brain injury: A systematic review.Work (Reading, Mass.)The reviewers conclude that return-to-work rates were highest when vocational and cognitive rehabilitation were combined with a multidisciplinary team, and clients said OT advocacy with employers helped most. But the evidence is thin: the highest-quality trial found no difference at 12 months.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2025Short-term effect of prism adaptation treatment on severity of unilateral spatial neglect following right hemispheric stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePrism adaptation improved unilateral spatial neglect symptoms shortly after treatment in people with right-hemisphere stroke, but not how they managed daily activities, and the evidence is very weak. The improvement appeared only with prisms of 10° or more.
• OTSystematic Review2024A rapid realist review of clinical neuropsychology rehabilitation programmes to improve psychological wellbeing and quality of life for people with acquired brain injuries.Neuropsychological rehabilitationAcross 35 studies, programmes that reportedly helped people after acquired brain injury shared six features: changing how people relate to their thoughts, building self-worth, teaching strategies to mastery, connection with others, adapting to the person, and a responsive facilitator. No treatment was tested here.
• OTMeta-Analysis2024Cognitive-Based Interventions for Improving Psychological Health and Well-Being for Parents of Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersProgrammes based on CBT or mindfulness reduced parental stress, depression and anxiety in parents of children with developmental disabilities, and improved parental well-being and the parent-child relationship. Mindful parenting, mindful awareness and psychological flexibility did not improve.
• PTOTSystematic Review2023Association Between Patient and Facility Characteristics and Rehabilitation Outcomes After Joint Replacement Surgery in Different Rehabilitation Settings for Older Adults: A Systematic Review.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)After hip or knee replacement, older adults rehabilitating in inpatient rehabilitation facilities tended to have better function, fewer complications and shorter stays than those in skilled nursing facilities, which cost less. One study found no difference in motor scores.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2023Prevalence of Oropharyngeal Dysphagia in Adults in Different Healthcare Settings: A Systematic Review and Meta-analyses.DysphagiaAbout a third of hospital patients and half of nursing home residents were found to have swallowing problems, with 42.5% in rehabilitation. More than half the studies used swallowing tests with no published accuracy data, and none covered palliative care.
• OTSystematic Review2022Randomised controlled trials of occupational therapy interventions for adults with a mental health condition or dementia: A systematic review of study methods and outcome measurement.The British journal of occupational therapyMost randomised trials of occupational therapy for adults with mental health conditions or dementia are poor or fair quality. Only eight of 26 reported a sample size calculation, half named no single primary outcome, and many outcome measures lack evidence they work in these groups.