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 568 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPRCT2025Exercise rehabilitation in post COVID-19 patients: a randomized controlled trial of different training modalities.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineBoth endurance and concurrent exercise improved peak oxygen consumption in post-COVID patients with mild symptoms. However, symptom count, fatigue, and quality of life also improved in the non-exercising control group, so the specific benefit of exercise over time is unclear for these outcomes.
• OTSLPOther2025Correlates of Impairment and Growth in Families of Young Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParent-reported child emotion dysregulation, sleep problems, and inflexibility linked to family life impairment more strongly than autism traits alone. Child sleep issues and parent depression drove parental exhaustion, while communication and behavior difficulties hindered community access and childcare.
• PTRCT2025Feasibility and Efficacy of a Virtual Reality Social Prediction Training in Children and Young Adults with Congenital Cerebellar Malformations.Journal of autism and developmental disordersVR social prediction training improved a playground-based prediction score compared with VR motor games in children and young adults with congenital cerebellar malformations, but a second action-prediction score did not improve significantly after training.
• PTOther2025Validation of the World Health Organization Rehabilitation Competency Framework: An illustration using physiotherapy.Clinical rehabilitationAll 2001 competency statements from 20 physiotherapy frameworks fit into the WHO's five rehabilitation domains, but most described clinical practice. This suggests the frameworks align with WHO goals but may underemphasise leadership, research and professionalism needed for broader health system roles.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Chronic conditions among transgender Medicare beneficiaries: Variation by race, ethnicity, and Medicaid dual-enrollment.Disability and health journalTransgender adults on disability Medicare have very high rates of chronic conditions, especially those also on Medicaid. Mental health and cardiovascular issues affect over 80% of this group. Clinicians should expect complex, overlapping health needs rather than isolated conditions.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Motivation in veterans with an acute/subacute ischemic stroke did not improve cognition and functional motor recovery but reduced deaths.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineVeterans with higher motivation showed no better motor or cognitive recovery than those with lower motivation. However, the less motivated group had significantly more deaths. Do not assume low motivation predicts poor functional gains, but consider it a potential mortality risk marker.
• PTOther2025Children's amputee mobility predictor-Assessing the functional capability of children with leg length discrepancy.Clinical rehabilitationThe Children's Amputee Mobility Predictor reliably scores functional capability in children with leg length discrepancies. It takes about 30 minutes, needs little equipment, and includes child-specific tasks like kicking and floor transitions. Parents and experts rated these tasks as relevant to daily life.
• OTSLPQualitative2025Autistic Women's Experience of Motherhood: A Qualitative Analysis of Reddit.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic mothers described motherhood as shaped by sensory overload, masking, and stigma, but also by strengths and peer support. Online replies offered validation, advice, and solutions such as ear plugs, early bedtimes, and breaks.
• OTSurvey2025Parenting Stress in Autistic and ADHD Children: Implications of Social Support and Child Characteristics.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMothers of autistic children and children with ADHD reported much higher parenting stress and lower social support than mothers of typically developing children. Confidant support was the only factor associated with lower parenting stress in both clinical groups.
• SLPCohort2025Infant Social Attention Associated with Elevated Likelihood for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multi-Method Comparison.Journal of autism and developmental disordersEye tracking lost more usable looking data than manual coding, but both showed infants at elevated autism likelihood looked less at social videos and did not increase social attention with age.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Preparing to "Live a Life of Possibilities": Experiences of Healthcare Providers Readying Autistic Adolescents and Their Families for Independent Driving.Journal of autism and developmental disordersProviders felt unprepared to guide autistic teens toward driving due to time constraints and lack of resources. They struggled to balance adolescent independence with caregiver anxiety. Multidisciplinary teams and community referrals were identified as necessary supports for these complex family conversations.
• RCT2025Randomized Feasibility Pilot of an Executive Functioning Intervention Adapted for Children's Mental Health Settings.Journal of autism and developmental disordersTherapists delivering an adapted executive-function intervention with training, consultation, and implementation supports used more intervention strategies, and families found it acceptable. Children showed planning gains, but mental health symptoms improved similarly in both groups.
• OTSLPOther2025Reliability, Validity and Acceptability of the PEDI-CAT with ASD Scales for Australian Children and Youth on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe PEDI-CAT (ASD) is reliable and user-friendly, but it misses key areas like community participation and environmental barriers. It scores higher on social skills than the original version, which risks underestimating support needs and funding eligibility.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2024Identifying autistic children: Priorities for research arising from a systematic review of parents' experiences of the assessment process.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents consistently reported that the assessment process was confusing, lengthy, and often felt hierarchical. They valued respectful, clear communication and being treated as experts on their child. Many felt overwhelmed by information during feedback, highlighting a need for structured, supportive interactions rather than just clinical data.
• SLPOther2024The Neurodiversity Attitudes Questionnaire: Development and Initial Validation.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceA new questionnaire appears to capture helping professionals’ attitudes toward neurodiversity, tracking stigma, knowledge, and willingness to engage. It may help identify training needs, but it is not yet validated for measuring training impact.
• SLPCohort2024Early trajectories and moderators of autistic language profiles: A longitudinal study in preschoolers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceBy 4.4 years, autistic preschoolers formed three distinct language groups: minimally verbal, language impaired, and language unimpaired. Early delay was common; language impaired children had higher verbal scores when they also had two-year ESDM.
• SLPQualitative2024A new model for the diagnostic assessment services trajectory for neurodevelopmental conditions.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStakeholders co-created a diagnostic pathway for children aged 0-7 with suspected neurodevelopmental conditions. They identified a dedicated family navigator and service continuity as essential, noting that current systems often prioritize available resources over specific child needs.
• PTOTQualitative2024Participation of teenagers with vision or motor impairments in leisure activities: a qualitative study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesTeenagers with vision or motor impairments defined independence as doing things alone, yet valued peer presence. Vision impairments hindered participation mainly through transport issues, while motor impairments caused fatigue and pain. Gaming was the most popular activity because it allowed social connection from home.
• PTOTOther2024Design and control of a low-cost non-backdrivable end-effector upper limb rehabilitation device.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA low-cost upper limb robot moved its handle within 0.012 mm of set paths in tests on one healthy engineer. It offers passive, active and game modes, but no stroke patients were treated.
• SLPSystematic Review2024Research methods at the intersection of gender diversity and autism: A scoping review.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceResearch on autism and gender diversity has grown but remains methodologically flawed. Most studies lacked validated diagnostic tools, used inconsistent definitions, and failed to account for confounding factors like clinic-seeking behaviour. Clinicians should interpret prevalence rates with caution.
• OTOther2024Probing heterogeneity to identify individualized treatment approaches in autism: Specific clusters of executive function challenges link to distinct co-occurring mental health problems.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children grouped into three parent-reported executive function profiles. Behavior and emotion regulation profile had more anxiety, depression symptoms, and aggression; cognitive regulation profile had more attention problems. Profiles did not differ in overall executive function severity.
• PTSLPCase Series2025Long-term outcomes in children with riboflavin transporter deficiency and surveillance recommendations.Developmental medicine and child neurologyEarly high-dose riboflavin treatment, sometimes with flavin mononucleotide, coenzyme Q, L-Carnitine, or fish oil, was followed by less disability than late treatment, but decline could continue. When hearing and vision improved, gains lasted only the first 12 months.
• PTRCT2025Fully remote versus hybrid supervision of pulmonary telerehabilitation in COVID-19: a randomized clinical trial.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineFully remote and hybrid supervision produced similar walk distance after pulmonary telerehabilitation. Both groups improved, and gains remained at follow-up.
• SLPSurvey2025Exploring Emotional Dysregulation and Avoidance with Caregivers as the Mechanisms Linking Social Communication Understanding and Aggressive Behaviours.Journal of autism and developmental disordersLower social communication understanding was associated with more aggression in autistic and non-autistic adolescents, with emotional dysregulation and caregiver-adolescent avoidance also linked to aggression. The links ran both ways, so this does not show what causes what.
• SLPSurvey2025Healthcare Students' Perceptions and Attitudes Towards Peers with Autism Spectrum Disorders.Journal of autism and developmental disordersHealthcare students held more negative attitudes toward peers with autism-like behaviors when the diagnosis was hidden. Knowing the label 'high-functioning autism' led to more positive responses than seeing the same behaviors without explanation. Personal familiarity with autism did not improve attitudes.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Does shockwave therapy lead to better pain and function than sham over 12 weeks in people with insertional Achilles tendinopathy? A randomised controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationAdding shockwave therapy to exercise and education made no difference to pain or function compared to sham at 12 weeks. Both groups improved similarly. Shockwave therapy offers no benefit over recommended care for insertional Achilles tendinopathy.
• SLPOther2025Testing the Labeling Effect in Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children did not show the typical labeling effect. When two objects had the same name, they did not expect them to share hidden properties any more than when the objects had different names. This suggests labels may not guide category formation in autism as they do in typical development.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Associations between Social Experiences and Psychological Health for Autistic Youth with Low IQ.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFor autistic youth with low IQ, having enough social activity matters more than how much. Higher victimization linked to lower quality of life and depression. Time with friends was the most common unmet need. Being ignored was frequent, but victimization was the stronger predictor of poor mental health.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Development of a Self-Report Measure of Prediction in Daily Life: The Prediction-Related Experiences Questionnaire.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic adults reported greater difficulty predicting daily events than non-autistic adults, and these self-reports matched their performance on rhythm tasks. A new 19-item questionnaire captures these prediction challenges across social, sensory, and motor domains.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Trends in the Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in California: Disparities by Sociodemographic Factors and Region Between 1990-2018.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutism diagnosis rates in California have shifted from affluent, White communities to lower-income, Hispanic and Black communities. Girls are now diagnosed at a ratio closer to 3:1 with boys. Clinicians should expect rising referrals from underserved regions and younger patients presenting with later-diagnosed profiles.
• OTSLPOther2025The Role of Everyday Executive Function in Observed Social Symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersEveryday executive function problems predicted specific social difficulties in autistic youth. Behavior regulation issues linked to all social domains. Cognitive regulation affected awareness and communication. Emotional regulation affected motivation and communication. Sex predicted communication and cognition scores, with females rated more impaired.
• SLPSurvey2025Autistic Traits and Psychosocial Predictors of Depressive Symptoms.Journal of autism and developmental disordersHigh autistic traits link to depression only through a chain of low social confidence, low social motivation, and loneliness. Once these three factors are accounted for, autistic traits alone show no direct link to depressive symptoms.
• PTQualitative2025Challenges for first contact physiotherapists' managing sickness absence: Consensus development using the nominal group technique.Clinical rehabilitationOccupational health experts identified time constraints and lack of knowledge as the biggest barriers for first contact physiotherapists managing sickness absence. They recommended routine work conversations and specific occupational health training as key learning needs.
• SLPSurvey2025A Measurement Invariance Analysis of the Anxiety Scale for Autism-Adults in a Sample of Autistic and Non-Autistic Men and Women.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe autism-specific anxiety scale can be compared between cis-gender autistic men and women, and between cis-gender non-autistic men and women, but not between autistic and non-autistic adults. Autistic women scored higher than autistic men.
• PTOTOther2025Association between muscle strength and echogenicity using greyscale ultrasound software: a diagnostic accuracy study in kidney transplant candidates.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineUltrasound brightness of the thigh muscle correlated with lower leg strength in kidney transplant candidates. A brightness score above 70 flagged weakness with fair accuracy, but the test cannot replace direct strength measurement as a standalone screening tool.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025'Nothing About Us, Without Us': Research Priorities for Autistic Girls, Women and Gender Diverse People in Australia.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic girls, women and gender diverse people in Australia prioritise research on trauma, adult support, and sensory needs over biological studies. They reject traditional therapy that ignores sensory overload and ask for clinicians who listen without gaslighting.
• PTOTOther2024Evaluating inter- and intra-rater reliability in assessing upper limb compensatory movements post-stroke: creating a ground truth through video analysis?Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationExperienced therapists agreed moderately well when rating specific arm movements in stroke videos, but disagreed heavily on overall smoothness and coordination. These wide gaps mean therapist video ratings alone are not yet reliable enough to train automated assessment tools.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024The inequity of education, health and care plan provision for children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRIn England, children and young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities were less likely to have an education, health and care plan if they lived in more deprived areas or outside London, despite below national expected attainment scores and high emotional and behavioural difficulties.
• Narrative Review2024Efficient integration of personal factors into the international classification of functioning, disability, and health (ICF): the importance of emotional and motivational aspects in goal pursuit.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesNo empirical results are reported. There is nothing here to change practice on.
• PTOTPilot2024Assessing hand motor function in chronic immune-mediated neuropathies: a proof-of-concept study using a data glove.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA data glove recorded lower range-of-motion scores in chronic immune-mediated neuropathy patients with hand impairment than in those without. Scores related to grip strength and disability. It may help assess hand function, but does not yet prove it guides treatment.
• OTSLPQualitative2024'Autism is the Arena and OCD is the Lion': Autistic adults' experiences of co-occurring obsessive-compulsive disorder and repetitive restricted behaviours and interests.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults describe repetitive behaviours as intrinsic and soothing, while OCD feels like an unwanted intruder that exploits routines and interests. This distinction helps therapists differentiate symptoms, but the study reports experiences, not treatment outcomes.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2024Defining paediatric neurorehabilitation: You cannot improve what you cannot characterize.Developmental medicine and child neurologyCurrent labels like 'occupational therapy' or 'Bobath' hide what actually happens in the room. To see if a treatment works, therapists must specify the active ingredients and how they are delivered, rather than relying on vague job titles or session counts.
• PTPilot2024Post-traumatic hand rehabilitation using a powered metacarpal-phalangeal exoskeleton: a pilot study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationIn five people with hand injuries, a powered finger exoskeleton did not show a confirmed increase in therapist-measured finger joint motion after one session.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2024Stroke and liminality: narratives of reconfiguring identity after stroke and their implications for person-centred stroke care.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesStroke survivors described an identity crisis where they felt trapped between their old and new selves. This liminal state often persisted indefinitely, driven by stigma, loss of autonomy, and a sense of powerlessness in healthcare. Professional psychological support was key to moving past this uncertainty.
• PTOther2024Environmental constraints for improving motor flexibility during obstacle crossing in older adults.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationCombining a footfall block and toe-touch target during obstacle crossing made older and younger adults better able to vary joint patterns while keeping toe height stable. It helped the trailing limb too. This was an immediate lab effect, not proof of fewer falls.
• PTOTRCT2024Encouraging arm use in stroke survivors: the impact of smart reminders during a home-based intervention.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationSmart reminders increased objective arm activity counts in stroke survivors but did not improve patient-reported use or clinical function scores compared to controls. The functional gains were small and below clinically meaningful thresholds, with high data loss limiting certainty.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Development of Restricted and Repetitive Behaviors from 2-19: Stability and Change in Repetitive Sensorimotor, Insistence on Sameness, and Verbal Behaviors in a Longitudinal Study of Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersRestricted and repetitive behaviors in autism do not follow a single path. Most children showed declining repetitive motor behaviors, while insistence on sameness often increased then plateaued or declined. Verbal repetitive behaviors surged as language developed, then stabilized.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Physical Activity for Anxiety for Autistic People: A Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersPhysical activity interventions show mixed results for anxiety in autistic people. While some studies found reductions in anxiety symptoms, others showed no significant difference compared to control groups. Evidence is limited by small sample sizes and varied measurement methods.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025The Association Between Gastrointestinal Issues and Psychometric Scores in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Developmental Delays, Down Syndrome, and Typical Development.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFrequent gastrointestinal issues, especially constipation, are linked to lower adaptive skills and more maladaptive behaviors in children with autism and developmental delays. These symptoms were not associated with test scores in children with Down syndrome. Clinicians should screen for GI problems when behavior worsens.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Disparities in Mortality Outcomes Among Older Adults With Communication Disabilities Using the National Health and Aging Trends Study.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationOlder adults with communication disabilities had a 46% higher risk of death over ten years than those without, even after accounting for health and other disabilities. This risk remained significant for expressive, cognitive, and multiple difficulties, but not for hearing loss alone.