THE INDEX

Every paper we have read

Each one summarised from the full article, not its abstract, and kept only if it speaks to physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology or nursing. Newest first.

35,183 PAPERS · PAGE 370 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2021Impact of COVID-19 on people with physical disabilities: A rapid review.Disability and health journalPeople with physical disabilities faced major disruptions to care, including suspended physiotherapy and transportation barriers. While some reported worse sleep and mood, others showed resilience or even improved sexual satisfaction. No single consistent pattern of harm emerged across the small number of studies.
• PTOTOther2021A Descriptive Study of the Implementation of Remote Occupational Rehabilitation Services Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic Within a Workers' Compensation Context.Journal of occupational rehabilitationRemote occupational rehabilitation proceeded with no reported adverse events, but clinicians made more cautious recommendations. Fewer workers were cleared for full pre-accident duties, and more received permanent restrictions. Service volumes dropped, and complex cases were largely excluded from remote assessment.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2021Developmental outcomes after early surgery for complex congenital heart disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Developmental medicine and child neurologyInfants with complex heart defects score below average on motor and cognitive tests. Single-ventricle patients continue to have lower IQ and language issues into school age, while two-ventricle patients often catch up to typical ranges.
• SLPCohort2021Comparison of the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers, Revised with Follow-Up (M-CHAT-R/F) Positive Predictive Value by Race.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe M-CHAT-R/F screening tool works equally well for Black and White toddlers. While Black children were more likely to fail specific items before the follow-up interview, the overall accuracy in predicting autism or other developmental delays did not differ by race.
• PTOTOther2021Rasch analysis to evaluate the motor function measure for patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy.International journal of rehabilitation research. Internationale Zeitschrift fur Rehabilitationsforschung. Revue internationale de recherches de readaptationThe Motor Function Measure is too easy for many patients with facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy. It fails to distinguish between those with mild weakness and those with severe disability, so it may not accurately track progression or treatment response in this group.
• SLPOther2020California Autism Prevalence by County and Race/Ethnicity: Declining Trends Among Wealthy Whites.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutism prevalence in wealthy California counties dropped for white children after birth year 2000, while rising in poorer areas. This suggests high-income families may be opting out of state services or accessing private care, rather than a true decrease in autism rates.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2020Resilience in the face of adversity in adults with an intellectual disability: A literature review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDAdults with intellectual disability described resilience as feeling in control, accepting themselves, staying healthy, having supportive people, and doing regular activities. The evidence came from six case reports, so it is not proof that any therapy works.
• PTOTOther2020Improving Accelerometry-Based Measurement of Functional Use of the Upper Extremity After Stroke: Machine Learning Versus Counts Threshold Method.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairMachine learning models accurately measured functional arm use in stroke survivors, closely matching video evidence. The standard counts threshold method failed, grossly overestimating functional use by including nonfunctional movements like arm swing. This suggests current accelerometry metrics may be misleading for assessing real-world recovery.
• Other2020Brief Report: Genetic Links Between Autism and Suicidal Behavior-A Preliminary Investigation.Journal of autism and developmental disordersA preliminary genetic analysis found eight genes linked to both autism and suicidal behavior, including GRIN2B and PTEN. The genes suggest shared brain and nerve-cell pathways, not a clinical test or treatment.
• PTRCT2020Wearable hip-assist robot modulates cortical activation during gait in stroke patients: a functional near-infrared spectroscopy study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWearing a hip-assist robot during treadmill walking shifted brain activity in stroke survivors. It increased sensorimotor activation early on and reduced it later, while boosting prefrontal engagement. This suggests the device may help automate gait, but the study measured brain signals, not walking ability.
• SLPSurvey2020Early Interventionists' Appraisals of Intervention Strategies for Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Peers in Inclusive Childcare Classrooms.Journal of autism and developmental disordersEarly interventionists rated 31 autism strategies as more effective for typical toddlers than for autistic toddlers, yet eight of the top ten strategies overlapped for both groups. Most top-rated strategies for autistic children are already standard practice in accredited childcare.
• PTOTSLPRCT2020'Recoupling' the attentional and motor control of preparatory postural adjustments to overcome freezing of gait in Parkinson's.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn people with Parkinson's, freezing attempts failed when the sideways weight shift was too small. Training a specific verbal or analogy cue to increase this shift helped nearly all participants initiate a step successfully, with no difference between the two cue types.
• PTOTCohort2020Executive Control of Walking in People With Parkinson's Disease With Freezing of Gait.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairPeople with Parkinson's who report freezing of gait showed higher prefrontal brain activity while walking than those without freezing. This suggests their brains work harder to control movement. However, their actual walking speed and step variability looked the same as non-freezers once disease severity was accounted for.
• OTOther2020Before the Accommodation Principle: Disability and Employment Among Union Army Veterans.Journal of occupational rehabilitationUnion army veterans with disabilities were often unemployed, but they also returned to work more often than veterans without disabilities. For pensions under $18 per month, disability was a stronger marker of unemployment than income.
• Case-Control2020Atypical Multisensory Integration and the Temporal Binding Window in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersHigh-functioning adults with autism were less likely to be tricked by an audio-visual illusion than typically developing adults. The two groups showed no difference in how they judged the timing of sounds and flashes, but the illusion result was a secondary finding.
• OTSLPQualitative2020"For Me, the Anorexia is Just a Symptom, and the Cause is the Autism": Investigating Restrictive Eating Disorders in Autistic Women.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic women with anorexia described their eating disorder as a coping mechanism for autism-related distress, not primarily driven by weight concerns. Restriction served to numb sensory overload, regulate confusion, and create predictability. This suggests standard anorexia treatments may fail if they ignore the underlying autism.
• SLPOther2020Scaling of Early Social Cognitive Skills in Typically Developing Infants and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTypically developing infants and children with autism passed early social cognitive tasks in the same order, but children with autism had lower pass rates on gaze and cooperation tasks. This was an assessment sequence, not a treatment test.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2020Systematic review on the application of wearable inertial sensors to quantify everyday life motor activity in people with mobility impairments.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWearable sensors can track specific movements like sitting duration or gait speed in people with mobility impairments. However, the studies varied too much in method and reporting to confirm which sensor setups work best or how accurate they are for clinical use.
• PTOTOther2020Telework After COVID: A "Silver Lining" for Workers with Disabilities?Journal of occupational rehabilitationWorkers with disabilities are more likely to work from home, but they face larger wage gaps in those roles. Telework expands job access for this group but does not close the pay disparity, suggesting employers must address compensation separately.
• PTOTCohort2020Is fatness or fitness key for survival in older adults with intellectual disabilities?Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDOlder adults with intellectual disabilities who were unfit had 3.6 to 4.6 times higher mortality risk than those who were fit, regardless of obesity. Fitness predicted survival; weight measures did not. Prioritize improving physical fitness over weight reduction for healthy aging.
• OTSLPOther2020Measurement Properties of the Suicidal Behaviour Questionnaire-Revised in Autistic Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe SBQ-R suicide questionnaire does not measure suicidality the same way in autistic adults as in the general population. Items about telling others and future intent work differently, so comparing total scores between these groups is invalid without adaptation.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2020Virtual reality and non-invasive brain stimulation for rehabilitation applications: a systematic review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCombining virtual reality with brain stimulation showed promise for stroke, pain, and PTSD in small trials, but results were mixed and no study proved it works better than either alone. Single-session treatments mostly failed, so this is not yet a standard care option.
• OTQualitative2020Conversations about health-Sharing the personal experiences of women with intellectual disabilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDWomen with intellectual disabilities did not view their disability as an illness but reported doctors dismissing their opinions or demanding a parent's presence. They valued peer support to navigate health decisions and body image pressures, seeking care that respects their adult autonomy.
• SLPCohort2021Brief Report: Use of the Infant-Toddler Checklist in Infant Siblings of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe Infant-Toddler Checklist missed many cases in high-risk siblings, with sensitivity below accepted levels. Accuracy improved by 24 months, but positive predictive value remained low. Clinicians should interpret early screening results cautiously in this population.
• PTOTCohort2021Predictive Value of Midsagittal Tissue Bridges on Functional Recovery After Spinal Cord Injury.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairWider ventral and dorsal tissue bridges seen on 1-month MRI were associated with better neurological grade and functional recovery at 12 months after spinal cord injury. This helps set prognosis, not a treatment target.
• SLPQualitative2021Supporting Newly Identified or Diagnosed Autistic Adults: An Initial Evaluation of an Autistic-Led Programme.Journal of autism and developmental disordersNewly diagnosed or self-identified autistic adults described an autistic-led peer group as a safe, less judged space. They valued hearing peers' experiences, understanding autism positively, and discussing practical ways to handle anxiety, disclosure, and daily life.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2021What Determines the Quality of Rehabilitation Clinical Practice Guidelines?: An Overview Study.American journal of physical medicine & rehabilitationRehabilitation guidelines rated with AGREE II varied widely, and no single domain by itself made a guideline high quality or recommended. Rigor of development was strongest, but applicability did not predict recommendation, so guideline scores alone should not decide use.
• SLPSurvey2021A Consensus Statement for the Management and Rehabilitation of Communication and Swallowing Function in the ICU: A Global Response to COVID-19.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationThirty-five ICU speech-language pathologists agreed on 64 of 66 statements for managing communication and swallowing. They did not agree that speaking is a low-risk aerosol-generating procedure, or that gag-reflex testing is an aerosol-generating procedure. These are expert recommendations, not tested interventions.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Impact of COVID-19: Nursing challenges to meeting the care needs of people with developmental disabilities.Disability and health journalNurses supporting people with developmental disabilities report severe challenges securing protective equipment and maintaining routines. They describe being excluded from pandemic planning despite managing high-risk congregate care. Social and behavioral support needs remain unmet due to staffing shortages and lack of specific guidance.
• PTOTRCT2021Telerehabilitation After Stroke Using Readily Available Technology: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairACTIV did not significantly improve physical function at 6 months after stroke. Participation and self-rated health favoured ACTIV, and those receiving at least half the intervention showed physical gains, but these were not sustained.
• OTSLPCase-Control2020Brief Report: Reduced Heart Rate Variability in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism had lower heart rate variability than typically developing peers, but variability did not differ in response to or recovery from a task. In the autism group, lower variability was linked to caregiver-reported attentional responses to sensory input, not social communication scores.
• Narrative Review2020Use of Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation in the Treatment of Neuropsychiatric and Neurocognitive Symptoms Associated With Concussion in Military Populations.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationEvidence for using rTMS to treat post-concussion symptoms in military populations is currently insufficient to support any specific protocol. While some trials showed benefit for depression, results were mixed and none demonstrated significant cognitive improvement. Large, individualized trials are needed before clinical adoption.
• PTRCT2020Validity and sensitivity of instrumented postural and gait assessment using low-cost devices in Parkinson's disease.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationLow-cost balance and Kinect camera tests found more sway in Parkinson's and tracked clinical walking scores, but early-stage patients looked better than controls. Use them as complements, not replacements.
• PTOTOther2020Multiple processes independently predict motor learning.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn healthy young adults, improvements in hitting targets were independently predicted by faster hand movements, more efficient visual search, and looser eye-hand coupling. Avoiding distractors was predicted only by looser eye-hand coupling. This shows motor learning involves multiple distinct processes.
• SLPRCT2020A Pilot Randomised Control Trial of Digitally-Mediated Social Stories for Children on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersPersonalised digital social stories read daily for two weeks improved goal attainment, behaviour frequency and intensity in children with autism. Effects held at six-week follow-up, but anxiety did not change. This pilot suggests promise, not proof.
• Survey2020Mentalising Moderates the Link between Autism Traits and Current Gender Dysphoric Features in Primarily Non-autistic, Cisgender Individuals.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn adults without gender dysphoria, higher autism traits linked to more recalled childhood crossgender behaviour and current gender dysphoric traits. This link was strongest in those with poorer mentalising skills, suggesting these traits interact rather than one simply causing the other.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in Males and Females with Fragile X Syndrome: Developmental Trajectories in Toddlers Through Young Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn Fragile X syndrome, sensory-motor behaviors decreased with age for both sexes, but higher-order behaviors like restricted interests and compulsions remained stable. Males consistently showed more severe repetitive behaviors than females, except for compulsions. Higher nonverbal IQ was linked to increased compulsive behavior.
• SLPRCT2020A Randomized Controlled Trial of Functional Communication Training via Telehealth for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent-delivered functional communication training via telehealth reduced problem behavior in young children with autism over 12 weeks compared with treatment as usual. Ongoing supports varied, so other treatments cannot be separated.
• OTQualitative2020One social network, two perspectives: Social networks of people with Down syndrome based on self-reports and proxy reports.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDAdults with Down syndrome rated friends and partners as very close, often omitting paid staff. Proxies listed more staff and family for future support but missed these emotional ties. Self-reports are essential to identify meaningful relationships that proxies overlook.
• SLPRCT2020SOLACE: A Psychosocial Stigma Protection Intervention to Improve the Mental Health of Parents of Autistic Children-A Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of newly diagnosed autistic children who joined SOLACE, a stigma-focused group, reported better mental health and less stigma than controls. However, the study was underpowered, and the primary goal was testing feasibility, not proving effectiveness.
• PTOTRCT2020Effects of virtual reality training on occupational performance and self-efficacy of patients with stroke: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding 3 weeks of virtual reality training to standard care improved self-efficacy and daily living activities in stroke survivors, but did not improve occupational performance or upper limb function more than standard care alone.
• OTCohort2020Atypical Development of Attentional Control Associates with Later Adaptive Functioning, Autism and ADHD Traits.Journal of autism and developmental disordersA plateaued parent-reported attention trajectory between 10 and 25 months was associated with higher autism and ADHD traits and lower adaptive functioning at age 3. Most infants later diagnosed with autism showed typical attention development.
• Narrative Review2020Gig Workers with Disabilities: Opportunities, Challenges, and Regulatory Response.Journal of occupational rehabilitationNo original study result is reported. The paper is a narrative review of gig work and disability policy.
• SLPRCT2020Safety Considerations for the Use of Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as Treatment for Coma Recovery in People With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationIn seven patients with severe traumatic brain injury and disorders of consciousness, transcranial magnetic stimulation was generally safe. One seizure occurred during treatment but was atypical. The authors conclude the protocol is relatively safe for medically stable patients with widespread neuropathology but no large lesions near the stimulation site.
• OTSLPOther2020The Development and Feasibility Study of a Multimodal 'Talking Wall' to Facilitate the Voice of Young People with Autism and Complex Needs: A Case Study in a Specialist Residential School.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTen minimally verbal or complex-needs students used a multimodal 'Talking Wall' to express preferences. While staff found it promising for capturing immediate likes, spontaneous use was absent, and students often matched images rather than expressing true feelings, especially regarding negative emotions.
• SLPSurvey2020An Exploratory Study of a Dimensional Assessment of the Diagnostic Criteria for Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTwo self-report questions about autism social and restricted/repetitive behaviours differed between adults who identified as autistic and those who did not, and related to an existing autism screen. They are not diagnostic and need validation before use.
• PTOTCohort2020Motor behaviour in infancy is associated with neurological, cognitive, and behavioural function of children born to parents with reduced fertility.Developmental medicine and child neurologyInfants with slow adaptability and performance scores had lower IQs at age 9. Slow adaptability also predicted less optimal neurological function. Non-optimal variation and fluctuating fluency were linked to more internalizing problems, though these behavioural differences were small.
• SLPOther2020Small Semantic Networks in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Without Intellectual Impairment: A Verbal Fluency Approach.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdults with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual impairment did not show a reliable difference from non-ASD adults on verbal fluency after the study applied a strict threshold. Small differences in semantic clusters did not hold up.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Measuring child functioning: Assessing correlation and agreement between caregiver and child responses at the Iganga-Mayuge health and demographic surveillance site in Uganda.Disability and health journalChildren aged 11 to 17 in Uganda reported their own disability levels with agreement similar to their caregivers. Clinicians can trust child self-reports for physical and cognitive domains, but should still interview caregivers to capture context and mental health nuances.
• OTOther2021Rasch Analysis of Social Attitude Barriers and Facilitators to Participation for Individuals with Disabilities.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationA questionnaire measuring perceived social barriers and supports for people with stroke, spinal cord injury, or brain injury showed scores that were consistent and related to standard social health measures. It may help therapists identify participation problems, but does not show any treatment works.