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 392 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTCohort2021Neuromuscular mechanisms that contribute to gross motor performance in survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineChildhood leukemia survivors jumped significantly lower than matched peers. They showed slower shin muscle activation, poorer balance, and slower mobility. Jump height correlated with clinical balance and mobility tests, suggesting these simple measures may track rehabilitation progress in clinics without expensive motion labs.
• SLPQualitative2021Autistic parents' views and experiences of talking about autism with their autistic children.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic parents described talking about autism as ongoing, child-led, and often light-hearted, using their own lived experience to explain diagnosis positively and adapt language to each child. These are parents' accounts, not tested outcomes.
• SLPOther2021Investigating the Influences of Task Demand and Reward on Cardiac Pre-Ejection Period Reactivity During a Speech-in-Noise Task.Ear and hearingCardiac measures show effort rises linearly with listening difficulty in normal-hearing adults, but monetary reward fails to alter physiological effort. Participants with higher daily fatigue invested more cardiac effort, contradicting the idea that fatigue reduces engagement.
• Other2021Enhancing developmental-behavioral pediatric rotations by teaching residents how to evaluate autism in primary care.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceResidents completing a new developmental-behavioral pediatric curriculum reported significantly higher comfort with identifying, diagnosing, and managing autism in toddlers. They also became more likely to view primary care providers as appropriate for making diagnoses.
• OTSLPCohort2021Temporal evolution and predictors of subjective cognitive complaints up to 4 years after stroke.Journal of rehabilitation medicineIn 121 patients with data at all time points, cognitive complaints rose up to 4 years. At 4 years, 89.3% reported at least one complaint, and the average number was 4.1 on a 0-13 scale. Early complaints and psychological factors were linked to later complaints.
• PTNarrative Review2021The Safety and Efficacy of Weighted Baseballs.International journal of sports physical therapyWeighted baseballs may increase pitching velocity in some athletes but not all, and a prior program showed shoulder or elbow injury in almost 25% of subjects. Use caution with dosing and rest.
• SLPCase-Control2021Effects of Otosclerosis on Middle Ear Function Assessed With Wideband Absorbance and Absorbed Power.Ear and hearingNormal 226 Hz tympanometry did not separate otosclerosis ears from controls. Wideband absorbed power gave the best separation at 1.71 kHz, but absorbance results were mixed.
• PTPilot2021An Online Physical Activity Intervention for Youth With Physical Disabilities: A Pilot Study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesYouth with physical disabilities completed a 4-week online physical activity program with high feasibility. Task and barrier self-efficacy, planning behavior, and self-reported activity increased, but there was no control group, so the study cannot show the program caused change.
• PTPilot2021Knee joint movement and muscle activity changes in stroke hemiplegic patients on continuous use of knee-ankle-foot orthosis with adjustable knee joint.Journal of physical therapy scienceSetting the knee joint of a KAFO to allow movement, rather than locking it, increased vastus medialis muscle activity during walking in stroke patients. However, muscle activity did not change after one month of continuous use, and the study was too small to confirm clinical benefit.
• SLPCohort2021What categorical induction variability reveals about typical and atypical development.Journal of child languageChildren with autism were less likely to use a shared category name to extend a property. Typically developing peers did so more consistently, and early shape bias predicted later category reasoning only in typical development.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021An international study of public contact with people who have an intellectual disability.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRMost people report little contact with those who have intellectual disability. Those with frequent contact were more comfortable meeting them. Contact was linked to volunteering, Special Olympics involvement, working in health or education, and being a parent. This is descriptive survey data, not evidence that interventions work.
• PTOther2021Visual Perturbation to Enhance Return to Sport Rehabilitation after Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injury: A Clinical Commentary.International journal of sports physical therapyThis paper proposes using stroboscopic glasses and implicit cues to retrain athletes after ACL injury. It does not test if this works. Do not change your current rehab protocol based on this article, as it offers a theoretical framework and exercise examples rather than clinical evidence of benefit.
• PTOTOther2021Myoelectric prosthesis users and non-disabled individuals wearing a simulated prosthesis exhibit similar compensatory movement strategies.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPeople wearing a simulated prosthetic hand moved their arms and bodies in ways that closely matched those of real prosthesis users. Both groups moved more slowly and used more trunk and shoulder motion than people with typical arm function.
• OTCohort2021The Adolescent/Young Adult Self-Management and Independence Scale (AMIS-II): Expanding evidence for validity and reliability.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineThe AMIS-II interview showed consistent scores and was linked to parents' earlier reports of skills and responsibility in young adults with spina bifida. Age, sex, and ethnicity were not associated with independence scores.
• PTOTCohort2021Movement compensations during a step ascent task are associated with stair climbing performance in people with multiple sclerosis.Gait & posturePeople with MS who sway their pelvis more during a single step climb take longer to ascend a full flight of stairs. This links movement compensation directly to functional performance, suggesting balance and proximal control training may be key targets.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Long-term employment status and the association with fatigue in patients with grade II glioma.Journal of rehabilitation medicineAmong glioma patients employed at diagnosis, those who did not return to work reported significantly higher physical and mental fatigue than those who did. Younger age, male sex and avoiding multiple anti-epileptic drugs were also linked to returning to work.
• PTOTRCT2021The feasibility and efficacy of a serial reaction time task that measures motor learning of anticipatory stepping.Gait & postureHealthy young adults completed a standing step-learning task without adverse events. The high dose of 4320 steps improved step times; the low dose of 144 steps did not. The high dose also learned more after a break.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2021Intensive behavioural interventions based on applied behaviour analysis for young children with autism: An international collaborative individual participant data meta-analysis.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceCompared with usual or eclectic early support, intensive ABA-based programmes showed a 14-point IQ difference and a 7-point adaptive behaviour difference after 2 years. These studies were not randomised and often unblinded, so these differences may be overstated.
• PTRCT2021Graded activity with and without daily-monitored-walking in patients with type 2 diabetes with low back pain: secondary analysis of a randomized-clinical trial.Archives of physiotherapyAdding daily pedometer-monitored walking to graded activity improved back pain disability and confidence earlier in treatment than graded activity alone, but the two groups showed no difference by week 12.
• PTCohort2021Patient-Reported Outcome-Based Quality Indicators in Dutch Primary Care Physical Therapy for Patients With Nonspecific Low Back Pain: A Cohort Study.Physical therapyDutch primary care physical therapists can monitor nonspecific low back pain care using six patient-reported indicators: completion rates, change scores, and global perceived effect. Practices with enough repeated data can compare outcomes, but this does not show which treatment works.
• SLPOther2020Grammatical number inflection in Arabic-speaking children and young adults with Down syndrome.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsJordanian Arabic speakers with Down syndrome used singular forms well, but dual forms were weak, especially in the youngest group. Correct plural responses were 7% in the youngest group, 27% in the school group and 47% in the vocational training group, still lower than singular.
• SLPQualitative2020'A blender without the lid on': Mealtime experiences of caregivers with a child with autism spectrum disorder in South Africa.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsCaregivers prioritise family connection over food variety. Most struggle with children refusing to sit at the table, not just picky eating. Financial stress from cooking two meals and social isolation due to lack of support are major burdens. Interventions should target seating and family routine, not just food acceptance.
• SLPOther2020Pedigree-Based Gene Mapping Supports Previous Loci and Reveals Novel Suggestive Loci in Specific Language Impairment.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRIn six families with inherited language impairment, genetic mapping found possible regions in three families but not the other three. These are research targets, not clinical tests or treatment guidance.
• OTSLPNarrative Review2021Can listening-related fatigue influence well-being? Examining associations between hearing loss, fatigue, activity levels and well-being.International journal of audiologyHearing loss was linked to lower work and physical activity, while social findings were mixed. Device use was linked to more activity in some studies, but this review could not show that hearing loss or devices caused fatigue or reduced well-being.
• OTSLPQualitative2021End-user perspectives on the development of an online intervention for parents of children on the autism spectrum.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents of autistic children described online services as fragmented and hard to trust. They asked for a single hub combining peer support, clear diagnosis pathways, and direct access to professionals like SLTs and OTs, with content they could search by their child's specific needs.
• PTNarrative Review2021Why Measure Patient Experience in Physical Therapy?Archives of physiotherapy
• Other2021Application of Airy beam light sheet microscopy to examine early neurodevelopmental structures in 3D hiPSC-derived human cortical spheroids.Molecular autismAiry beam light sheet microscopy with tissue clearing allowed 3D imaging of neural rosettes in human brain organoids. This method visualized internal structures at depths greater than 500 micrometers, which conventional confocal microscopy could not achieve.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Effects of walking with a "draw-in maneuver" on the knee adduction moment and hip muscle activity.Journal of physical therapy scienceHealthy adults walking with a belly-button draw-in maneuver showed a 5% drop in the first knee adduction moment peak. This change was linked to shorter lever arm distance and higher gluteus medius activity. The study tested immediate mechanics in healthy people, not pain or disease progression in patients.
• RCT2021A new approach of inducing proprioceptive illusion by transcutaneous electrical stimulation.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn eight healthy people, electrical stimulation over two elbow flexor muscles made them feel their elbow extending. All reported a tingling sensation with the illusion. No lasting arm-matching shift was measured. This is a lab proof of concept, not a treatment.
• PTOTSLPPilot2021Exergaming as a Functional Test Battery in Patients Who Received Arthroscopic Ankle Arthrodesis: Cross-sectional Pilot Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesAn exergaming test battery showed no significant difference in overall functional scores between patients who had ankle fusion surgery and healthy controls. The small pilot study suggests the method is feasible for tracking recovery but does not yet prove it detects deficits.
• SLPOther2021Toward a New Evidence-Based Fitting Paradigm for Over-the-Counter Hearing Aids.American journal of audiologyFour fixed hearing aid settings fit most older adults with mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Self-selection by trying or self-test matched clinical best practice. Random selection and questionnaire-based selection produced poorer outcomes.
• PTOther2021A qualitative scale of the 6-minute race test to evaluate maximum aerobic speed in physically active people from 18 to 25 years.Journal of physical therapy scienceA new scale classifies aerobic fitness in healthy 18-25 year-olds based on how far they run in six minutes. The test is reliable, with scores varying by only 2.69% between attempts. It helps set training speeds but requires two practice runs.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2021Comprehensive Clinical Assessment of Vestibular Function in Multiple Sclerosis.Journal of neurologic physical therapy : JNPTPeople with MS showed impaired central vestibular integration on VOR cancellation and SVV variance tests, correlating with disease severity. Peripheral reflex tests like vHIT and VEMPs were normal. This suggests central processing deficits, not peripheral damage, drive balance issues in mild-to-moderate MS.
• SLPCohort2021Educational outcomes associated with persistent speech disorder.International journal of language & communication disordersChildren with persistent speech disorder at age 8 were more likely to underachieve in English at ages 10-11 and 13-14, even after accounting for IQ. They were also significantly more likely to be identified as having special educational needs.
• PTOTOther2021Sound psychometric properties of the Swedish version of the Spinal Cord Independence Measure Self-Report.Journal of rehabilitation medicineThe Swedish Spinal Cord Independence Measure Self-Report reliably scores overall physical independence in community settings. It fails to group breathing, bladder, and bowel items into a single consistent score, so clinicians should interpret these subscale results with caution.
• PTOTSLPPilot2021Identifying bidirectional total and non-linear information flow in functional corticomuscular coupling during a dorsiflexion task: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new method measured brain-to-muscle signals in ten stroke survivors and ten healthy controls. It found that stroke patients had significantly weaker two-way communication between the brain and ankle muscles in both beta and gamma frequency bands.
• Other2021Targeting the RHOA pathway improves learning and memory in adult Kctd13 and 16p11.2 deletion mouse models.Molecular autismIn mice with genetic deletions linked to autism and intellectual disability, the drug fasudil improved object recognition memory but did not fix object location memory or hyperactivity. These findings are preclinical and do not yet offer a treatment for human patients.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021One-year longitudinal study on spinal kyphosis and respiratory function in community-dwelling older Japanese adults who require long-term care or support.Journal of physical therapy scienceSpinal kyphosis worsened significantly over one year in older adults requiring long-term care, but respiratory function and muscle mass remained stable. This suggests postural changes can progress without immediate loss of breathing capacity in this group.
• PTOther2021Relationship between muscle echo intensity on ultrasound and isokinetic strength of the three superficial quadriceps femoris muscles in healthy young adults.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn healthy young adults, only vastus medialis echo intensity correlated with knee extension strength. Rectus femoris and vastus lateralis showed no significant relationship. Measuring vastus medialis alone may be sufficient for assessing muscle quality related to strength in this population.
• Cohort2021Failure to replicate a robust Down syndrome advantage for maternal well-being.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRMothers of children with Down syndrome reported less psychological distress and higher life satisfaction than mothers of other children with ID. However, this advantage disappeared once family poverty and unemployment were accounted for, suggesting socio-economic factors, not the diagnosis itself, drive well-being.
• PTOTRCT2021Corpus Callosum Integrity Relates to Improvement of Upper-Extremity Function Following Intensive Rehabilitation in Children With Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn children with unilateral cerebral palsy, lower corpus callosum integrity predicted greater bimanual hand function gains after Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT). This association was not seen after Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT), where all children improved regardless of baseline brain structure.
• Qualitative2021Gait features of dystonia in cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyExperts identifying dystonia in gait videos of people with cerebral palsy most frequently cited unilateral foot or leg adduction that varied over time. They also reported significant difficulty and uncertainty in making these visual diagnoses.
• SLPSystematic Review2021A systematic review of technological approaches for autism spectrum disorder assessment in children: Implications for the COVID-19 pandemic.Research in developmental disabilitiesPhone, web, live video, and recorded video tools showed variable accuracy for ASD assessment in children. Many were tested in small clinic samples, so they are not ready to replace in-person evaluation.
• PTOther2021Providing value-based care as a physiotherapist.Archives of physiotherapyThere are no findings to act on. The paper gives physiotherapists suggestions for value-based care, but it reports no original study results.
• PTOTRCT2021Evidence of neuroplasticity with robotic hand exoskeleton for post-stroke rehabilitation: a randomized controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobotic exoskeleton therapy improved wrist spasticity, movement range, and hand function more than conventional physiotherapy in stroke patients. Brain scans showed increased excitability in the injured hemisphere, suggesting neuroplasticity. This is a small pilot, so confirm with larger trials before changing practice.
• SLPQualitative2021While quarantined: An online parent education and training model for families of children with autism in China.Research in developmental disabilitiesParents of children with autism in China prioritized emotional support and peer connection over technical training during lockdown. They valued feeling understood and less alone, while struggling with cultural stigma and pressure to make their children "fit in".
• SLPOther2020Development and evaluation of the Ingwavuma receptive vocabulary test: A tool for assessing receptive vocabulary in isiZulu-speaking preschool children.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsAge and school were linked to scores on a new isiZulu receptive vocabulary screen, but it did not reliably separate delayed from typical vocabulary. Use scores as one clue and confirm with other assessment.
• OTSLPOtherShared Decision-Making During Initial Diagnostic and Treatment Planning Visits for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPObserved shared decision-making was very low in first autism diagnosis visits: providers rarely discussed options or preferences, and 41% showed none, though parents and providers rated it much higher.
• PTOTSurvey2021Properties of muscle nodules recognized by manual physical therapy practitioners.Journal of physical therapy sciencePractitioners who regularly treated buttock muscle nodules drew them as round, often longer than wide, oriented head-to-toe, in the second muscle depth band, and eraser-hard. This is self-reported recognition, not objective measurement.
• PTPilot2021Prehabilitation for Frail Patients Undergoing Colorectal Surgery: Lessons Learnt From a Randomised Feasibility Study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesOnly five of 106 screened frail patients were randomised, and just one completed all follow-up assessments. Recruitment was blocked by short surgical waits, transport issues, and patients recoiling at the mention of exercise.