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 646 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOther2026Using ratings of perceived difficulty for balance exercise prescription and intensity progression.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPerceived difficulty ratings rose with age and harder conditions. Semi-tandem stance was rated harder than eyes closed. Older adults found the most difficult exercises impossible. Use these ratings to guide progression when sway measures are unavailable.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Current status and future prospects of brain-computer interfaces in the field of neurological disease rehabilitation.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesBrain-computer interfaces show promise for stroke and ALS rehabilitation, improving motor function and communication. However, evidence is limited by small studies and short follow-up periods, so these tools should be viewed as experimental adjuncts rather than established treatments.
• Narrative Review2026Modeling cerebral palsy in animals.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThis paper reviews how animals are used to model cerebral palsy, arguing that no single species is ideal and that researchers should use diverse models. It contains no clinical trial data or patient outcomes.
• SLPOther2026Reducing Educational Bias in Cognitive Assessment via Dynamic Support Vector Machine Weighting: Validation Study on an Education-Stratified Dataset.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesAdjusting MMSE item weights for education level improved diagnostic accuracy, especially for illiterate participants. This method reduces false positives in low-literacy groups without requiring expensive scans, offering a practical way to make cognitive screening fairer across different backgrounds.
• PTOTRCT2026Guided corticomuscular neuroplasticity for restoration of wrist-hand function post-stroke.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationGuided brain-computer interface training improved wrist-hand function and shifted brain activity to the affected hemisphere. However, it triggered less often than standard bilateral training, which showed faster initial gains and greater spasticity reduction. The guided approach demands more effort but targets specific neural reorganization.
• SLPOther2026Palpation as a Method To Predict Spatial Instrumental Hyolaryngeal Excursion Measures.DysphagiaTrained SLPs could use finger palpation to predict reduced upward hyolaryngeal movement, but not forward movement. More swallows per bolus and thin liquid also tracked upward movement. This supports palpation for vertical elevation only.
• PTOTCohort2026Predicting Geriatric Rehabilitation Stays of ≤4 Weeks After Hip Fracture Surgery: Machine Learning Approach Using Physical Activity and Patient Data.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesAfter hip fracture surgery, a model using first-week activity and patient data identified likely stays of 4 weeks or less. It performed well in 100 Dutch patients, but needs external testing before changing discharge planning.
• RCT2026Motor imagery-based neurofeedback in older adults: neural signatures and feasibility in a randomized controlled trial targeting age-related cognitive decline.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMotor imagery neurofeedback did not beat sham feedback or classical cognitive stimulation for cognition in healthy older adults. All groups, including those also doing weekly exercise, improved on some tests. The neurofeedback effect cannot be separated from exercise or task engagement.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026Does transcranial direct current stimulation enhance sensorimotor recovery in chronic ankle instability? A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAdding tDCS to rehab improved balance control and sensorimotor function, but did not change ankle movement patterns, brain excitability measures, or patient-reported scores. The benefit was small and the evidence quality was low.
• PTOTCohort2026Optimizing the Approach to Calculating CST Lesion Load in Ischemic Stroke Patients for Understanding Motor Outcomes.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairUsing an age-matched brain template and a specific lesion calculation method, the maximum weighted lesion load of the corticospinal tract, best predicted motor impairment and function after stroke. This approach replicated in a second group and used only standard MRI scans.
• SLPOther2025Case Clozed: Young Children Can Explicitly Predict Upcoming Words in a Naturalistic, Story-based Cloze Task.Journal of child languageFive-year-olds can explicitly predict the next word in a story. They correctly guessed 56% of highly predictable words, compared to 85% for adults. When wrong, they often chose semantically related words, showing they understood the context.
• SLPQualitative2025A Phenomenological Study Exploring the Perceptions of Parents and Children Participating in the Lidcombe Program for Early Stuttering in Turkiye.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Turkish parents and children described the Lidcombe Program as acceptable and emotionally helpful. Parents reported more one-to-one play, praise, and communication. Children disliked being asked to repeat bumpy speech. These are perceptions, not evidence of efficacy.
• SLPPilot2025Detecting change in a caregiver-mediated autism intervention using the Joint Engagement Rating Inventory.The South African journal of communication disorders = Die Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir KommunikasieafwykingsA brief caregiver coaching programme showed no significant overall change in joint engagement scores. While two specific child language measures improved, most caregiver and dyadic interaction ratings remained unchanged.
• SLPCohort2025An Observational Study of Discourse Tasks and Running Speech Sampling in the Assessment of Paediatric Voice Quality.International journal of language & communication disordersNarrative tasks like story retelling yielded consistent speech samples and voice quality matching conversation. The standard voice question failed in 47% of children, and reading passages were difficult for half. Use narratives to ensure participation and reliable voice assessment.
• Cohort2025The Relations Among GI Symptoms, Mental Health, and Online Schooling for Youth With GI Conditions During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPYouth with GI conditions who attended online school reported worse GI symptoms than those in person. Higher anxiety also predicted worse GI symptoms. Depression and anger did not predict GI symptom worsening.
• SLPOther2025Establishing Norms of Connected Speech Measures for Story-Telling in Cantonese-Speaking Adults.International journal of language & communication disordersNorms for two Cantonese stories show that education drives speech length and word count, while age mainly reduces the number of key ideas conveyed. The two stories are not interchangeable. Clinicians must use the same story for pre and post testing to accurately track patient progress.
• SLPCohort2025Sentence Comprehension and L2 Exposure Effects in 6-Year-Old Sequentially Bilingual Children With Typical Development and Developmental Language Disorder.International journal of language & communication disordersMonolingual sentence tests can separate bilingual children with and without language disorder, but accuracy depends heavily on how much Finnish the child has heard. The Sentence Comprehension Test worked best with over 40% exposure, while the RDLS III worked best with less.
• OTSLPCase-Control2025Associations Between Altered Auditory EEG Markers and Clinical Impairments in Fragile X Syndrome.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn 41 people with fragile X syndrome and 46 controls, brain responses to repeated and changing sounds differed, and some differences tracked cognitive, autistic, daily living and ADHD symptoms. No treatment was tested.
• SLPSurvey2025Empathy and Person-Centered Care from the perspective of undergraduate Speech-Language Pathology students.CoDASSpeech therapy students who scored higher in empathy, specifically in tolerating others' views and altruism, also preferred a patient-centered care style. This links self-reported empathic traits to a preference for shared decision-making and focusing on the person's feelings.
• OTOther2026Assessing the Living Well in the Community Program for people with disabilities in the context of COVID-19.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesThe Living Well in the Community program showed no significant improvement in behavioral health, healthcare use, or community engagement when moved online during the pandemic. Participants did report significantly more hours spent on education, volunteering, or employment, and high confidence in managing chronic conditions.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Understanding the Origins and Factors of Burnout in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation: Grounded Theory Analysis.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesCanadian physiatrists described a 'hierarchical performance paradox' where medical training prioritizes academic perfection over compassion, fostering shame and imposter syndrome. Burnout risk peaks in residency due to low autonomy and high demands, persisting through career stages via administrative burdens and emotional isolation.
• PTOTRCT2026Lessons learned while exploring the impact of movement-tracking feedback on the experiences of children with neuromotor disorders taking part in interactive home exercise programs: a multi-case mixed methods study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMovement tracking feedback helped two of three children complete more prescribed exercises, but the system often failed to count movements accurately. Parents valued the feedback, while children found technical errors frustrating. The game was preferred over conventional home exercises, but the technology requires refinement before clinical use.
• PTOTPilot2026Motor imagery BCI enables more practical and user-friendly exoskeleton control than smartwatch for users with spinal cord injury: a preliminary study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFive people with spinal cord injury controlled an exoskeleton via brain-computer interface. It was slower than a smartwatch but allowed hands-free operation while using crutches. Participants preferred the BCI because operating a smartwatch required releasing a crutch or therapist assistance.
• SLPOther2026Increasing dependability of caregiver implementation fidelity estimates in early intervention: A generalizability and decision study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceA single 20-minute video of a parent using therapy strategies with their infant is too unstable to measure skill reliably. Clinicians should average scores from multiple separate occasions to get a dependable estimate of how well a caregiver is implementing naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions.
• OTOther2026Medicaid home and community based services are vital for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: A descriptive study of service use among all adult enrollees, 2022.Disability and health journalMost adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities used Medicaid home services, but those with autism alone were 18.3 percentage points less likely to receive any support. Service availability varied widely by state, with rates ranging from 19.1% to 98.2%.
• PTCase-Control2026Gait pattern stratification in persons with incomplete spinal cord injury: a data-driven approach.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWalking patterns in 28 adults with incomplete spinal cord injury separated into six groups, from close to control gait to reduced toe-off ankle motion. The Pink and Green groups walked as fast and as far as controls.
• PTOTOther2026Decoding multi-class motor attempt from the affected unilateral limbs in chronic stroke patients.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new computer algorithm correctly identified which of four unilateral movements a chronic stroke patient was attempting to make 52.79% of the time. This outperformed nine other decoding models, but the high error rate and long processing time mean it is not yet ready for real-time clinical rehabilitation.
• PTRCT2026The effect of breathing exercises and mindset with or without cold exposure on mental and physical health in persons with a spinal cord injury-Results of a randomized controlled trial.Clinical rehabilitationBreathing and mindset exercises with cold showers did not improve mental health in people with spinal cord injury. However, this combined approach improved inspiratory breathing capacity and lowered fasting glucose compared to usual care, while the breathing-only group showed no such physical benefits.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2026Personal and Environmental Factors Influencing Self-Determination of People With Intellectual Disabilities and Epilepsy: A Scoping Review.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRPeople with intellectual disability and epilepsy described self-determination as shaped by seizure control, trusted tailored communication, and being involved in decisions. Parents and professionals often took over, while choice opportunities and personal preferences supported autonomy.
• SLPOther2025Parental Insightfulness and Its Association With Social Competence in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchParents of autistic children showed less focus, less acceptance, and more concern when reflecting on their child with a peer, while self-reported insightfulness in the parent-child relationship did not differ. Higher parent insightfulness was linked to smaller gaps on some social competence measures.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Associations between quality of life in communication and sociodemographic and clinical aspects of Parkinson's disease.CoDASFor people with Parkinson's disease, quality of life in communication is driven more by non-motor symptoms and daily activity difficulties than by motor speech issues. Rigidity as an initial symptom was linked to worse communication scores than tremor. Assess mood and function, not just speech.
• SLPQualitative2025Language attitudes of Generation Z in responding to teacher questions in learning interactions.CoDASGeneration Z students often answered teacher questions informally, using slang, local language, humor, and sarcasm. The study describes these responses as familiar to students but less appropriate for formal classroom communication.
• PTOTOther2025'I feel trapped in my safe clothes': The impact of tactile hyper-sensitivity on autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults described clothing textures like labels and seams as causing physical pain, anxiety, and barriers to work. While tactile sensitivity alone linked weakly to poor body image, it significantly lowered self-esteem in those already dissatisfied with their appearance. Comfort often forced a trade-off with self-expression.
• OTQualitative2025Co-Designing Peer Support for Women Labelled With Intellectual Disabilities Who Have Experienced Sexual Violence.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDWomen labelled with intellectual disabilities who experienced sexual violence said peer support should be built with them, not for them. They asked for caring, listening, companionship, fair pay, emotional support, safe matching, accessible communication and practical help.
• SLPOther2025Genotype-phenotype correlations with autism spectrum disorder-related traits in noonan syndrome and noonan syndrome with multiple lentigines: a cross-sectional study.Molecular autismChildren with Noonan syndrome or NSML with PTPN11 or SOS1 variants showed more parent-reported autism-related social and repetitive traits, anxiety, attention and somatic complaints than typical peers. RAF1 variants looked least different.
• SLPOther2025Frequency Importance Functions in Simulated Electric Acoustic Stimulation.Ear and hearingIn simulated electric-acoustic stimulation, leaving a frequency gap between acoustic and electric inputs produced the best sentence recognition. Overlapping these inputs was the poorest strategy, especially in noise, where listeners relied heavily on high-frequency electric cues.
• Pilot2025A Pilot Feasibility Randomized Trial of the RUBI in Educational Settings Intervention With Paraeducators Supporting Autistic Students in Public Elementary Schools.Journal of autism and developmental disordersRUBIES training for paraeducators was feasible and boosted their confidence more than standard webinars. However, it did not reduce students' irritability or hyperactivity more than the control condition. Both groups showed similar behavioral improvements, so the trial did not prove RUBIES changes student behavior better than existing support.
• Other2025Think Globally, Act Locally: A Glocal Approach Based on the Regional Report Cards From Spain in the AHKGA Global Matrix 4.0.Child: care, health and developmentThis report grades physical activity policies in three Spanish regions against national data. It found significant gaps in available evidence and differing local priorities, but provides no clinical trial data or patient outcomes to guide individual therapy.
• SLPOther2025Introducing the NEURAL Research Lab Data Set for Studies of Discourse and Gesture in Aphasia and Cognitively Healthy Aging Adults.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRPeople with mild or latent aphasia spoke less fluently than cognitively healthy adults on a story retell. Gesture rates did not differ by group, but more gestures appeared when aphasia severity was greater.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Keeping Up With School During Hospitalization for Children With Chronic Illnesses, Siblings and Parents.Child: care, health and developmentFamilies staying at a Ronald McDonald House reported that teachers supported school continuity through flexible, reduced workloads and easy digital contact. Parents valued this but noted that homeschooling or prolonged absence cut off access to therapy services and peer socialization.
• SLPOther2025The Power of Partnership: Adapting Early Language Intervention for Children With Down Syndrome Through Family-Researcher Collaboration.International journal of language & communication disordersFamilies helped adapt a parent-delivered language programme for children with Down syndrome. Parents and children enjoyed the sessions. The adapted version had higher completion rates and required less support for children to participate.
• SLPPilot2025Demographic and Acoustic Factors related to Automatic Speech Recognition Inaccuracies for Child African American English Speakers.Perspectives of the ASHA special interest groupsGoogle's speech-to-text was about 40% inaccurate for these children regardless of whether they used African American English features. Age drove the errors, not dialect. Do not assume the technology fails because of a patient's accent; it likely fails because they are young.
• SLPOther2025Comparing three algorithms of automated facial expression analysis in autistic children: different sensitivities but consistent proportions.Molecular autismAutomated software found no difference in how often autistic and non-autistic children made facial expressions during 45-minute assessments. However, the three algorithms disagreed significantly on detection rates, meaning current tools are not yet reliable for clinical measurement.
• PTOTPilot2025Promoting continuous rehabilitation with AI-based motion capture and biomechanical analysis: objective feedback as a catalyst.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesObjective feedback on shoulder movement improved exercise motivation for one month in older adults with stroke, diabetes, or foot deformity. Motivation dropped off after four weeks. The effect was absent in participants with Parkinson's disease, who declined regardless of feedback.
• PTOTPilot2026Evaluation of a Stretching Forearm Sleeve for Lateral Epicondylitis: Repeated Measures Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesNineteen adults with tennis elbow wore a stretching sleeve for 30 minutes daily for 12 weeks. Pain-free grip strength and self-reported pain improved significantly, but without a control group, natural recovery cannot be ruled out.
• PTOTPilot2026AI-based video analysis for the assessment of upper limb function in children with unilateral cerebral palsy: feasibility of remote monitoring.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationAn AI model accurately classified upper limb impairment severity in children with unilateral cerebral palsy from routine handheld clinic videos. The tool achieved high discrimination across all four assessment indices, suggesting it could support remote monitoring and reduce clinician scoring burden.
• SLPCohort2026The Effect of Compensatory Strategies in Reducing to Postoperative Airway Invasion, and Pharyngeal Residue in Patients Undergoing Esophagectomy for Esophageal Cancer.DysphagiaThickening liquids reduced aspiration and penetration in post-esophagectomy patients without increasing pharyngeal residue. A chin-tuck posture (head flexion) did not significantly improve airway safety or residue clearance, though it reduced penetration events. Thickened liquids appear more effective than head flexion for this population.
• RCT2026Brain Network Connectivity During Resting-State and a Visuospatial Task as a Biomarker for Spatial Neglect in Stroke Patients.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairEEG connectivity patterns, especially beta-band centrality changes in frontal and parietal regions, distinguished stroke patients with spatial neglect from those without in this small cross-sectional study. These findings suggest potential biomarkers for neglect but do not yet support clinical diagnosis or treatment decisions.
• SLPCohort2026Auditory-Perceptual and Acoustic Characteristics of Sibilant and Vowel Sounds in Children with Cleft Palate Undergoing Rapid Palatal Expansion.Folia phoniatrica et logopaedica : official organ of the International Association of Logopedics and Phoniatrics (IALP)Sibilant and high-front vowel errors spiked immediately after expander insertion but returned to baseline within a month. However, hypernasality scores rose significantly at the six-month follow-up, suggesting expansion may worsen nasal emission in some children.
• PTOTMeta-Analysis2026The effectiveness of robotic therapy in reducing upper limb spasticity in stroke survivors: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationRobotic therapy produced small reductions in elbow and wrist flexor tone compared with conventional therapy, but not shoulder tone. Hand-only devices did not reduce tone, and daily independence did not clearly improve.