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 414 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTQualitative2022Patients' Experiences of Self-Administered Electrotherapy for Spasticity in Stroke and Cerebral Palsy: A Qualitative Study.Journal of rehabilitation medicinePatients reported the self-administered electrotherapy suit reduced spasticity and pain, but many found it impossible to put on alone due to tight fits and difficult zips. The need for assistance contradicted the goal of home independence, though some successfully reduced medication use.
• PTRCT2022Step Number and Aerobic Minute Exercise Prescription and Progression in Stroke: A Roadmap.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairStep and aerobic minute targets for stroke rehab can be predicted from baseline walking speed and age. A 65-year-old walking at 0.4 m/s is predicted to reach 2,696 steps and 27 aerobic minutes by session 20, but these targets need cross-validation.
• Case-Control2022Birth outcomes among women with congenital neuromuscular disabilities.Disability and health journalWomen with congenital neuromuscular disabilities had a higher risk of preterm birth and smaller-for-gestational-age infants compared to women without these disabilities. The study was small and estimates were imprecise, so the exact size of the risk is unclear.
• PTOTOther2022Correlation and Crosswalks Between Patient-Reported Functional Outcomes and PROMIS Physical Function Among Medically Ill Patients.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationFAMCAT Daily Activity scores can be converted to PROMIS Physical Function scores for group comparisons. Basic Mobility and Applied Cognition scales did not meet criteria for linking. Clinicians cannot directly swap individual patient scores between these specific FAMCAT domains and PROMIS.
• Other2021Identifying and modulating distinct tremor states through peripheral nerve stimulation in Parkinsonian rest tremor.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn 10 people with Parkinsonian rest tremor, wrist stimulation could suppress tremor by 36% or amplify it by 117% on average when timed to the limb's movement. No single timing worked across everyone, and tremor often shifted between patterns.
• PTOther2021Ankle resistance with a unilateral soft exosuit increases plantarflexor effort during pushoff in unimpaired individuals.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationResisting ankle push-off with a soft exosuit increased calf muscle effort in healthy walkers. Higher resistance shifted weight to the other leg, reducing training specificity. Medium resistance best targeted the ankle, but the optimal force varied between individuals.
• PTOTSLPMeta-Analysis2021A Meta-analysis of Outcome Studies of Autistic Adults: Quantifying Effect Size, Quality, and Meta-regression.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAbout half of autistic adults have poor outcomes in employment, independence, and relationships. Higher adult IQ predicted fewer poor outcomes, but did not significantly predict good or fair outcomes. Samples were often unrepresentative, and outcome definitions varied widely.
• OTCohort2021The Role of Decision-Making in Psychological Wellbeing and Risky Behaviours in Autistic Adolescents Without ADHD: Longitudinal Evidence from the UK Millennium Cohort Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAfter accounting for background differences, autistic adolescents' decision quality was similar to peers, but they took longer to decide. Only in autistic adolescents, longer deciding was linked with greater happiness, higher self-esteem, and fewer antisocial behaviours.
• SLPCohort2021Risk for Premature Mortality and Intentional Self-harm in Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutism was linked to higher premature death, mainly from natural causes. Once other psychiatric conditions were accounted for, suicide and self-harm were not independently increased.
• PTOTPilot2021Therapeutic Instrumental Music Training and Motor Imagery in Post-Stroke Upper-Extremity Rehabilitation: A Randomized-Controlled Pilot Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationThirty adults with chronic stroke improved upper-limb function after 3 weeks of music-based training, whether they practiced physically or added motor imagery. Adding an external rhythm cue during imagery did not help and may have hindered gains compared with physical practice alone.
• OTSLPCohort2021Individual and Environmental Factors Affecting Adaptive Behavior of Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Role of Parents' Socio-cultural Level.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMothers' education linked to better communication, and parents' community engagement linked to better daily living skills in toddlers with autism. These environmental factors mattered alongside the child's age and general development, suggesting family context is relevant for early intervention planning.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Autism-Related Service Use Among Medicaid-Enrolled Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersBlack, Asian, and Native American children with autism received fewer outpatient services than white children, but more school-based services. This suggests families may be substituting school therapy for medical care, potentially hiding access barriers in the outpatient setting.
• OTSLPMeta-Analysis2021IQ and Internalising Symptoms in Adolescents with ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with ASD and lower IQs reported significantly more anxiety, but parents did not. Higher IQs were linked to more depression. Clinicians must ask adolescents directly about anxiety rather than relying on parent reports, especially for those with lower cognitive abilities.
• PTOTRCT2021Efficacy of a technology-based client-centred training system in neurological rehabilitation: a randomised controlled trial.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding i-ACT to usual therapy gave no clear added functional benefit in 45 people with central nervous system deficits. Both groups improved. The self-reported ability score favoured i-ACT during training, then usual therapy later.
• SLPCohort2021Brief Report: Associations Between Self-injurious Behaviors and Abdominal Pain Among Individuals with ASD-Associated Disruptive Mutations.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAcross mutation groups, self-injury and severe abdominal pain rates did not differ. History of severe abdominal pain was associated with greater likelihood of current self-injury and greater severity, after accounting for age and adaptive behavior.
• PTOTSystematic Review2021Patient, carer, and staff perceptions of robotics in motor rehabilitation: a systematic review and qualitative meta-synthesis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPatients and therapists found robotic motor rehabilitation useful and motivating, but set-up, size, weight, technical faults, cost and need for help were major barriers. Human support and tailored devices mattered.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Accuracy and Reliability of Single-Camera Measurements of Ankle Clonus and Quadriceps Hyperreflexia.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationA smartphone camera system with green stickers measured ankle and knee reflex angles as accurately as expensive motion capture sensors. Students and experienced therapists got similar results, meaning this cheap, portable method can reliably track spasticity changes in clinic.
• PTRCT2021Prospective, Single-blind, Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Effectiveness of a Digital Exercise Therapy Application Compared With Conventional Physical Therapy for the Treatment of Nonoperative Knee Conditions.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationFor knee pain, an 8-week at-home app-based exercise program with videos and a band reduced pain interference and improved physical function more than standard outpatient physical therapy. Adherence was similar: 2.6 versus 3.2 sessions per week.
• SLPOther2021Predictors of Caregiver Strain for Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersDifferent child behaviors predict different types of parent strain in autism. Disruptive behaviors like irritability and hyperactivity predict strain on daily routines and work. Core autism symptoms like poor communication predict parents' internal sadness and worry. Oppositional defiance predicts anger and resentment.
• SLPSurvey2021Less Illusion of a Just World in People with Formally Diagnosed Autism and Higher Autistic Traits.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFormally diagnosed autistic people and people with higher autistic traits reported a weaker belief that the world is generally just. They also felt less personally treated fairly, more controlled by outside forces, and less prone to self-deception.
• PTOTSLPPilot2021Physiotherapy using a free-standing robotic exoskeleton for patients with spinal cord injury: a feasibility study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationThree patients with severe spinal cord injury completed 12 weeks of free-standing exoskeleton therapy. No adverse events occurred, and all wanted to continue. Functional outcomes were inconsistent: one improved, one declined, and one showed no change on the primary measure.
• SLPOther2021Distance from Typical Scan Path When Viewing Complex Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and its Association with Behavior.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism whose gaze deviated from typical patterns during social scenes showed lower communication skills and higher autism severity. However, these links depended heavily on the specific video context and did not hold consistently when age-matched.
• Protocol2022Pediatric spinal cord injury rehabilitation: A protocol for an international multicenter project (SINpedSCI).Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineThis paper outlines the plan for a future study comparing pediatric spinal cord injury rehabilitation services across ten units in seven countries. No data has been collected or analyzed yet, so there are no findings to report.
• PTOTOther2022Safety and efficacy of repeat long-term incobotulinumtoxinA treatment for lower limb or combined upper/lower limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineRepeat incobotulinumtoxinA injections for lower limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy were well-tolerated over four to six cycles. Muscle tone improved consistently, and gross motor scores rose by 4.8 points at the final visit. Most adverse events were mild respiratory infections.
• SLPRCT2021Randomized Controlled Trial of a Video Gaming-Based Social Skills Program for Children on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren on the autism spectrum whose parents supported a coached online social-skills program improved parent-reported social skills more than children doing active online cognitive games, and gains held at follow-up.
• PTOTSystematic Review2021Relationship Between Sensibility Tests and Functional Outcomes in Patients With Traumatic Upper Limb Nerve Injuries: A Systematic Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationSemmes-Weinstein monofilament and Weinstein Enhanced Sensory Test scores consistently tracked with hand function, quality of life, and return-to-work status. Two-point discrimination results were inconsistent, so improved scores on that test do not reliably predict better daily function.
• SLPSystematic Review2021Systematic Review of Training Communication Partners of Chinese-speaking Persons With Aphasia.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationTraining communication partners for Chinese-speaking people with aphasia shows promise, but evidence is weak. Most studies lacked control groups or blinding, and many included acute patients where natural recovery confounds results. Task-shifting and partner training differ in goals and should not be conflated.
• SLPCase-Control2021Gastrointestinal Symptoms in 2- to 5-Year-Old Children in the Study to Explore Early Development.Journal of autism and developmental disordersYoung children with autism had more parent-reported current and past gut symptoms than children with other developmental delays or general-population children. Gut symptoms also occurred with more sleep, anxiety, aggression and attention concerns in all groups.
• PTCohort2021Wearing an Activating Spinal Orthosis and Physical Training in Women With Osteoporosis and Back Pain: A Postintervention Follow-Up Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationOlder women with osteoporosis and back pain who voluntarily continued the orthosis or training for 6 months kept similar back pain, back strength and balance.
• SLPCase Series2021Classroom Based Intensive Toilet Training for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFour children with autism and severe communication delays became continent during school hours using a multi-component toilet training package. Three required intensive intervention including scheduled sits and reinforcement; the fourth became continent simply when diapers were removed.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Shared Features or Co-occurrence? Evaluating Symptoms of Developmental Coordination Disorder in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost children with autism in this study showed motor difficulties severe enough to meet the criteria for Developmental Coordination Disorder. Their performance on standardized movement tests was no different from children diagnosed with DCD. This suggests motor issues are common in autism and may be overlooked if clinicians only look for social or communication deficits.
• SLPOther2021Toward Novel Tools for Autism Identification: Fusing Computational and Clinical Expertise.Journal of autism and developmental disordersResearchers built a brief play-based observation tool for toddlers using machine learning to find the most predictive behaviors. The tool focuses on seven areas like eye contact and vocalization. It is not yet validated for clinical diagnosis but shows promise for identifying symptoms quickly.
• Pilot2021Group Virtual Mindfulness-Based Intervention for Parents of Autistic Adolescents and Adults.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of autistic adults reported reduced stress and improved mindfulness after a 6-week virtual group. However, only 21 of 39 completed the program. The intervention appears feasible and acceptable, but high dropout rates mean it may not suit all families.
• PTRCT2021The effect of pelvic movements of a gait training system for stroke patients: a single blind, randomized, parallel study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding pelvic movements to robotic gait training increased muscle activation and walking speed in stroke patients compared to fixed-pelvis training. However, the study was small, and improvements in self-selected speed were similar in both groups.
• PTSurvey2021Upper Limb Rehabilitation in Facioscapulohumeral Muscular Dystrophy: A Patients' Perspective.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationMost people with FSHD surveyed said shoulder instability affects daily life, but 54.7% did not do upper-body exercise. They wanted clearer advice and support for a 3-month home arm cycling study.
• Other2021Conducting CBT for Anxiety in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder During COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disorders
• SLPCase-Control2021Does Autism Affect Children's Identification of Ownership and Defence of Ownership Rights?Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren with autism identified their own belongings as accurately as peers but struggled to track others' property. They were less likely to defend ownership rights against theft. Pronouns caused more confusion than proper nouns, suggesting language choice affects comprehension of ownership.
• SLPOther2021Rigorous Translation and Cultural Adaptation of an Autism Screening Tool: First Years Inventory as a Case Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTranslating an autism screening tool for Latin American Spanish-speaking caregivers required major edits to 57 of 69 items. Most problems surfaced during caregiver pre-testing, not back translation, because items about atypical behavior and response options were often misunderstood.
• PTOTOther2021Abnormal Gait Movements Prior to a Near Fall in Individuals After Stroke.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn the single step before a near fall, stroke patients slowed down, took longer to complete the step, and shifted their body weight side-to-side more than usual. Therapists should watch for these specific changes in gait to anticipate instability.
• Survey2021Canadian Physicians' Use of Perioperative Botulinum Toxin Injections to Spastic Limbs: A Cross-sectional National Survey.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation74% of surveyed Canadian physicians who treat spasticity reported using botulinum toxin around surgery, and 85% believed it can improve surgical outcomes. Forty-one percent reported not being notified of the surgery date.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Brief Report: Impact of COVID-19 on Individuals with ASD and Their Caregivers: A Perspective from the SPARK Cohort.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregivers reported severe disruptions to speech, OT, and ABA therapy, with 64% saying their child's symptoms worsened. Remote services were rarely used and perceived as beneficial by fewer than half, except for mental health care. Parents of preschoolers reported the highest stress levels.
• SLPOther2021Improving Early Identification and Access to Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Toddlers in a Culturally Diverse Community with the Rapid Interactive screening Test for Autism in Toddlers.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn 81 toddlers, RITA-T scores were higher in those diagnosed with autism than in those with other developmental delay. Toddlers with scores above 16 in this sample were all diagnosed with autism, and diagnosis took 6 weeks on average.
• Cohort2021Neurosurgical procedures for children with myelomeningocele after fetal or postnatal surgery: a comparative effectiveness study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyFetal surgery for myelomeningocele was associated with fewer CSF diversion procedures and fewer Chiari decompressions than postnatal surgery. Shunt revisions and tethered cord releases did not differ.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Autism in Australia: Community Knowledge and Autistic People's Experiences.Journal of autism and developmental disordersGeneral knowledge of autism is high, but understanding of specific impacts is low. Families report community awareness does not extend to sensory needs or communication differences. Support services drop significantly as autistic people age, leaving adults largely unsupported.
• PTOTSystematic Review2021Human-machine-human interaction in motor control and rehabilitation: a review.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPhysical interaction with a skilled partner improved task performance, but evidence for motor learning was inconsistent. Non-physical channels like audio boosted motivation. Partner preference mattered: some liked competition, others collaboration. Most studies were short-term and lab-based.
• PTOTSLPOther2021A Distinct Three-Factor Structure of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors in an Epidemiologically Sound Sample of Preschool-Age Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersPreschoolers with autism showed three distinct behavior clusters: repetitive sensorimotor, insistence on sameness, and stereotyped speech. Speech patterns linked to higher language skills, while sensorimotor behaviors linked to lower adaptive functioning. This structure was unclear in non-autism children.
• PTOTSLPCohortExamining the Association Between Childhood Trauma, Brain Injury, and Neurobehavioral Symptoms Among Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationChildhood trauma was associated with higher emotional and somatic symptoms in intimate partner violence survivors, regardless of brain injury. Brain injury severity linked to somatic symptoms overall, and cognitive symptoms only in those with injury. PTSD partially mediated the childhood trauma link.
• SLPSurvey2022Speech and Language Practitioners' Experiences of Commercially Available Voice-Assisted Technology: Web-Based Survey Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesOf 230 surveyed UK speech and language therapists, 181 had not used commercial voice assistants with clients, but 166 of those wanted to try them and 198 wanted training. Therapists who had used them reported speech feedback, independence and confidence, not evidence they improve speech.
• PTOTSystematic Review2022Systematic Review of the Importance of Hip Muscle Strength, Activation, and Structure in Balance and Mobility Tasks.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationStronger hip abductors generally mean better balance and mobility in young and older adults, but not always in middle-aged groups. Higher fat inside the gluteus medius muscle is linked to falls in older adults. Activation timing varies by age and task.
• PTOTOther2022Using Machine Learning to Develop a Short-Form Measure Assessing 5 Functions in Patients With Stroke.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationA new 15-item stroke assessment tracks five functions in about 10 minutes. It scores nearly identical to full batteries and detects recovery changes as well. Therapists can use it for quick discharge checks without losing the clinical detail of longer tests.