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Paediatrics research

Everything we have read on paediatrics. Each paper is summarised from the full article rather than its abstract, so the limitations are in there too, and the funding wherever the paper declares it.

2,466 PAPERS · PAGE 34 OF 50 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTOther2025Brief Report: Prevalence and Predictors of DSM-Specific and Distinct Anxiety in Cognitively Impaired Autistic Preschool Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic preschool children with cognitive impairment did not show higher overall anxiety than non-autistic peers. They showed more anxiety when common fears were excluded, especially autism-related worries.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2024Autism in Preschool-Aged Children: The Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown.Journal of autism and developmental disordersPreschoolers with autism struggled far more with remote learning and showed worsening behaviors during lockdown, with 43% of parents reporting symptom deterioration. Typically developing children managed better, though all groups lost physical activity and sleep routine.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Prevalence and Characteristics of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn a diverse metropolitan area, 17.7 per 1,000 adolescents had autism. Prevalence was twice as high in high-income areas compared to low-income areas, and one in four cases remained undiagnosed by age 16.
• PTOTSLPOther2024A Longitudinal Mixed-Methods Characterization of Family Support from Adolescence to Young Adulthood in Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAs autistic youth reach adulthood, family support remains the most helpful and valued resource, while formal professional support declines significantly. Caregivers shift from needing practical help to valuing emotional partnership and dependability. Clinicians should prioritize assessing family networks, not just clinical services.
• OTSurvey2024Relationship Between Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Parent Stress, Anxiety, Depression, Quality of Life and Social Support.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of children and adolescents with ASD who had gastrointestinal symptoms reported more stress about their child being difficult, lower quality of life in social relationships and environment, and less perceived social support. Anxiety and depression did not differ.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Expectations for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders or Intellectual Disabilities in Ghana: A Comparison Between Service Providers and Parents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents expect children with autism or intellectual disability to achieve independence more than teachers and healthcare providers do. Providers rated independence as highly important but doubted it would happen. Aligning these expectations is crucial to avoid conflicting care goals.
• OTSLPCohort2024Psychosocial Outcomes in Autistic Children Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children in the Netherlands showed unexpected improvements in behavior and peer problems during the pandemic. Hyperactivity and conduct issues decreased, while prosocial behavior increased. Emotional problems remained stable, but worsened if the child themselves worried about COVID-19.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2024Participation and Experiences in Extracurricular Activities for Autistic and Neurotypical Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of autistic children reported similar interest in extracurricular activities as neurotypical parents, but their children participated in fewer activities. Barriers were not just child behavior, but included program structure and social attitudes, suggesting inclusive design is key.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Digital technologies for pediatric rehabilitation: current access and use in the European Rehatech4child survey.European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicineMost European rehabilitation professionals use digital technologies for children, but access is the main barrier. Those with easier access used them far more frequently. Lack of funding and training were top concerns, while children's motivation was not.
• OTSLPCohort2024Harsh Parenting and Trajectories of Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties in Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn autistic children, higher maternal harsh parenting was linked to more behavioural problems, but not emotional ones. Children exposed to high levels of smacking and shouting saw their total difficulties rise from borderline to abnormal by age 7.
• PTOTCohort2024Acceptability, validity and responsiveness of inertial measurement units for assessing motor recovery after gene therapy in infants with early onset spinal muscular atrophy: a prospective cohort study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationWearable sensors on wrists, feet and elbows were tolerated during 25-minute tests in infants with SMA after gene therapy. Movement measures tracked motor scores and increased over 12 months, with elbow and foot sensors linked to unaided sitting.
• OTOther2025Motor Signature Differences Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Coordination Disorder, and Their Neural Mechanisms.Journal of autism and developmental disordersA tablet coloring game and computer model sorted children into the right group 71%, 76% and 78% of the time in two-group comparisons, but standard motor tests and video coding did not tell autism from coordination disorder.
• OTOther2025Psychotropic Medication Use in Children and Youth with Autism Enrolled in Medicaid.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAbout half of autistic youth on Medicaid filled a psychotropic prescription each year, down from 54 to 44 percent. Use rose with age and co-occurring mental health diagnoses. The study did not show whether medications helped or harmed.
• OTSLPRCT2024Psychometric Properties of the Dutch Contextual Assessment of Social Skills (CASS): An Independent Observational Outcome Measure of Social Skills in Autistic Adolescents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe 7-item Dutch CASS is a more reliable measure of social skills in autistic adolescents than the 4-item version. It correlates with self-reported assertion and social communication, but not with restricted interests, confirming it measures social interaction specifically.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Motor Control Adherence to the Two-thirds Power Law Differs in Autistic Development.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children aged 4 to 8 showed steeper velocity changes when drawing curves on an iPad compared to typically developing peers. They also exhibited higher jerk, indicating less smooth movement. These kinematic differences did not correlate with overall fine motor scores.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2025Barriers to Healthcare for Latinx Autistic Children and Adolescents.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFor Latinx families with autistic children, cost barriers were highest among those with commercial insurance, while language barriers were highest among Spanish speakers. Spanish-speaking caregivers reported significant gaps in knowing services existed, digital access issues, and lower educational attainment compared to English speakers.
• PTOTOther2025Effects of Horseback Riding on the Postural Control of Autistic Children: A Multiple Baseline Across-subjects Design.Journal of autism and developmental disordersNine autistic children showed reduced sway on a balance platform after horseback riding. The improvement was large on a soft surface and moderate on a hard one. However, their post-ride scores remained far above typical values for their age.
• OTQualitative2025Navigating the Transition to Adulthood: Insights from Caregivers of Autistic Individuals.Journal of autism and developmental disordersNine of ten caregivers of autistic adults said services stopped after high school. They described hunting for adult supports, confusing Regional Center information, long waits, and programs that ignored their child's interests, leaving families exhausted.
• PTOTSLPOther2024Neurological assessment tool for screening infants during the first year after birth: The Brief-Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination.Developmental medicine and child neurologyA shortened neurological exam for infants detected cerebral palsy with high accuracy in a retrospective study. Scores below specific age-based cut-offs identified most infants who later developed CP, supporting its use as a quick screening tool to trigger full examination.
• OTQualitative2024Everyday executive function issues from the perspectives of autistic adolescents and their parents: Theoretical and empirical implications.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceExecutive function struggles in autistic teens are highly context-dependent, driven by anxiety, motivation and instruction clarity rather than fixed deficits. Teens and parents report that demands often outpace development, creating tension between the teen's need for autonomy and the parent's role in organising daily life.
• OTSLPSurvey2024The characterization of feeding challenges in autistic children.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceFeeding challenges in autistic children often start earlier than diagnosis. Caregiver reports show that early difficulties with transitions and ongoing diet restriction predict more severe sensory and behavioral feeding issues later, suggesting these are key markers for early intervention.
• OTSurvey2024School participation of autistic youths: The influence of youth, family and school factors.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceProblems with the physical school environment were the only factor linked to lower school participation after handling missing data. Age was linked to more participation in original data, but not after handling missing data. Family factors and autistic traits were not linked.
• OTPilot2024Responses of several measures to different intensity levels of upper limb exergames in children with neurological diagnoses: a pilot study.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesIn children with neurological diagnoses playing upper limb exergames, heart rate variability, movement repetitions per minute, and Borg perceived exertion changed with therapist-set intensity. Skin conductance did not.
• OTSLPCohort2025Examining the Process and Impact of Social Problem Solving in Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn autistic children, identifying that a social problem exists predicted better parent-reported social skills more strongly than choosing good goals or solutions. Therapists should prioritize helping children recognize when a social conflict is happening before teaching specific resolution strategies.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Validating the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Core Sets for Autism in a Sample of Australian School-Aged Children on the Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCaregiver ratings matched autism core sets for attention and social tasks, but missed key facilitators like assets and motivation. Many ICF terms were unclear to parents, requiring simplified definitions before clinical use.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Mortality risk among Autistic children and young people: A nationwide birth cohort study.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children and young people in this large New Zealand cohort faced more than double the mortality risk of their non-Autistic peers. The risk was substantially higher for females and for those with co-occurring intellectual disability, highlighting a critical need for targeted health and safety support.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2024Impact of disability-based discrimination in healthcare on parents of children with medical complexity.Developmental medicine and child neurologyParents of children with medical complexity reported that disability-based discrimination in healthcare erodes trust, increases caregiving burden through forced advocacy, and harms parental mental health. Racism and poverty-based discrimination compound these effects.
• OTSLPCohort2025Friendship in Autism Spectrum Disorder Is Related to Diverse Developmental Changes Between Toddlerhood and Adolescence.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with ASD who had friends did not show worsening social communication severity and had larger gains in socialization and daily living skills. Those without friends showed worsening social communication severity. School setting, ADHD, and anxiety did not separate the groups.
• PTOTCohort2025Sensorimotor Features and Daily Living Skills in Autistic Children With and Without ADHD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children with ADHD showed lower movement skills and more often sought sensory input or had strong reactions to it. Daily living skills were better explained by each child's autism and ADHD features than by ADHD group status.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Medical Home Care and Educational Services for Children and Youth on the Autism Spectrum: A Scoping Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersChildren on the autism spectrum often need both medical home care and school services, but only five studies linked them and the evidence was mixed. Barriers included provider time, screening gaps, coordination rules, and funding.
• OTCohort2024Measurement invariance of the parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire in autistic adolescents.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceThe parent-reported Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire did not work as a stable measure of emotional and behavioural difficulties in autistic UK teenagers, or as a comparable measure with non-autistic teenagers. Use it cautiously and alongside autism-specific tools.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Psychometric Assessment of the Rett Syndrome Caregiver Assessment of Symptom Severity (RCASS).Journal of autism and developmental disordersA new caregiver questionnaire for Rett Syndrome shows preliminary promise for tracking symptom severity across movement, communication, and behavior. It correlates with clinician ratings but has not yet been proven sensitive to change, so it cannot currently confirm if a treatment works.
• OTSLPOther2025The Validity and Reliability of the Turkish Version of the Autism Family Experience Questionnaire (AFEQ).Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe Turkish version of the Autism Family Experience Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for assessing parents of autistic children. It measures parenting experience, family life, child development, and symptoms consistently, and correlates appropriately with autism severity and family quality of life.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Assessing the generalizability of a National Burn Database to the United States pediatric burn injury population.PM & R : the journal of injury, function, and rehabilitationPediatric burn data from U.S. hospitals mixes U.S. and Mexico residents, who have different burn causes and severity. Researchers must analyze these groups separately. Pooling them creates a distorted picture that does not represent the typical U.S. pediatric burn population.
• OTOther2025Age-related differences in behavioral outcomes of bimanual functional motor tasks in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy: a scoping review.Disability and rehabilitationChildren with cerebral palsy showed poorer bimanual performance than typically developing peers, and task complexity made this worse. Age-related differences were inconsistent: only a few studies showed improvement with age.
• PTOTRCT2025Does botulinum neurotoxin A make walking easier in children with cerebral palsy? A randomized clinical trial.Developmental medicine and child neurologyA single calf botulinum toxin injection did not make walking less effortful for children with cerebral palsy than saline. Walking capacity, daily activity, and child-reported gross motor performance did not improve more than placebo. Calf pain intensity decreased more at 12 weeks.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Developmental associations between motor and communication outcomes in Fragile X syndrome: Variation in the context of co-occurring autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEarly fine motor skills predicted receptive communication in all children with Fragile X. However, the link between motor development and expressive communication differed by autism status. Children without autism relied on early motor levels, while those with autism relied on how quickly their motor skills improved.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Validation of the Arabic Version of Feeding Handicap Index for Children with Developmental Disabilities (A-FHI-C).Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of children with autism, cerebral palsy, or intellectual disability reported significantly more severe feeding problems on the new Arabic Feeding Handicap Index than parents of typically developing children. The questionnaire showed strong consistency and stability, making it a reliable tool for assessing feeding impacts in Arabic-speaking families.
• OTSystematic Review2025Applicability and Psychometric Properties of General Mental Health Assessment Tools in Autistic People: A Systematic Review.Journal of autism and developmental disordersBroad mental health screeners for autistic people have uneven evidence. Among commonly used tools, the Aberrant Behavior Checklist was best supported; ASEBA and SDQ were less consistent. Match the tool to age, ability, and informant.
• OTSurvey2025Impact of a Genetic Diagnosis for a Child's Autism on Parental Perceptions.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents who learned their child had a genetic diagnosis for autism reported less self-blame and, in interviews, saw behavior as less controlled. They also lowered expectations for future independence and financial self-support. Genetic counseling was part of result delivery.
• OTOther2025Health, Wellbeing and Empowerment E-workshops for Mothers of Children with Disabilities: A Non-randomised Comparison Study.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMothers of children with disabilities who took part in an online health and wellbeing package reported more health promoting activities than controls. The package combined Zoom workshops, a closed social media group, a website, and an e-workbook, so one part cannot be credited.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Continuation of Pediatric Care after Transfer to Adult Care Among Autistic Youth Overlap of Pediatric and Adult Care.Journal of autism and developmental disordersMost autistic young adults keep using pediatric services after starting adult primary care. Over half had direct pediatric visits, including therapy. Clinicians should expect ongoing pediatric involvement rather than assuming a clean break at the first adult appointment.
• PTOTRCT2024Accuracy deficits during robotic time-constrained reaching are related to altered prefrontal cortex activity in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChildren with cerebral palsy had worse reaching accuracy, especially with their non-preferred arm. Contrary to expectations, their prefrontal cortex activity dropped under time pressure. Higher prefrontal activity was linked to better accuracy in the CP group, suggesting this brain area plays a role in compensating for motor deficits.
• OTQualitative2024Caregiver-centred empowerment for families raising autistic children: A qualitative case study from Argentina.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceIn Argentina, caregivers of autistic children said empowerment meant learning rights, finding peer support and creating local solutions. Poverty, insurance barriers and weak policy implementation often blocked access to services and support.
• OTOther2025Sensory Profile-2 in Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Analysis within the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health Framework.Journal of autism and developmental disordersThe Sensory Profile-2 maps mostly to body functions, not environment. It covers 26 of 111 autism functioning categories, so use it with other tools for activities and environment.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2025Community Priorities for Outcomes Targeted During Professional Supports for Autistic Children and their Families.Journal of autism and developmental disordersCommunity priorities for autistic children focus on wellbeing and understanding, not changing autistic traits. Practitioners rated reducing sensory seeking and social skills training as inappropriate more often than parents did. All parent-focused outcomes were considered appropriate and medium-to-high priority.
• PTOTOther2024Baby Observational Selective Control AppRaisal (BabyOSCAR): Construct validity and test performance.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe BabyOSCAR test reliably measures spontaneous movement in infants, but arm and leg scores reflect separate abilities. Clinicians should use the total raw score for quick screening and prediction, while keeping arm and leg subscales distinct for detailed analysis or research.
• PTOTSLPCohort2024Fatigue among children and adolescents with acquired brain injury in a specialized neurorehabilitation setting.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesFatigue improved during intensive neurorehabilitation, but only self-reported changes in general and sleep fatigue were significant. Parents consistently rated their child's fatigue as more severe than the children did, particularly regarding cognitive difficulties.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025COVID-19 Pandemic Experiences of Families in Which a Child/Youth Has Autism and Their Service Providers: Perspectives and Lessons Learned.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFamilies and providers described navigating unclear essential service designations and rapid shifts to virtual care. While some found virtual options flexible, providers struggled to engage children remotely. Parents reported increased stress and isolation, though some adapted by using online tools to maintain connections.
• 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.