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 44 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2018The Association Between Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Psychological Distress in Their Parents: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of children with autism report higher stress and mental health problems when their child has more emotional and behavioral difficulties. This link holds even after accounting for the child's autism severity, though it is weaker when a different person rates the child's behavior.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2018The development and testing of a module on child functioning for identifying children with disabilities on surveys. III: Field testing.Disability and health journalCaregiver reports on the Child Functioning Module can flag children with functional difficulties. Stricter severity thresholds, especially for behaviour and daily anxiety or depression, give more consistent estimates and fewer false positives than counting any difficulty.
• PTOTRCT2019Change in Depression, Confidence, and Physical Function Among Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)Depression scores did not change clearly. Older adults with mild cognitive impairment in a meaningful activity program had short-term gains in confidence and community participation; gains did not persist at follow-up.
• OTSurvey2019Factorial Validity of the Work Ability Index Among Employees in Germany.Journal of occupational rehabilitationA single Work Ability Index score can be misleading. In 3968 German employees, the questionnaire's indicators formed two related parts: subjective work ability and resources, plus health-related problems.
• PTOTCohort2019Predictors of Functional Change in a Skilled Nursing Facility Population.Journal of geriatric physical therapy (2001)No measured factor predicted lower-extremity function change, severe disability at discharge, or slow walking at discharge in 140 skilled nursing facility patients. 87% improved meaningfully, but 69% had severe disability, and higher depression scores tracked with smaller gait-speed gains.
• OTOther2018Associations Between Disruptive Behavior Problems, Parenting Factors, and Sleep Problems Among Young Children.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPIn preschool children at risk for behavior problems, more oppositional behavior and inconsistent discipline were linked to bedtime and sleep routine problems. Higher parenting stress was linked to night wakings. These are associations, not proof of cause.
• OTCase-Control2018Evaluation of Executive Function and Mental Health in Retired Contact Sport Athletes.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationObjective testing showed no executive-function difference between retired contact-sport athletes and non-contact athletes. Contact athletes rated themselves worse on working memory and initiation, and reported more anxiety symptoms.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2018Repetitive Peripheral Sensory Stimulation and Upper Limb Performance in Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairRepetitive peripheral sensory stimulation, usually paired with motor training, was associated with upper limb motor gains in chronic stroke in small pooled trials, but participants likely knew they received active treatment. The two-hour protocol may be hard to use.
• PTOTSLPPilot2018Effectiveness of a SCERTS Model-Based Intervention for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in Hong Kong: A Pilot Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism in Hong Kong improved on communication, emotion and motor scores after a SCERTS-based programme delivered within usual centre care, but with no control group, maturation or other components cannot be separated.
• PTOTQualitative2019A qualitative study of patient-centered goal-setting in geriatric rehabilitation: patient and professional perspectives.Clinical rehabilitationOlder patients in geriatric rehabilitation first aim for self-care and going home, then set more ambitious goals after discharge. Teams focused on discharge criteria. Long-term goals were often unrecorded.
• OTSLPOther2019An exploration of communication within active support for adults with high and low support needs.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDIn group homes, good staff communication was linked to better support quality and engagement for adults with high support needs, but the pattern was weaker for adults with lower support needs. Staff reported using AAC more often than observers saw.
• OTQualitative2019Managing Employees Undergoing Total Hip and Knee Replacement: Experiences of Workplace Representatives.Journal of occupational rehabilitationWorkplace representatives said they tried phased hours, modified duties, equipment changes, alternative roles and colleague support before and after hip or knee replacement. They also said lack of medical advice about restrictions and timelines made planning hard.
• PTOTSurvey2019Individual and Environmental Determinants of Late-Life Community Disability for Persons Aging With Cardiovascular Disease.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitation44.8% of community-dwelling adults with self-reported heart disease could not take part in valued activities because of health or functioning, compared with 29.0% without heart disease. Lack of transportation, needing mobility help, and home-entry modifications were linked to more of these restrictions.
• PTOTCohort2018The baseline speed of 10-m gait predicts ambulatory discharge for hospitalized frail elderly after DOPPO rehabilitation.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationIn frail hospitalized older adults after DOPPO rehabilitation, baseline 10-m walking speed above 0.84 m/s predicted reaching 300 m in 6 min, the ambulatory discharge goal.
• OTCohort2018Stability of bullying and internalizing problems among adolescents with ASD, ID, or typical development.Research in developmental disabilitiesAdolescents with autism or intellectual disability reported less frequent bullying by age 15, but incidents were more severe and chronic. Those with autism showed the highest internalizing symptoms, which predicted later victimization. Friendship quality declined across all groups, with those with disabilities reporting the lowest warmth and reciprocity.
• PTOTSurvey2018Leisure Participation Patterns for School Age Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Findings from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health.Journal of autism and developmental disordersSchool-age children with autism had lower participation in physical, skill, and jobs or chores activities, especially from age 11 to 17. Screen-based recreation was similar, but social participation was lower at age 16 to 17.
• OTOther2018Intrinsic and Extrinsic Predictors of Emotion Regulation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism showed more emotional dysregulation when alone than with a parent. Higher autism symptom levels were linked with more dysregulation in both situations. Better parent support was linked with less dysregulation only while the parent helped.
• OTRCT2018Demonstration of Parent Training to Address Early Self-Injury in Young Children with Intellectual and Developmental Delays.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent-reported self-injury scores fell after 11 weeks of parent training in 11 young children with delays. Injury risk and parent stress did not change. The open pilot had no control group.
• OTOther2019Measuring Dynamic Symptom Response in Concussion: Children's Exertional Effects Rating Scale.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationFour symptoms rated before and after cognitive testing and questionnaires separated children still recovering from concussion from uninjured and recovered children. Symptom increases were common in not-recovered children, but use cautiously at ages 5-7.
• PTOTNarrative Review2019Motor Control Changes in Low Back Pain: Divergence in Presentations and Mechanisms.The Journal of orthopaedic and sports physical therapyPeople with low back pain do not all move the same way. Some stiffen their trunk to protect themselves, which raises tissue load. Others lose control and move more loosely. Treating everyone with the same exercise ignores these two distinct problems.
• OTOther2019Convergent Validity and Responsiveness of the SULCS.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationThe SULCS test tracks upper-limb recovery in stroke patients as accurately as longer, more complex measures. It correlates strongly with established tests and shows no scoring gaps, offering a quicker way to monitor hand function changes over six months.
• OTRCT2019Benefits of Methylphenidate for Long-Term Attention Problems After Traumatic Brain Injury in Childhood: A Randomized, Double-Masked, Placebo-Controlled, Dose-Titration, Crossover Trial.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationLong-acting methylphenidate lowered parent-reported attention symptoms in children with persistent attention problems after pediatric TBI more than placebo. The paper describes this as an approximate mean change from baseline of 12.5 points on the Vanderbilt parent total symptom score. Child self-report did not differ.
• OTMeta-Analysis2019The Effect of Antidepressants on Depression After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Meta-analysis.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAntidepressants did not reduce depression after traumatic brain injury more than placebo in 5 randomized trials. Scores improved before and after treatment in uncontrolled studies, but that cannot separate drug effect from time or spontaneous improvement.
• PTOTOther2018Motor Impairment-Related Alterations in Biceps and Triceps Brachii Fascicle Lengths in Chronic Hemiparetic Stroke.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn 11 people with chronic stroke, biceps and triceps muscle bundles in the paretic arm were shorter than the other arm at rest. More severe arm impairment was linked to greater relative shortening of the biceps than the triceps.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2018Feasibility of Aerobic Exercise in the Subacute Phase of Recovery From Traumatic Brain Injury: A Case Series.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTFive patients with moderate-to-severe brain injury tolerated adding aerobic exercise to their rehabilitation. They attended sessions consistently, but most failed to reach the target heart rate zone, and self-reported effort did not match heart rate data.
• OTOther2018Exploratory Study of Executive Function Abilities Across the Adult Lifespan in Individuals Receiving an ASD Diagnosis in Adulthood.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe overall executive function score did not show an age association in adults diagnosed with autism in adulthood. Average scores were normal. Older age was linked with higher scores on some speed and sequencing tasks, but planning showed a poorer trend.
• OTCohort2018Transitional Dynamics of Household Food Insecurity Impact Children's Developmental Outcomes.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPWorsening food insecurity was linked to lower first-grade math and working memory scores. Marginal food insecurity was linked to worse self-control and interpersonal skills, but no food insecurity category was linked to internalizing behaviors.
• OTSLPCohort2018Relationship Between Advanced Maternal Age and Timing of First Developmental Evaluation in Children with Autism.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPHaving an older mother did not independently predict earlier developmental evaluation or faster diagnosis once family background was taken into account. The apparent link was explained by socioeconomic and demographic factors.
• OTSurvey2018Adult Siblings Who Have a Brother or Sister with Autism: Between-Family and Within-Family Variations in Sibling Relationships.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdult siblings of people with autism differed more from each other within the same family than families differed from one another. Their own closeness in adolescence and depressive symptoms were linked to how positive the relationship felt now.
• OTSLPSurvey2018"Life is Much More Difficult to Manage During Periods": Autistic Experiences of Menstruation.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic respondents described menstruation as worsening sensory overload, executive dysfunction, and emotional regulation, leading to increased distress and meltdowns. They requested accessible, step-by-step education on cycle variability and practical coping strategies, noting that standard explanations often fail to address these specific exacerbations.
• OTSLPOther2019Depression Characterization and Race Among Stroke Survivors Receiving Inpatient Rehabilitation.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationDepression was documented in 35% of white, 22% of African American, and 16.7% of other race/ethnicity stroke inpatient rehabilitation patients. New onset rates were 21.6%, 14.5%, and 16.7%.
• PTOTRCT2019Clinical study of combined mirror and extracorporeal shock wave therapy on upper limb spasticity in poststroke patients.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationFor poststroke upper limb spasticity, adding mirror therapy and shock wave therapy to usual rehabilitation showed better arm movement and lower tone scores than adding either one alone or usual rehabilitation alone.
• OTSLPOther2019Subtyping the Autism Spectrum Disorder: Comparison of Children with High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren previously labelled Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism looked similar in core autism features, but the Asperger group had higher IQ, more pedantic speech, and fewer language and school difficulties. The old labels did not map cleanly onto DSM-5 severity levels.
• PTOTSystematic Review2019Movement Disorders and Syndromic Autism: A Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAtaxic or jerky movement was very common in Angelman syndrome, and dystonia was reported in most children in one Rett study. No included studies covered the other syndromes reviewed.
• OTOther2019The TBI-CareQOL Measurement System: Development and Preliminary Validation of Health-Related Quality of Life Measures for Caregivers of Civilians and Service Members/Veterans With Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationCaregivers of people with lower functioning after TBI reported poorer quality of life than caregivers of people with higher functioning. New TBI-specific caregiver measures and existing quality-of-life scales both made this distinction in 560 caregivers.
• PTOTSLPPilot2018The difficulty of studying race-ethnic stroke rehabilitation disparities in a community.Topics in stroke rehabilitationCommunity stroke rehabilitation data collection across physical, occupational and speech therapy venues was feasible to set up, but only 13 of 63 partners used the forms and 20 of 48 patients contributed data. This pilot cannot yet answer disparity questions.
• OTRCT2018Myocontrol is closed-loop control: incidental feedback is sufficient for scaling the prosthesis force in routine grasping.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAble-bodied people scaled myoelectric prosthesis grasp force across five levels using muscle contraction plus prosthesis motion and sound. Adding explicit visual force feedback reduced command error from 15% to 12% and force error from 14% to 13%.
• PTOTSLPCohort2018Course of Social Participation in the First 2 Years After Stroke and Its Associations With Demographic and Stroke-Related Factors.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairSocial participation did not simply improve after stroke. People increased work and household hours over two years while social and leisure activity decreased, and restrictions eased mostly in the first year. Older, lower-educated, and ADL-dependent patients showed worse courses.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2019Austerity and families with disabled children: a European survey.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAcross Europe, families with disabled children and professionals reported services were worse than 3 years ago and needs were less well met than 10 years ago. Families in countries with spending cuts reported harder access to welfare support.
• OTOther2019Higher Tactile Temporal Resolution as a Basis of Hypersensitivity in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe autism and typically developing groups did not differ in touch timing resolution or reported sensory hypersensitivity. In the autism group, more precise touch timing was linked to more reported hypersensitivity.
• OTSLPCohort2019Physical health in children with neurodevelopmental disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren who screened positive for autism, ADHD or learning disorders had more physical problems than children who did not screen positive. Epilepsy, migraine, asthma, gut symptoms and daytime wetting were common, and having several disorders together was linked to more problems.
• OTCohort2019Using Decision Tree Methodology to Predict Employment After Moderate to Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationAfter moderate to severe traumatic brain injury, shorter post-traumatic amnesia was the strongest predictor of later competitive employment. Preinjury job type and higher education also appeared. This was a prediction model, not treatment evidence.
• PTOTSystematic Review2018Rehabilitation and early mobilization in the critical patient: systematic review.Journal of physical therapy scienceEarly mobilization in ICU patients showed mixed results. Some studies found improved muscle strength and walking distance at discharge, while others showed no difference in functional recovery. Most included trials had low methodological quality, making firm conclusions about effectiveness difficult.
• OTOther2018Psychometric Evaluation of the Short Sensory Profile in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn 388 children with autism, the Short Sensory Profile did not fit its usual subscale structure. Only taste/smell, movement, and low energy scores held up. Its total score mixed several unrelated sensory behaviours and should not be treated as one sensory problem.
• PTOTCohort2018Cognitive function impacts gait, functional mobility and falls in fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome.Gait & postureIn men and women with FXTAS, slower processing speed and poorer attention were linked to shorter strides, slower turning, and more falls in the past year. These cognitive deficits may help identify patients at higher risk of falling.
• PTOTOther2018Effects of a progressive walking program on the risk of developing locomotive syndrome in elderly Japanese people: a single-arm trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 24 untrained older adults, a 4-month progressive walking program improved two-step test scores and self-reported locomotive syndrome risk, but stand-up scores did not change. Without a control group, this cannot prove the program caused the improvements.
• PTOTRCT2018Home-based transcranial direct current stimulation plus tracking training therapy in people with stroke: an open-label feasibility study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSix people with chronic stroke safely completed home-based tDCS and finger tracking. All participants could set up the equipment and recommended the program. However, the intervention did not improve motor or cognitive function, likely because the five short sessions were insufficient for efficacy.
• OTOther2019The Influence of Noise on Autonomic Arousal and Cognitive Performance in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with ASD and matched peers showed similar working memory changes when 75 dB noise was added. Noise improved the easier task and tended to worsen the harder task, but only the ASD group had rising heart rate on the harder noisy task.
• OTCohort2019Bidirectional relationships between bullying, victimization and emotion experience in boys with and without autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn autistic boys, higher anger and lower guilt tracked with more later bullying, while victimization tracked with more anger and fear. Fear was linked to victimization more strongly in boys without autism. These are links, not treatment effects.
• OTSurvey2018They Don't Care About Us! Care Personnel's Perspectives on Ambient Assisted Living Technology Usage: Scenario-Based Survey Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesCare staff imagined an ambient assisted living system and mostly accepted emergency-related monitoring, but rejected cameras, microphones, and routine monitoring. Disabled people’s care staff were least accepting.