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 34 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTMeta-Analysis2017Anxiety Disorders in Williams Syndrome Contrasted with Intellectual Disability and the General Population: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersWilliams syndrome anxiety was common: 48% had at least one anxiety disorder, mostly phobias of noise and blood/injury. Rates exceeded intellectual disability and general population estimates. This reports how common anxiety was, not whether treatment works.
• PTOTSLPRCT2017Sertraline for Major Depression During the Year Following Traumatic Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Trial.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationSertraline did not improve depression scores more than placebo over 12 weeks after traumatic brain injury. Both groups got better. The only group difference was better information processing speed on a cognitive test for sertraline.
• OTSurvey2017Self-regulation and quality of life in high-functioning young adults with autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceYoung adults with high-functioning autism in higher education reported lower quality of life than peers. More daily executive-function problems, especially flexibility and self-monitoring, related to lower quality of life. This is association, not proof treatment works.
• OTSLPSurvey2017Barriers to healthcare: Instrument development and comparison between autistic adults and adults with and without other disabilities.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults reported more healthcare barriers than adults with other disabilities or no disability. Anxiety, difficulty processing information quickly, cost, sensory discomfort in facilities, and trouble communicating with providers were especially common.
• OTOther2017The role of meaning in life: mediating the effects of perceived knowledge of stroke on depression and life satisfaction among stroke survivors.Clinical rehabilitationAmong 192 older stroke survivors, higher perceived knowledge of stroke was linked to fewer depressive symptoms and greater life satisfaction. Meaning in life appeared to carry this link. These were baseline data, so giving information was not shown to cause improvement.
• PTOTOther2018The effects of a client-centered leisure activity program on satisfaction, self-esteem, and depression in elderly residents of a long-term care facility.Journal of physical therapy scienceResidents who received usual activities plus chosen individual leisure activities and elastic-band group exercise showed better performance and satisfaction, higher self-esteem, lower depression, and better upper-limb function. In the control group, upper-limb, self-esteem, and depression outcomes did not change significantly.
• PTOTOther2018Design and development of the first exoskeletal garment to enhance arm mobility for children with movement impairments.Assistive technology : the official journal of RESNAA soft exoskeletal garment was designed for one child with arthrogryposis to lift his arms. It cost $10 in materials and allowed 90-degree arm lift without blocking other shoulder movement. Parents found it easy to use but initially wanted it to look more like normal clothing.
• PTOTRCT2018Motivational Interviewing for Workers with Disabling Musculoskeletal Disorders: Results of a Cluster Randomized Control Trial.Journal of occupational rehabilitationAdding motivational interviewing to rehab helped workers without jobs return to work (21.6% vs 9.5%), but not those with jobs. The benefit depended on therapists actually using the technique correctly, which happened in only 26% of cases.
• OTSLPCase-Control2018Relationship between physiological and parent-observed auditory over-responsiveness in children with typical development and those with autism spectrum disorders.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism blinked more strongly to sounds of 95 dB or lower and took longer to blink. These body responses were related to parent reports of sensory difficulties, but the study was small and did not test treatment.
• OTSLPOther2017Diverse Profiles of Anxiety Related Disorders in Fragile X, Cornelia de Lange and Rubinstein-Taybi Syndromes.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents reported anxiety profiles differed by syndrome: Cornelia de Lange had the broadest symptoms, especially separation and generalized anxiety; fragile X and Rubinstein-Taybi showed more selective patterns. Assess anxiety in intellectual disability with the syndrome in mind.
• PTOTSLPCohort2017Clinical and metabolic correlates of cerebral calcifications in Sturge-Weber syndrome.Developmental medicine and child neurologyBrain calcification volume in Sturge-Weber syndrome increased over time and correlated with lower IQ scores. Larger calcification was also linked to younger age at seizure onset, suggesting it may serve as an imaging marker for cognitive outcome in young children.
• PTOTRCT2018Home-based neurologic music therapy for arm hemiparesis following stroke: results from a pilot, feasibility randomized controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationHome-based music therapy was feasible to deliver, but it did not significantly improve arm function or dexterity in this small pilot. Patients found the sessions motivating and manageable, suggesting the method is practical, though larger trials are needed to prove effectiveness.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Functional Status Is Associated With 30-Day Potentially Preventable Hospital Readmissions After Inpatient Rehabilitation Among Aged Medicare Fee-for-Service Beneficiaries.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPatients with greater independence in self-care, mobility, and cognition at discharge had lower odds of 30-day potentially preventable readmission. Those in the highest functional quartiles had 30% to 36% lower adjusted odds than those in the lowest quartiles.
• OTOther2018Fatigue-free operation of most body-powered prostheses not feasible for majority of users with trans-radial deficiency.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalAmong 23 trans-radial prosthesis users, most could not operate common body-powered devices fatigue free, and some reported armpit or shoulder discomfort after maximum effort. Female strength could be estimated from upper-arm circumference, but other measures did not predict strength.
• OTCase-Control2018Overweight and obese status in children with autism spectrum disorder and disruptive behavior.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism and disruptive behavior were nearly twice as likely to be obese compared to matched controls. Obesity was more common in minority groups and in children with lower daily living skills.
• PTOTOther2018Age-dependent changes in dynamic standing-balance ability evaluated quantitatively using a stabilometer.Journal of physical therapy scienceDynamic standing balance declines with age, dropping sharply after 60. A new stabilometer index tracks this decline without hitting a ceiling, offering age-specific reference values for assessing balance in healthy adults.
• OTSLPSurvey2018Autism Goes to College: Understanding the Needs of a Student Population on the Rise.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of 16-25-year-olds with autism reported more social and independent living problems than parents of those with ADHD. They asked for speech/language, social, and living-support services.
• OTSLPCase Series2018Feasibility of a cognitive strategy training intervention for people with Parkinson's disease.Disability and rehabilitationSeven people with Parkinson's and subjective cognitive decline found a home-based strategy training intervention feasible and satisfying. They reported clinically important improvements in self-identified functional problems, but this case series cannot prove the treatment works.
• PTOTCohort2018Patient reported outcomes in GNE myopathy: incorporating a valid assessment of physical function in a rare disease.Disability and rehabilitationThree patient-reported function measures were usable and stable in 35 people with GNE myopathy, but they did not separate low from moderate impairment and may not fit advanced disease.
• PTOTSystematic Review2018Three-dimensional printed upper-limb prostheses lack randomised controlled trials: A systematic review.Prosthetics and orthotics internationalNo randomised controlled trials were found. Eight small, uncontrolled studies mostly reported positive results, but none compared 3D printed upper-limb prostheses with conventional devices or blinded outcomes, so effectiveness is not established.
• OTCohort2018Longitudinal study of driver licensing rates among adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceWithin one year of permit eligibility, 17.1% of adolescents with autism without intellectual disability got a learner's permit, compared with 62.4% of adolescents without autism. Among those with a permit, 81.9% with autism got an intermediate license within 12 months of eligibility.
• OTRCT2018The effects of modified constraint-induced movement therapy and mirror therapy on upper extremity function and its influence on activities of daily living.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter three weeks, acute stroke inpatients given mirror therapy or mCIMT plus ADL training and self-exercise showed no significant between-group difference in arm function or ADL independence. In the mCIMT group, arm gains went with eating and dressing gains.
• PTOTCohort2017Association Between Sedentary Time and Quality of Life From the Osteoarthritis Initiative: Who Might Benefit Most From Treatment?Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOnly the most sedentary adults with knee osteoarthritis lost quality of life as sitting time increased. For these individuals, replacing one hour of sitting with moderate-to-vigorous activity showed a potential quality-of-life gain, while light activity did not.
• PTOTOther2017Relationship Between Head-Turn Gait Speed and Lateral Balance Function in Community-Dwelling Older Adults.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults with poor lateral balance slowed down significantly more when turning their heads while walking than when looking forward. Head-turn gait speed was the strongest predictor of lateral balance stability, suggesting this simple observation may help identify fall risk.
• PTOTRCT2018The efficacy of interactive, motion capture-based rehabilitation on functional outcomes in an inpatient stroke population: a randomized controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationAdding motion capture-based exercises to usual physical therapy did not improve standing balance more than usual physical therapy alone in subacute stroke inpatients. Both groups improved balance and some function, but not walking speed.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2018Systematic review of clinical guidance documents for autism spectrum disorder diagnostic assessment in select regions.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceGuidance for diagnosing autism in young children varied widely. Most documents backed team assessment, but the review found little evidence it is more accurate than one clinician, and guideline quality was low for applicability and rigor.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Early development in Rett syndrome - the benefits and difficulties of a birth cohort approach.Developmental neurorehabilitationIn this large birth cohort, girls later diagnosed with Rett syndrome showed few developmental differences from the general population at 6 months. By 18 months, all six had clear gross motor delays, such as inability to walk without support, while speech and social milestones lagged similarly to many typical peers.
• PTOTSLPOther2018Changes in thickness of the transversus abdominis during the abdominal drawing-in manoeuvre and expiratory muscle training in elderly people.Journal of physical therapy scienceExpiratory muscle training thickened the deep abdominal muscle more than the standard drawing-in maneuver in elderly people. Both exercises increased thickness compared to rest, but expiratory training produced a greater effect. This suggests breathing against resistance may be an easier way to target deep abdominal muscles in older adults.
• OTSLPCohort2017Mental health outcomes of developmental coordination disorder in late adolescence.Developmental medicine and child neurologyYoung people with DCD were more likely to report peer problems in late adolescence. The link to overall mental health difficulty and depressive symptoms was not clear once social communication difficulties were taken into account.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2017Co-constructing engagement in stroke rehabilitation: a qualitative study exploring how practitioner engagement can influence patient engagement.Clinical rehabilitationPatients with communication disabilities perceived practitioner engagement through personalisation and persistence. Disengagement, often driven by practitioner powerlessness or stigma, led to reduced service access and patient isolation. Engagement was co-constructed, with practitioner attitudes directly influencing patient participation.
• OTSLPOther2017Validating the social responsiveness scale for adults with autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn adults with autism, a parent-completed 65-item questionnaire separated social communication difficulties from repetitive behavior difficulties. Social scores linked to daily living and social skills, and repetitive behavior scores linked to behavior problems, including 18 months later.
• OTSLPCohort2017Sex differences in parent-reported executive functioning and adaptive behavior in children and young adults with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchFemales with autism spectrum disorder were rated by parents as having more everyday executive function problems and worse daily living skills than males, even though IQ, autism symptoms, and ADHD symptoms were similar.
• PTOTCase Report2018Immediate effects of scapular stabilizing exercise in chronic stroke patient with winging and elevated scapula: a case study.Journal of physical therapy scienceA chronic stroke patient with winging and elevated scapula had reduced scapular distance and faster cup lifting after supervised scapular protraction and retraction. This is one person, not a pattern.
• OTOther2018Cross-cultural adaptation and construct validity of the Korean version of a physical activity measure for community-dwelling elderly.Journal of physical therapy scienceThe Korean physical activity measure ranked community-dwelling elders' daily tasks from easy to hard and matched elders with lower and moderate ability, but it topped out for some high-ability people.
• PTOTPilot2018Pre-therapy Neural State of Bilateral Motor and Premotor Cortices Predicts Therapy Gain After Subcortical Stroke: A Pilot Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationIn ten chronic stroke patients, brain chemical measures before therapy were linked to arm movement gains after four weeks of reach practice. Higher markers of brain activity in some areas matched better improvement.
• OTCohort2018The Association of Cognitive Reserve in Chronic-Phase Functional and Neuropsychological Outcomes Following Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAt least a year after TBI, higher estimated premorbid IQ and more education were related to better neuropsychological test scores, but not to daily function, physical health, or mental health.
• OTRCT2018Online Family Problem Solving for Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury: Influences of Parental Marital Status and Participation on Adolescent Outcomes.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationOnline family problem solving was linked to less trouble with behavior and daily functioning for adolescents from married homes. Adolescents from single-parent homes did not show clear gains.
• OTCohort2017Ecological Momentary Assessment of Pain, Fatigue, Depressive, and Cognitive Symptoms Reveals Significant Daily Variability in Multiple Sclerosis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn ambulatory multiple sclerosis, pain, fatigue, depressed mood, and perceived cognitive function increased significantly from wake to bedtime. Fatigue varied most within the day, depressed mood least, and fatigue patterns differed by age and sex.
• OTSLPCohort2017Empathic responding in preschool-aged children with familial risk for autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchPreschoolers with autism showed less visible distress when an adult pretended to hurt herself, but helped clean up just as much as other children. Parents of high-risk siblings without autism rated them as more empathic than parents of low-risk children.
• PTOTOther2017How Do Pain, Fatigue, Depressive, and Cognitive Symptoms Relate to Well-Being and Social and Physical Functioning in the Daily Lives of Individuals With Multiple Sclerosis?Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationFor people with MS, bad pain days were linked with worse social participation and lower-extremity functioning. Depressed mood and fatigue days were linked with worse well-being. In the main models, perceived cognitive changes showed no same-day links.
• OTCase-Control2017Evaluating the importance of social motor synchronization and motor skill for understanding autism.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with autism matched an experimenter's movements less closely and made drumming movements slower and more variable than controls. The study did not test treatment.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2017Refining the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Patient-Reported Outcome (PEDI-PRO) item candidates: interpretation of a self-reported outcome measure of functional performance by young people with neurodevelopmental disabilities.Developmental medicine and child neurologyYoung people with disabilities understood 86% of self-report items as intended and matched their ratings to spoken descriptions. They interpreted tasks literally, so unfamiliar wording or specific methods caused confusion. The measure works, but items need familiar contexts to avoid misinterpretation.
• OTOther2018Rasch analysis of the patient-rated wrist evaluation questionnaire.Archives of physiotherapyPRWE scores after wrist fracture mostly worked as separate pain and activity subscales, but several items needed rescoring or splitting by age and work status before the questionnaire behaved consistently.
• OTSLPCohort2018Parent Support of Preschool Peer Relationships in Younger Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersPreschool siblings with autism had fewer playmates than at-risk siblings without autism and low-risk peers, and lower-quality home play. Parents reported more help needed during play and fewer community activities. At-risk siblings without autism matched low-risk peers in playmates and play quality.
• PTOTOther2018Safety and Feasibility of Rehabilitation Interventions in Children Undergoing Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant With Thrombocytopenia.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationSupervised PT and OT appear safe for children undergoing stem cell transplant with low platelets. No major bleeding occurred, and minor bleeding was rare. However, therapy was often declined or withheld, so frequent attempts are needed to ensure patients receive adequate rehabilitation.
• PTOTOther2018Could Activity Modifications Indicate Physical Decline Among Adults With Symptomatic Knee Osteoarthritis?American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationAdults with knee OA who changed how or how often they walked, without feeling limited, had more pain, poorer function, worse global health and poorer balance than those who changed nothing. People who changed stair climbing without feeling limited also walked less in 6 minutes.
• PTOTOther2018Healthy individuals are more maneuverable when walking slower while navigating a virtual obstacle course.Gait & postureHealthy adults were more maneuverable and made fewer errors when navigating lateral obstacles at a slower walking speed. They achieved this by narrowing their step width and adjusting their center of mass, suggesting slower walking aids rapid directional changes.
• PTOTQualitative2018Leveraging the Medical Context to Increase Upper Extremity Reconstruction Among Patients With Tetraplegia: A Qualitative Analysis.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPatients with tetraplegia described their medical context before upper extremity reconstruction in terms of health maintenance, provider trust, and tetraplegia-specific expertise. Many trusted PM&R doctors and tertiary centers, but no patients described routine hand-surgery referral.
• PTOTPilot2018A feasibility study of a novel, task-specific movement training intervention for women with patellofemoral pain.Clinical rehabilitationTwenty-three young women with knee pain completed a movement-focused program with high adherence. They reported the treatment was credible and showed improved knee alignment, pain, and function compared to the control period, but this was a feasibility study without a comparison group.
• PTOTOther2018Modification of Spastic Stretch Reflexes at the Elbow by Flexion Synergy Expression in Individuals With Chronic Hemiparetic Stroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationIn stroke survivors, spastic stretch reflexes during functional arm lifting were no larger than reflexes seen in healthy people doing the same amount of voluntary muscle work. This suggests the involuntary coactivation itself, not spasticity, drives reaching deficits.