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 37 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTOther2017The effect of group exercise program on the self-efficacy and activities of daily living in adults with cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn adults with cerebral palsy, a 6-week group program combining boccia, range-of-motion, stretching, massage and breathing improved confidence in doing tasks and activities of daily living more than range-of-motion and stretching alone. Boccia alone cannot be credited.
• OTOther2018Disrupted integration of exteroceptive and interoceptive signaling in autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchPeople with autism judged their own heartbeat and a visual event as simultaneous over a time window over 4 times larger than controls. They could still count their heartbeats, and heartbeat awareness was strongly related to heartbeat-vision timing.
• OTCohort2018Medication use by adolescents and adults with fragile X syndrome.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRMost adolescents and adults with fragile X syndrome took psychotropic medication, and use stayed stable over three years. Higher autism symptoms, behaviour problems, mental health diagnoses and family income were associated with greater psychotropic medication use.
• PTOTCohort2017Relationship between psychophysiological factors and prognosis for activities of daily living in patients with stroke in a recovery rehabilitation unit: a preliminary study.Journal of physical therapy scienceAt admission, worse motor paralysis and higher depression scores were associated with poorer daily living function 2 months later in 13 stroke patients in a rehabilitation unit. This does not show that treating these problems improves daily living.
• PTOTRCT2017Effect of EMG-triggered neuromuscular electrical stimulation with bilateral arm training on hemiplegic shoulder pain and arm function after stroke: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPain at rest did not differ between groups, but EMG-triggered NMES plus bilateral arm training reduced pain during shoulder movement and worst pain more than TENS plus the same training, with benefit still seen at follow-up.
• PTOTRCT2017Effect of aquatic versus land based exercise programs on physical performance in severely burned patients: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceAquatic exercise improved physical performance and oxygen uptake more than land-based exercise in men with severe burns. Both groups improved, but the water group showed significantly greater gains in strength, endurance, and walking speed after 12 weeks.
• PTOTSLPCohort2017Clinical phenotype of ASD-associated DYRK1A haploinsufficiency.Molecular autismDYRK1A disruptions were associated with microcephaly, speech delay, intellectual impairment, motor and feeding problems, vision abnormalities, and ASD features. This pattern can guide assessment of speech, motor, feeding, vision, and adaptive needs.
• PTOTOther2017The effect of fluidotherapy on hand dexterity and activities of daily living in patients with edema on stroke.Journal of physical therapy scienceThree weeks of fluidotherapy significantly reduced hand edema in stroke patients and improved daily living independence, but did not significantly improve hand dexterity. The study had no control group, so natural recovery cannot be ruled out.
• OTSurvey2018Caregiver Burden Varies by Sensory Subtypes and Sensory Dimension Scores of Children with Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregiver health-related quality of life was not associated with child sensory subtype or sensory profile measures. Caregiver strain was higher for children in the generalized sensory difference subtype or with greater multisensory integration difficulties than for children in adaptive or taste/smell sensitive subtypes.
• OTSLPPilot2018Development of the Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills program for adults on the autism spectrum: Results of initial study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEight adults with autism completed a 6-month cognitive and social skills program inside a vocational training setting. Participants reported improved executive functioning and social skills, and self-reported employment rose from 22% to 56%, though this was a small open trial with no control group.
• OTCohort2017Early Behavioral Risks of Childhood and Adolescent Daytime Urinary Incontinence and Nocturnal Enuresis.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPEarly difficult temperament and childhood behavior problems were linked to later bedwetting and daytime wetting, but not consistently across ages or outcomes.
• OTOther2017Assessing the adjustability of grasping force using the iWakka in elderly individuals.Journal of physical therapy scienceWhen older adults repeated the same grasping force task on the iWakka, their first and second scores shifted by a consistent small amount, but the error did not grow with larger targets.
• PTOTOther2017Mapping upper-limb motor performance after stroke - a novel method with utility for individualized motor training.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA robot-based reaching map identified individual upper-limb impairment patterns after chronic stroke and was used to select training movements. In two adults, no controlled outcome tested whether this improves function.
• PTOTOther2017A multisession evaluation of an adaptive competitive arm rehabilitation game.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFor people with arm impairment playing a competitive arm game at home with a friend or relative, competition felt more enjoyable and produced more arm movement than playing alone. At a clinic, competing against another patient showed no such advantage.
• OTOther2017Cognition among community-dwelling individuals with spinal cord injury.Rehabilitation psychologyCommunity-dwelling adults with spinal cord injury scored lower than matched controls on fluid cognition, especially speed and executive tasks. Crystallized cognition was similar.
• OTSLPQualitative2018Challenges and Successful Pedagogical Strategies: Experiences from Six Swedish Students with Blindness and Autism in Different School Settings.Journal of autism and developmental disordersStudents with blindness and autism described confusion from fast, visually based instructions and noise. Teachers and parents reported calm, small, highly structured settings and using students' interests as helpful. No tested intervention was shown to work.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018The impact of developmental coordination disorder on educational achievement in secondary school.Research in developmental disabilitiesTeenagers classified with DCD at 7-8 achieved fewer GCSE exams than peers: 39% reached 5 or more passes versus 70% controls. Once reading, social communication and hyperactivity/inattention were taken into account, DCD alone was not clearly linked to lower GCSE attainment.
• OTSLPCase-Control2017Uncorrected versus demographically-corrected scores on the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery in persons with traumatic brain injury and stroke.Rehabilitation psychologyFor therapists interpreting NIH Toolbox cognition scores after TBI or stroke, corrected scores make acquired cognitive problems easier to see. They reduce the influence of age, education, sex and race, and better separate severe TBI from milder TBI.
• OTOther2017Construct validity of the NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery in individuals with stroke.Rehabilitation psychologyThe NIH Toolbox Cognition Battery tracked stroke severity and matched other cognitive tests. Low timed-test scores may reflect hand movement speed, not only thinking, so check motor status before assuming cognitive impairment.
• OTCase Report2018Case-study of a user-driven prosthetic arm design: bionic hand versus customized body-powered technology in a highly demanding work environment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFor one forensic pathologist with below-elbow amputation, a customized body-powered arm supported heavy, sweaty, slippery work better than a myoelectric iLimb. This is one person's experience, not proof either arm works.
• PTOTRCT2018Functional Reach, Depression Scores, and Number of Medications Are Associated With Number of Falls in People With Chronic Stroke.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationIn people with chronic stroke, more medications and higher depression scores predicted more falls. Functional reach distance also predicted falls, with a cutoff of 18.15 cm for recurrent falls. Other common tests like Berg Balance and Timed Up and Go did not distinguish fallers.
• OTOther2017Motor-free composites from the National Institutes of Health Toolbox Cognition Battery (NIHTB-CB) for people with disabilities.Rehabilitation psychologyFor spinal cord injury patients with motor impairment, motor-free NIH Toolbox scores were in the normal range, while standard motor-dependent scores were below average. They still omit executive function.
• OTOther2017NIH toolbox cognition tests following traumatic brain injury: Frequency of low scores.Rehabilitation psychologyAfter TBI, one low NIH Toolbox cognition score is common even without TBI. Clinicians should look at several low scores together and compare them with estimated premorbid ability before calling cognitive impairment.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2017Prospective investigation of FOXP1 syndrome.Molecular autismChildren with FOXP1 mutations had delayed speech and language, motor and visual-motor deficits, and universal dysarthria. Expressive language tested better than receptive. Early PT, SLP, and OT were recommended, not tested.
• PTOTCohort2017Relation of depressive symptoms to outcome of CI movement therapy after stroke.Rehabilitation psychologyDepressive symptoms did not stop stroke patients from improving arm use after Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy. Patients with clinically significant depression improved just as much as those without. Depression scores also dropped slightly, but the change was too small to be clinically meaningful.
• OTOther2017Test accommodations for individuals with neurological conditions completing the NIH Toolbox-Cognition Battery: An evaluation of frequency and appropriateness.Rehabilitation psychologyMost people with SCI, TBI, or stroke completed the NIH Toolbox-Cognition Battery without changes, but among those given accommodations, many changed the test in ways that could invalidate scores.
• OTCohort2018Anxiety in Williams Syndrome: The Role of Social Behaviour, Executive Functions and Change Over Time.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent-rated anxiety in Williams syndrome rose over four years, but the study could not show that change was real. Anxiety was linked to difficulty shifting attention, and to social-functioning problems.
• PTOTCohort2018Prediction of falling risk after discharge in ambulatory stroke or history of fracture patients using Balance Evaluation Systems Test (BESTest).Journal of physical therapy scienceIn ambulatory stroke patients, low scores on the BESTest sections for Anticipatory Postural Adjustments and Sensory Orientation were significantly associated with falls within six months. These two specific balance components may help identify high-risk patients who appear stable enough for discharge.
• PTOTOther2018Comparing motor performance, praxis, coordination, and interpersonal synchrony between children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).Research in developmental disabilitiesChildren with autism showed lower gross and fine motor scores, more errors copying movements, slower movements, and poorer synchrony with a partner than typically developing children, in both higher and lower IQ groups among 24 children with autism and 12 typically developing children.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Effects of Age and Sex on Hospital Readmission in Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults with traumatic brain injury face higher hospital readmission risk than younger adults. However, younger adults readmit fastest, with the highest rate in the first week after discharge. Readmission reasons also shift by age, moving from mental health and injury issues in younger groups to circulatory and respiratory problems in older groups.
• OTSLPOther2018Sensory Sensitivity and Food Selectivity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn children with ASD, Atypical oral sensory sensitivity was associated with more food refusal (48.2% vs 33.2%) and lower vegetable variety (4.2 vs 8.6). Atypical oral over-sensitivity was associated with more food refusal (52% vs 25%) and lower fruit and vegetable variety.
• OTOther2017The effects of aging and HIV disease on employment status and functioning.Rehabilitation psychologyOlder adults with HIV were least likely to be employed and had high disability rates. Among those still working, self-reported work functioning was poorer only compared with younger adults without HIV.
• OTQualitative2018Understanding parents' concerns about their children with autism taking public school transportation in Los Angeles County.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents of children with autism described school bus rides becoming unsafe when substitute drivers and aides did not know their children by name. The children were briefly lost, and trust in school transport broke, even though families still valued the bus for independence.
• PTOTPilot2018Upper limb robotic rehabilitation for chronic stroke survivors: a single-group preliminary study.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter six weeks of assist-as-needed arm robot training, 21 high-functioning chronic stroke survivors had higher upper limb scores and faster reaching. No control group was used, so the robot alone cannot be credited.
• PTOTOther2018Effects of a 12-week marching in place and chair rise daily exercise intervention on ADL and functional mobility in frail older adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceFrail nursing home residents who marched in place and rose from a chair for 25 minutes daily for 12 weeks improved their ability to perform daily tasks and their walking speed. The exercise group also generated significantly more power when standing up. The non-exercise group showed no such gains.
• OTOther2018The Relationship Between Hand Function and Overlapping Motor Representations of the Hands in the Contralesional Hemisphere in Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairThe size and excitability of the affected hand motor map were not related to hand function in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy. Overlap with the less-affected hand motor map was related. This is a mapping finding, not evidence that therapy works.
• OTSLPCase Report2017Mutations in RAB39B in individuals with intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and macrocephaly.Molecular autismTwo brothers in one family with autism, intellectual disability, no functional language, fine motor problems, and head circumference on the 98th percentile shared a maternal RAB39B mutation. Their sister had mild intellectual disability and autism traits, not autism; their mother had tremor.
• PTOTPilot2018Exploring the Use of Educational Material About Shoulder Dysfunction: A Quality Improvement Project in People With Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationFourteen of 15 post-survey responders with ALS who received a shoulder-health brochure reported starting to use its strategies; 87% found it helpful. The study did not test whether shoulder pain or function improved.
• OTSLPCohort2018Parent and Teacher Concordance of Child Outcomes for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents and teachers often disagreed about children with autism. Parents rated adaptive skills higher, but reported more social withdrawal and better social communication than teachers. Agreement was moderate, varied by domain, and depended on cognitive ability.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2018Views of teenage children about the effects of a Parent's mobility disability.Disability and health journalTeens with mobility-disabled parents described mixed feelings, not just burden. Some felt closer or more mature, while others faced fear and isolation during hospitalizations. Support needs varied by whether the parent’s disability was stable or progressing.
• OTSystematic Review2018Patient-reported outcome measures for young people with developmental disabilities: incorporation of design features to reduce cognitive demands.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe six self-report measures for young people with developmental disabilities varied in design features that reduce cognitive demands. Many had complex wording, unclear visuals, or few supports, so scores from them may not be fully trustworthy.
• OTOther2018Enhancing the Validity of a Quality of Life Measure for Autistic People.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adults reported lower quality of life than general population norms. A WHO quality-of-life measure held up for this group, and new autism-specific questions added sensory overload, support, friendships, and service barriers.
• OTSLPCohort2018The Association Between Child and Family Characteristics and the Mental Health and Wellbeing of Caregivers of Children with Autism in Mid-Childhood.Journal of autism and developmental disorders48% of caregivers of children with autism aged 8 to 12 met criteria for mental health difficulties, and wellbeing was lower than expected. Child behaviour problems, poor daily living skills and intellectual disability were linked to distress; core autism symptoms were not.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Long-term behavioural outcomes after paediatric convulsive status epilepticus: a population-based cohort study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren who had convulsive status epilepticus, even without epilepsy, showed more behavioural problems than peers. Screening should not stop at seizure control, as many issues go undetected. Those with lower IQ or prior seizures were at highest risk.
• OTCohort2018Intergenerational Consequences: Women's Experiences of Discrimination in Pregnancy Predict Infant Social-Emotional Development at 6 Months and 1 Year.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPMothers who reported more everyday discrimination during pregnancy had infants with greater separation anxiety and negative emotionality at six months and one year. This link was not explained by the mother's distress, suggesting discrimination itself may directly affect infant development.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018The Association of Clinic-Based Mobility Tasks and Measures of Community Performance and Risk.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationNormal walking speed was the strongest predictor of community function and fall risk for most outcomes. Stair climbing time specifically identified those with balance confidence issues and past falls. Complex dual-task tests best captured engagement in cognitive leisure activities.
• PTOTCohort2018The JFK BIG study: the impact of LSVT BIG® on dual task walking and mobility in persons with Parkinson's disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceAfter LSVT BIG, 93 people with Parkinson’s disease had faster TUG times, including while reciting days backward. The cup-carrying dual-task penalty did not show a clear improvement. No control group was used.
• PTOTSLPOther2018Prosthetic energy return during walking increases after 3 weeks of adaptation to a new device.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAfter 3 weeks, users of a new passive prosthetic foot walked faster and the prosthesis returned more energy, but the sound limb also worked harder. Speed increases may explain these changes, and individual responses varied widely, so do not assume uniform adaptation.
• OTSLPCohort2018Autistic Symptoms in Children and Adolescents with Gender Dysphoria.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren and adolescents with gender dysphoria show more autistic traits than peers but fewer than those diagnosed with autism. Traits were elevated across all domains, not just rigidity. Screening for autism is warranted, but questionnaire scores do not equal a diagnosis.
• PTOTCohort2018Premorbid Activity Limitation Stages Are Associated With Posthospitalization Discharge Disposition.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationOlder adults who had more difficulty before hospitalization were more likely to go to post-acute care facilities or home with services. Self-care and household-task limitation stages were linked to different patterns, so ask about both.