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 96 OF 218 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCohort2022Prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in a large, diverse metropolitan area: Variation by sociodemographic factors.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchActive surveillance found ASD in 36 per 1,000 public school children in four New Jersey counties. Prevalence varied widely by district and county. Hispanic children were identified less often than White peers. Mid-income districts showed higher rates than low or high-income ones.
• OTCohort2022Impact of Disclosure over Time on the Emotional Well-Being of Children with Perinatally Acquired HIV Infection in South Africa.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPGradual HIV disclosure with caregiver support did not appear to worsen emotional well-being over 18 months. Depression, anxiety, and behavior scores stayed low or decreased; HIV medicine adherence did not change.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Sociodemographic and Biomedical Correlates of Developmental Delay in 2- and 4-Year-Olds with Sickle Cell Disease.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPIn children with sickle cell disease, risk factors for developmental delay shift with age. Private insurance and professional daycare were protective in two-year-olds, while severe disease and abnormal stroke screening were linked to delay in four-year-olds.
• PTOTSurvey2022Prevalence of Risk Factors of the Female Athlete Triad among Young Elite Athletes of Pakistan.International journal of sports physical therapyHalf of 60 elite female athletes in Pakistan showed risk for eating disorders, and 83.3% reported disordered eating behaviors. Menstrual irregularity was less common. No athlete met criteria for all three female athlete triad components, so the full syndrome was rare in this sample.
• PTOTSurvey2022Exploration of service centres for older persons in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa.The South African journal of physiotherapyMost older people attending these rural centres were independent and socially active, but few had access to health screening. Managers lacked formal training, and only one centre had on-site nursing staff.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Analysis of the SPARK study COVID-19 parent survey: Early impact of the pandemic on access to services, child/parent mental health, and benefits of online services.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchFamilies of children with autism reported severe service disruptions, especially for speech, OT, and PT. Parents of younger children and those with greater impairments or language delays saw the least benefit from online services. Low-income families hoped for future online options.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Individuals with FOXP1 syndrome present with a complex neurobehavioral profile with high rates of ADHD, anxiety, repetitive behaviors, and sensory symptoms.Molecular autismMost patients with FOXP1 syndrome have ADHD and anxiety, but only 23% receive treatment. Autism scores on standard tests are high, yet clinical consensus diagnoses it in just 24%. Therapists should prioritize managing attention and anxiety symptoms over relying solely on autism screening tools.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2021Countries Response for People With Disabilities During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOf 193 UN member states, only 32 issued official government guidance for people with disabilities during the pandemic. Measures varied widely by region and disability type, with significant gaps in long-term rehabilitation care and employment protection.
• OTCohortParent-Reported Social Skills in Children with Neurofibromatosis Type 1: Longitudinal Patterns and Relations with Attention and Cognitive Functioning.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPParents reported social skills challenges in 32% of young children and 24% of school-age children with NF1. Early childhood inattention predicted later social difficulties. Cognitive ability did not correlate with social skills. Most children did not have significant social deficits.
• PTOTCohort2022Muscle synergy structure and gait patterns in children with spastic cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with cerebral palsy who walked with different gait patterns showed highly similar muscle synergy structures. While specific muscle weights varied, these differences were small and not clearly linked to the gait pattern or walking speed, suggesting individual motor control strategies rather than pattern-specific neural signatures.
• PTOTOther2022Injury and Injury Prevention in United States Para Swimming: A Mixed-Methods Approach.International journal of sports physical therapyHalf of surveyed U.S. Para swimmers reported career injuries altering training, mostly shoulder pain. Few used formal prevention programs. Swimmers described unique biomechanical risks and fear that stopping swimming harms daily function more than other athletes.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Longitudinal Smartphone-Based Post-hospitalisation Symptom Monitoring in SARS-CoV-2 Associated Respiratory Failure: A Multi-Centre Observational Study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMost hospitalised patients recovered steadily over three months, but those who had an ICU stay showed a distinct flare-up in symptoms and depression around one month after discharge. Clinicians should schedule a systematic assessment at that time to catch this deterioration.
• PTOTCohort2021Correlates of Objectively Measured Physical Activity Among People With Multiple Sclerosis: A Cross-Sectional Study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPeople with progressive MS spent less time in light activity than those with relapsing-remitting MS. Walking impairment predicted less vigorous activity, but only for those with lower disability scores. For those with higher disability scores, walking ability did not predict activity levels.
• PTOTCohort2021The Association Between Sarcopenia and Functional Improvement in Older and Younger Patients Who Completed Inpatient Rehabilitation: A Prospective Cohort Study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOlder patients with sarcopenia were associated with greater functional improvement during inpatient rehabilitation than older patients without sarcopenia. Younger patients showed no clear difference, and goal attainment scores also showed no clear difference.
• OTSLPSurvey2021The impact of COVID-19 pandemic social restrictions on individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their caregivers in the Stateof Qatar: A cross-sectional study.Research in developmental disabilitiesAggression scores did not clearly change overall during Qatar's COVID-19 restrictions. Yet 24 of 58 caregivers of autistic individuals reported clinically meaningful rises in burden, especially caregivers of adults.
• PTOTSLPOther2021The Impact of Human Service Provider Quality on the Personal Outcomes of People With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesHigher quality human service providers are associated with more personal outcomes for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Living in one's own home or with family also linked to better outcomes than provider-owned homes. Therapy services availability associated with more outcomes.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Critically Examining the Person-Environment Relationship and Implications of Intersectionality for Participation in Children's Rehabilitation Services.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThis perspective argues that clinicians should look at a child's whole identity and environment together, not just single traits like age or ethnicity. This helps spot hidden barriers to therapy participation. It suggests using family-centered care to co-create solutions and advocate for system changes.
• PTOTCohort2022Evaluation of unsupervised 30-second chair stand test performance assessed by wearable sensors to predict fall status in multiple sclerosis.Gait & postureWearable sensors tracking chair stands at home over 48 hours detected fall risk in multiple sclerosis better than a single clinic test. Non-fallers performed more repetitions at home than in the lab, while fallers' performance stayed consistent.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2022Parental engagement in early intervention for infants with cerebral palsy-A realist synthesis.Child: care, health and developmentWeekly face-to-face coaching and accessible home materials help parents stick with infant therapy. However, home programmes do not consistently improve infant motor skills, and parents often find the process stressful despite high adherence.
• PTOTCohort2022Analysis of factors influencing patient satisfaction after total hip arthroplasty in a Japanese cohort: the significant effect of postoperative physical activity.Journal of physical therapy sciencePostoperative physical activity levels, not mental health scores, were the strongest factors linked to patient satisfaction after hip replacement. Patients who reported higher activity levels and demonstrated greater hip abductor strength were significantly more likely to be very satisfied.
• PTOTNarrative Review2021Exercise-Based Pulmonary Rehabilitation for Interstitial Lung Diseases: A Review of Components, Prescription, Efficacy, and Safety.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesExercise-based pulmonary rehabilitation improves walking distance, symptoms, and quality of life in interstitial lung disease, but benefits often fade within six months. Most trials used 8 to 12 weeks of combined aerobic and strength training, with safety data rarely reported.
• PTOTNarrative Review2021Neuroplasticity at Home: Improving Home-Based Motor Learning Through Technological Solutions. A Review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesHome tech aids neuroplasticity but forces a trade-off. Simple sensory or game-based training allows high repetition but lacks precise feedback. Videoconferencing offers expert guidance but limits dose. Choose the tool based on whether the patient needs volume or correction.
• OTPilot2021Facilitating manual wheelchair skills following lower limb amputation using a group process: A nested mixed methods pilot study.Australian occupational therapy journalEleven new wheelchair users with lower limb amputations completed a structured skills programme. Self-reported capacity, confidence, and performance all increased, and most improved on their personal goals. However, only a third of sessions were actually group-based, and participants were also receiving usual rehabilitation, so the specific effect of the programme cannot be isolated.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2021Person-Centered Healthcare Practice in a Pandemic Context: An Exploration of People's Experience of Seeking Healthcare Support.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesEleven people with long-term conditions described feeling dismissed by healthcare services during the pandemic. They struggled to access support because symptoms were not believed or matched narrow referral criteria. Feeling heard and partnering with clinicians who admitted knowledge limits helped them cope despite lack of treatment.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2022Symptoms of Pediatric Feeding Disorders Among Individuals with 3q29 Deletion Syndrome: A Case-Control Study.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPChildren with 3q29 deletion syndrome report far more feeding problems than typically developing peers. Clinicians should screen for selective eating, refusal behaviors, and growth issues, as these symptoms persist across ages and are worse in those with global developmental delays.
• PTOTOther2022Related factors associated with exercise behavior in patients with peripheral arterial disease.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 43 patients with peripheral arterial disease, only higher exercise self-efficacy was associated with being active. Walking distance and pain scores did not differ between active and inactive groups, suggesting confidence matters more than physical limitation.
• PTOTSLPPilot2022Assessment of dual-tasking during a dynamic balance task using a smartphone app: a pilot study.Journal of physical therapy scienceA smartphone app detected balance changes during dual-task walking in healthy adults. However, the app's own stopwatch function failed to record accurate times for these short tests, meaning clinicians cannot rely on the phone's timing feature alone for this assessment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Caregiver strain among North American parents of children from the Autism Treatment Network Registry Call-Back Study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceCaregiver strain did not significantly decrease on average over two years, despite the authors' hypothesis. However, strain fluctuated for most families: it increased for nearly half and decreased for nearly half. Strain was lower when children's adaptive skills improved or behavior problems decreased.
• OTSLPCohort2022Children's Attention and Self-Regulatory Behavior Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPParents reported modest declines in children's attention, task engagement, and impulse control during the pandemic. Families facing four or more disruptions saw specific drops in waiting their turn. These changes were not linked to child demographics or pre-existing parent depression.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Exploring sensory phenotypes in autism spectrum disorder.Molecular autismParent reports grouped autistic participants into five sensory patterns. The broad sensory difference group had lower daily living and social scores, while the most typical group had higher scores. IQ and sex did not differ across the groups.
• PTOTOther2021Evaluation of the Implementation of a Home-Based Exercise Training Program for People With COPD: A Mixed-Methods Study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMost patients with COPD maintained home-based strength training for a year when coached. Stabilizing a routine within the first two months predicted long-term adherence. Patients valued physical exercise cards and home visits but found weekly goal-setting burdensome.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2021Canadian Resources for Siblings of Youth With Chronic Health Conditions to Inform and Support With Healthcare Management: A Qualitative Document Analysis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesMost online resources for siblings of youth with chronic conditions offer general information, not practical healthcare management guidance. Siblings described learning care skills through trial and error, highlighting a critical gap in resources that support their role in navigating healthcare transitions and future planning.
• PTOTCohort2021Early Use of Phenol Neurolysis Likely Reduces the Total Amount of Botulinum Toxin in Management of Post-Stroke Spasticity.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStroke patients who received phenol neurolysis first required significantly less botulinum toxin in their subsequent injections compared to those who received botulinum toxin first. Phenol was typically used for lower limb spasticity within four months of stroke onset.
• PTOTSLPOther2022The use of Multi-Sensory Environments with autistic children: Exploring the effect of having control of sensory changes.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children showed fewer repetitive movements and better attention when they controlled sensory equipment versus when it changed automatically. However, anxiety, social interaction, positive affect and arousal did not differ between the two conditions.
• PTOTSystematic Review2021Effectiveness of Self-Monitoring Approach Using Fitness Trackers to Improve Walking Ability in Rehabilitation Settings: A Systematic Review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAdding fitness trackers to usual rehabilitation showed little to no improvement in walking ability across most conditions. Stable COPD patients saw a small increase in walking distance that was still below the threshold for clinical importance. Trackers alone are not a fix for gait deficits.
• PTOTSystematic Review2021What Is Intensity and How Can It Benefit Exercise Intervention in People With Stroke? A Rapid Review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesHigh-intensity exercise appears safe for people with stroke, with no adverse events reported in the studies reviewed. However, there is no agreed definition of intensity, and most studies measured body changes rather than how much people could actually do in daily life.
• PTOTSLPCase Series2021De novo variants in CACNA1E found in patients with intellectual disability, developmental regression and social cognition deficit but no seizures.Molecular autismSeven patients with de novo CACNA1E variants presented with global developmental delay, speech delays, and social deficits, but lacked the severe epilepsy and motor impairments seen in larger cohorts. One patient showed improved sleep and bladder control after topiramate treatment.
• PTOTOther2021Relating Global Cognition With Upper-Extremity Motor Skill Retention in Individuals With Mild-to-Moderate Parkinson's Disease.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesHigher scores on a five-minute cognitive screen predicted better retention of an upper-extremity motor task nine days later in people with mild-to-moderate Parkinson's disease. This held true regardless of whether they took their dopamine medication during training.
• OTSLPQualitative2021Optimizing Evaluation of Older Adults With Vision and/or Hearing Loss Using the interRAI Community Health Assessment and Deafblind Supplement.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesAssessing older adults with vision or hearing loss can miss real-world difficulty if based on one ability or a quiet interview. Ask about distance vision, multiple sounds, noisy settings, preferred communication, and night mobility before scoring.
• PTOTNarrative Review2021Klotho: An Emerging Factor With Ergogenic Potential.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThis review links low Klotho protein levels to muscle weakness and poor physical function in aging and kidney disease. It suggests exercise may raise Klotho levels, but human evidence is observational. No therapy is proven to improve patient outcomes yet.
• PTOTSLPRCT2022Home training with or without joint mobilization compared to no treatment: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceHome training with or without joint mobilization did not improve overall shoulder function significantly more than no treatment over 6 months. However, both active groups reported significantly less pain during movement compared to the reference group, with the mobilization group showing the most pain reduction.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022Neurodevelopmental profile of HIVEP2-related disorder.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with HIVEP2-related disorder had mild adaptive impairment on average, severe social behavior problems even without autism, and clinically significant emotional and behavioral difficulties.
• OTSurvey2022Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Youth with Autism: High Prevalence and Impact on Functioning.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPCaregivers reported that children with autism had more emotional and behavioral problems and more daily-life impairment than children with asthma or no condition. Behavior problems contributed to impairment about as much as autism symptoms.
• OTOther2022Regularity and Timing of Sleep Patterns and Behavioral Health Among Adolescents.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPLess regular sleep tracked with more rule-breaking and aggression on teen and parent reports, and poorer school, activity, and social functioning. Later sleep timing tracked with more self-reported anxiety, depression, or physical complaints. These are links, not proof of cause.
• OTCohort2022Diet quality among people with intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDPeople with intellectual disabilities scored 30 points lower on diet quality than controls. Men and those with mild disabilities or borderline functioning had the poorest diets. Staff support alone may not fix this; structural changes in care are needed.
• PTOTSLPOther2022Can YouTube be used as an educational tool in lymphedema rehabilitation?Archives of physiotherapyMost YouTube videos on lymphedema rehabilitation were low quality, with poor sourcing and missing safety information. Educational videos for professionals and those from universities scored higher than patient videos or manufacturer ads, but overall reliability remained insufficient for safe self-guidance.
• PTOTSLPCohort2022The Neck Disability Index Reflects Allodynia and Headache Disability but Not Cervical Musculoskeletal Dysfunction in Migraine.Physical therapyIn people with migraine and neck pain, Neck Disability Index scores tracked allodynia and headache impact, not cervical musculoskeletal dysfunction. Shortened NDI versions also failed to reflect physical neck limitations, suggesting scores capture migraine features rather than local neck mechanics.
• OTSLPOther2022Sensory profile of children with Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD).CoDASCaregiver reports did not distinguish children with CAPD from children with typical auditory processing. A moderate visual sensory difference appeared, but the groups were not separated.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Relationship Between Cognition and Gait at 2- and 12-Months Post-Traumatic Brain Injury.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesSlower performance on a cognitive sorting test at 2 months predicted slower maximum walking speed and less stable step timing at 12 months. However, the statistical models explained very little of the variation, so early cognitive scores cannot reliably predict an individual patient's long-term walking recovery.
• PTOTCase-Control2021Characterizing Cycling Smoothness and Rhythm in Children With and Without Cerebral Palsy.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesChildren with cerebral palsy cycled with significantly less smoothness and rhythm than typically developing peers. New measures can quantify these movement quality deficits, helping therapists identify compensatory patterns and target specific motor control issues during recumbent cycling training.