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 649 OF 704 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTOther2026Assessment of dynamic stability and identification of key tasks, inertial sensors, and parameters in patients with bilateral and unilateral vestibulopathy: investigation in a semi-standardized environment.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationPatients with bilateral or unilateral vestibulopathy differed from healthy controls on several daily tasks, especially uneven ground, inclined plane, and walking in the dark. Foot sensors showed the largest differences.
• SLPOther2026Does Inclusion of Thickened Liquids in a Modified Barium Swallow Study (MBSS) Protocol Affect DIGEST Grades?DysphagiaAdding thickened liquids to a standard swallowing scan rarely changes the DIGEST score. In most cases, the impairment grade stays exactly the same. When it does change, the score worsens by one point, usually because safety issues appear on the thicker liquid that were missed on thin liquid.
• PTOTSLPOther2026AI-powered biomechanical modeling for ACL-reconstructed knees: predicting knee joint contact forces via computer vision and deep learning.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA new AI model can estimate knee joint forces in ACL-reconstructed patients using just two smartphone cameras. It achieved high accuracy across walking, running, and stair descent, potentially allowing clinic-based monitoring without expensive lab equipment.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Families' and therapists' experience of a telehealth programme for children and adolescents with cerebral palsy during the COVID-19 pandemic.Developmental medicine and child neurologyFamilies and therapists first feared remote care, then valued weekly video review of home goals and low-cost adaptations. They described stronger partnership and family confidence, while internet, devices, and caregiver strain remained challenges.
• OTSystematic Review2026The long-term domiciliary oxygen therapy experience and needs in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative meta-synthesis.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesPatients using home oxygen for COPD described easier breathing, sleep and daily tasks, but also dry nose, nosebleeds, dizziness, noisy heavy equipment, cost worries and fear. They wanted practical fixes and clear support.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Mainstream or special secondary school for the health, education, and well-being of adolescents with Down syndrome: A systematic review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyTwo older studies suggested mainstream schooling improved academic scores, but the most recent and least biased study found no difference. No studies reported health outcomes. The evidence is too weak and outdated to support changing school placement advice.
• SLPCohort2026Behavioural phenotypes of autism in autistic and nonautistic gender clinic-referred youth and their caregivers.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic gender clinic-referred youth show the same autism traits as autistic cisgender peers, and their caregivers show the same elevated autism rates. Only one observation measure found fewer repetitive behaviours in the gender-referred group. Treat autism features in gender-diverse youth as genuine.
• Survey2026Barriers to Adoption of Electronic Low Vision Aids Among Eye Care Professionals in Jordan: Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study.JMIR rehabilitation and assistive technologiesMost eye care professionals in Jordan do not recommend electronic low vision aids despite moderate awareness. Adoption is strongly linked to training hours and institutional support, while high device cost and lack of training are the primary barriers to use.
• Other2025Artificial Intelligence Networks Combining Histopathology and Machine Learning Can Extract Axon Pathology in Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAn AI trained on brain tissue images from 12 autopsies identified autism with 90.88% accuracy on electron microscopy and 97.68% on light microscopy. It failed to distinguish white matter depth. This is a proof-of-concept for research tools, not a clinical diagnostic test.
• SLPCohort2025Is there a difference in the spread of excitation at different electrode locations along the cochlea?CoDASStraight cochlear implant arrays showed wider current spread than perimodiolar arrays at all tested electrodes. The medial region had the broadest spread in both array types, while the apical region had the narrowest. Peak amplitudes did not differ across regions or array types.
• SLPNarrative Review2025Genomic Investigations of Spoken and Written Language Abilities: A Guide to Advances in Approaches, Technologies, and Discovery.Journal of speech, language, and hearing research : JSLHRThis is a tutorial reviewing how genomic research into speech and language disorders has evolved, from the discovery of rare genes like FOXP2 to modern large-scale studies of common genetic variants. It summarizes existing literature rather than presenting new clinical evidence or results.
• OTSLPCohort2025How Did the COVID-19 Restrictions Change the Digital Contact of People With Intellectual Disabilities? A Longitudinal Multi-Method Study in Sheltered Home Care Facilities.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDCare records showed a 40% rise in documented digital contact during COVID restrictions, but family surveys reported no change in actual contact frequency. Staff sentiment toward digital tools improved significantly, yet families saw contact levels remain stable throughout the pandemic.
• SLPPilot2025Exploring perception of coarticulatory cues in childhood apraxia of speech and residual speech sound disorders: A pilot study.Journal of communication disordersChildren with childhood apraxia of speech struggled to hear the difference between sounds when the context changed, unlike children with only an 'r' error. This suggests their perception of speech is impaired beyond just the sound they mispronounce.
• Other2025Aberrant hippocampal gamma oscillations in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome: insights from in vitro slice models.Molecular autismIn hippocampal slices from mice modeling fragile X syndrome, activating cholinergic or metabotropic glutamate receptors increased gamma oscillation power compared to wild-type. Activating kainate receptors instead reduced oscillation synchrony.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2025Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Mismatch Negativity in Autism: Insights Into Predictive Mechanisms.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic children showed smaller brain responses to unexpected sounds than peers, while autistic adults showed larger responses. Differences were most consistent for speech sounds, suggesting auditory processing changes with development rather than a fixed deficit.
• Survey2025"A combination of everything": a mixed-methods approach to the factors which autistic people consider important in suicidality.Autism in adulthoodLoneliness, hopelessness, worthlessness, and mental illness were rated as the most important factors in suicidal thoughts. Trauma and inability to access support specifically distinguished those who had attempted suicide from those with only thoughts.
• OTQualitative2025'I Don't Think They've Ever Seen People Like Me Do Jobs Like This': Exploring Hope Within Strengths-Based Employment Services for People With Disability.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDEmployees with intellectual disabilities and their colleagues described strengths-based hiring as working because it treats them as valuable resources, not charity. Participants reported that seeing colleagues exceed expectations shifted their assumptions about disability, fostering confidence and inclusive workplace cultures.
• SLPOther2025Validation and Preference-Based Scoring of the York Binaural Hearing-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire for Young People.Ear and hearingA short hearing-related questionnaire for children with hearing loss showed stable scores when repeated and lined up with related hearing and fatigue measures. Adult proxy answers were less comparable, so use the child's own responses when possible.
• SLPCohort2025Autistic Individuals' Categorical Induction Abilities Improve by Mid-Adolescence.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAfter accounting for expressive language, autistic teenagers and typically developing teenagers performed similarly on category reasoning. In the longitudinal subset, both groups improved over time. Expressive language was closely linked to performance.
• Survey2026Exploring community perspectives on autism genetics research: Indications of supportive views and educational needs.Autism : the international journal of research and practice94.72% of participants thought it at least a little important that autism is highly heritable, and 67.17% wanted to learn more. They preferred online resources and personal healthcare conversations. These are community views about information, not evidence that genetics research should be prioritised.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Impact of Pneumonia on Rehabilitation Outcomes: A Large Observational Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationStroke patients who developed pneumonia had worse rehabilitation outcomes than those who did not. They had higher mortality, longer hospital stays, and a greater risk of poor functional recovery at 3 and 6 months, with hospital-acquired pneumonia showing a stronger long-term impact than early-onset pneumonia.
• OTSLPPilot2026The Schools Unified in Neurodiversity Collaborative: Co-designing a program to enhance educator knowledge and efficacy supporting children with neurodevelopmental disabilities.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn one U.S. district, 192 educators reported higher neurodiversity knowledge and confidence after a 6-hour co-designed training. They also found the tools feasible. No child outcomes were measured.
• PTOTNarrative Review2026Microscopic and molecular aspects of skeletal muscle alterations in cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMuscle biopsies in cerebral palsy consistently show high variability in fibre size, longer sarcomeres, increased collagen, and reduced capillary density. Average fibre size and fibre type shifts are inconsistent across studies. Treatment effects on these microstructures remain largely uncharacterized.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Factors associated with social participation among children with fragile X syndrome.Disability and health journalMost children with fragile X syndrome joined at least one social activity, but participation dropped for those with severe intellectual disability or emotional dysregulation. Caregivers cited behavioral issues, time constraints, and lack of community resources as the biggest barriers.
• SLPOther2026The Role of Prosody in Expressing Subjective and Objective Causality in English.Language and speechSpeakers use distinct prosody to signal whether a causal statement is an opinion or a fact. Opinions produced longer pauses or stretched connectives and wider pitch ranges than factual statements, helping listeners distinguish subjective from objective causality without relying on specific words.
• OTOther2026Reduced Susceptibility to the Dunning-Kruger Effect in Autistic Employees.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchAutistic employees overestimated their reasoning skills less than non-autistic peers, especially when performing poorly. They were more accurate at judging their own competence on analytic tasks. This suggests autistic staff may offer more realistic self-assessments, though results depend on the specific task and population.
• SLPSystematic Review2026Fingerspelling as a pathway to deaf children's reading: a scoping review.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationMost studies in this review found a positive link between fingerspelling and reading in deaf children. Fingerspelling acts as a bridge between sign language and print, supporting word recognition and orthographic knowledge, though it works best alongside strong sign language skills.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2026Evidence and alternatives to the routine use of cuffed tracheostomy tubes in spontaneously breathing patients with neurological disorders.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesRoutine cuff inflation in spontaneously breathing neurological patients lacks evidence for benefit and risks tracheal damage. Early deflation, cuffless tubes, or fitting fenestrated tubes improves cough, swallowing, and voice. Assess readiness for deflation rather than keeping cuffs inflated by default.
• Case Series2026Intravenous immunoglobulin and febrile status epilepticus in children with Dravet syndrome: A retrospective multicentre study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn 14 children with Dravet syndrome, intravenous immunoglobulin was linked to fewer hospitalizations for status epilepticus. However, this was a small retrospective series without a control group, so the reduction cannot be separated from natural age-related improvement or other treatments.
• PTOTSystematic Review2026The effectiveness of prehabilitation on post-operative recovery from lumbar spinal stenosis surgery - A systematic review and intervention component analysis.Clinical rehabilitationAcross four trial interventions analysed, prehabilitation before surgery for lumbar spinal stenosis and related conditions improved some outcomes, mainly before surgery. Twelve of 28 outcomes showed no difference, and the evidence is too limited to change routine practice.
• PTOTCase Report2026A self-made suspension trainer as a tool for core muscle activation and motivation in a girl with cognitive and motor impairments: a case report.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesA therapist-built rope and stick trainer helped one 13-year-old girl with severe impairments increase core exercise repetitions from 1–2 to 10–15. The caregiver reported better posture and willingness to participate, but no standardized measures were used.
• OTCase Series2026Vagus Nerve Stimulation Paired With Upper Extremity Rehabilitation for Chronic Stroke: Real-World Implementation and Outcomes.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationIn a case series of 35 chronic stroke patients, those receiving paired VNS therapy with occupational therapy showed an average 10.8-point improvement on upper extremity motor scores. Most exceeded the minimal clinically important difference. However, without a control group, it is unclear if the VNS device or the intensive therapy drove these gains.
• SLPOther2025A Novel Artificial-Intelligence-Based Reverberation-Reduction Algorithm for Cochlear Implants Enhances Speech Intelligibility and User Experience.Ear and hearingA new AI-based reverberation-reduction algorithm improved speech understanding in noisy rooms for cochlear implant users. The version targeting both early and late reflections gave an average 17% intelligibility gain. Users also preferred this setting, finding speech more natural and easier to listen to.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Translation and Cross-Cultural Adaptation of The Cancer Dyspnoea Scale - CDS into Brazilian Portuguese.CoDASA Brazilian Portuguese version of the Cancer Dyspnoea Scale is now available. Forty head and neck cancer patients completed it without difficulty, and no one needed the "not applicable" option. The wording was adjusted after patients found "very much" confusing.
• SLPCase Report2025Comparison of gesture-vocal synchrony and gestures of two children aged 3 to 26 months with and without autism spectrum disorder.CoDASIn two infants, the child with autism showed lower gesture-speech synchrony, reduced eye contact, and more discomfort than the neurotypical child. Their gestures were similar in type but differed in frequency and quality. This describes two cases, not a treatment effect.
• SLPSystematic Review2025Impact of the Use of Interactive Screens on Language Development in Children up to 6 Years of Age: A Systematic Review.Child: care, health and developmentInteractive screens do not uniformly harm language. Heavy, solitary use is linked to delays and poorer vocabulary, but supervised co-viewing or educational content can support learning. Clinicians should assess how and with whom the child uses the device, not just total screen time.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Association Between Exposure to Smartphones and Tablets and Motor Development in Early Childhood: A Systematic Review.Child: care, health and developmentEvidence linking smartphone and tablet use to motor development in young children is mixed and inconclusive. Four studies found negative associations, while three found positive ones. Most results were weak or non-significant, and the cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions.
• OTSLPSystematic Review2025Autism and the Menopause Transition: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.Autism in adulthoodAutistic people assigned female at birth described menopause as harder to understand and manage, with sensory overload, fatigue, sleep problems, thinking and memory changes, and work strain. Online peer support helped, while healthcare often felt dismissive or unsafe.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Inclusive Housing Environments for People With Intellectual Disabilities: Systematic Review of Characteristics and Influencing Factors.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDA systematic review of 73 studies identifies five environmental dimensions for inclusive housing: physical, social, natural, symbolic, and supportive. It highlights that structural accessibility alone is insufficient, emphasizing the need for social inclusion, personal autonomy, and meaningful community connections.
• SLPOther2025Distributional patterns in recast therapy do not systematically align with patterns in conversational data.Journal of communication disordersClinicians produced more recasts and more varied, unnatural syntax than caregivers. Caregivers stuck closer to conversational patterns but provided fewer recasts. Neither group’s input matched standard test items, meaning therapy language differs from both daily speech and assessment language.
• SLPOther2025The Effects of Stimulation Level and Stimulation Rate on Neural Synchrony of the Cochlear Nerve in Postlingually Deafened Adult Cochlear Implant Recipients.Ear and hearingIn adult cochlear implant users, neural synchrony improved as stimulation level increased but stayed stable up to 120 Hz before dropping at 240 Hz. Basal electrodes showed weaker synchrony than apical ones. These findings guide how to set parameters when measuring nerve function.
• SLPOther2025Articulatory Methods for the Study of Second Language Speech.Language and speechNo original study or outcomes are reported in this editorial overview of research methods for studying speech production in a second language.
• SLPMeta-Analysis2025Modeling the Relationship Between Listener Factors and Envelope Fidelity: A Pooled Analysis Spanning a Decade.Ear and hearingListeners with lower working memory improved their speech-in-noise scores when hearing aid processing caused less distortion. Those with higher working memory did not show this benefit. This suggests that reducing signal distortion may help patients with lower cognitive capacity more than those with higher capacity.
• SLPQualitative2025Navigating sign language learning: insights from hearing parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing children.Journal of deaf studies and deaf educationParents valued home-based lessons and Deaf teachers but struggled with courses that focused on vocabulary over grammar and ended when children turned four. They reported receiving conflicting advice from professionals, which made choosing between sign and speech difficult.
• PTOTCohort2026Participation, environment, and quality of life in children with cerebral palsy and physical disabilities.Developmental medicine and child neurologyCommunity support, not just physical ability, strongly predicted quality of life in children with cerebral palsy. Parents reported significant barriers and a high desire for change. Clinicians should prioritize community integration and resource navigation alongside physical therapy.
• PTPilot2026Effects of robotic assistance on muscle activation and fatigue during overground walking in non-disabled individuals: an exploratory study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWalking with the exoskeleton changed muscle patterns more than changing assistance level did. Lower assistance did not simply reduce muscle activation. The first full-assistance trial felt mentally harder than later trials.
• OTRCT2026Usability and effectiveness of a novel bilateral upper limb training device for stroke patients with hemiparesis: a pilot randomized controlled study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationTraining with the device plus occupational therapy did not improve upper limb scores more than conventional bilateral training plus occupational therapy. Both groups improved similarly, and usability was acceptable.
• PTOTCohort2026Motor Function Profiling and Its Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life in Childhood Stroke Survivors.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationChildhood stroke survivors were below test norms in manual coordination and strength/agility, which were linked with lower parent-reported quality of life and function. Motor daily skills were largely preserved; cognitive daily skills were not.
• OTSLPSurvey2026Exploring auditory perception experiences in daily situations in autistic adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic adults, whether clinically diagnosed or self-identifying, reported significantly more difficulty understanding speech in daily life compared to non-autistic adults. These speech difficulties were worse than challenges with locating sounds or judging sound quality, suggesting a specific barrier to communication that standard hearing tests may miss.
• PTOTCohort2026Stroke Recovery Program Incorporating Moderate-Intensity Aerobic Exercise Provides Sustained Improvement of Function: A 1-Year Follow-Up Study.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationStroke survivors who added a 36-session aerobic exercise and risk factor education program to prescribed physical, occupational and speech therapy showed higher mobility and daily activity scores at 1 year. Cognitive scores did not differ significantly.