TOPIC

School-based research

Everything we have read on school-based. 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.

582 PAPERS · PAGE 2 OF 12 · NEWEST FIRST

• OTSystematic Review2026Cumulative Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and School Outcomes During Adolescence: A Scoping Review.The Journal of school healthIn 24 US studies, 22 found cumulative adverse childhood experiences linked with poorer adolescent school engagement, attendance, grades, suspension and dropout. This is association evidence, not proof that any intervention improves these outcomes.
• OTSystematic Review2026Effectiveness of low vision rehabilitation on visual function and quality of life in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciencesLow-vision services that provided assessment, devices, and sometimes training were associated with better distance acuity and vision-related quality of life in one of three small studies, but a reading-rate gain was not supported and evidence was low.
• OTCohort2026ICF Priorities and the Impact of Demographic Factors in a Paediatric Poststroke Population: An Observational Study.Child: care, health and developmentPriorities did not differ by sex, ethnicity or local deprivation. Post-stroke children and families most often raised everyday activities and participation. Body function and service concerns were more common in primary and high school.
• PTOTCohort2016Effectiveness of the back school program for the performance of activities of daily living in users of a basic health unit in Porto Alegre, Brazil.Journal of physical therapy scienceA Back School program improved how people with chronic pain performed daily tasks like lifting and writing, and reduced pain and disability scores. Sitting posture did not improve. Without a control group, natural recovery cannot be ruled out.
• OTOther2016The correlation between proprioception and handwriting legibility in children.Journal of physical therapy scienceBetter kinesthetic sense correlated with more legible handwriting, but elbow joint position sense did not. The study included only 19 right-handed children aged 9 to 10, so it cannot guide treatment decisions.
• PTOTCase Report2016The effects of neck and trunk stabilization exercises on upper limb and visuoperceptual function in children with cerebral palsy.Journal of physical therapy scienceEleven children with cerebral palsy improved hand function and visual-motor speed after eight weeks of neck and trunk stabilization exercises. Because this was a small case series without a control group, it cannot confirm the exercises caused the gains.
• PTOTRCT2017Klapp method effect on idiopathic scoliosis in adolescents: blind randomized controlled clinical trial.Journal of physical therapy scienceKlapp method exercises did not reduce spinal curvature or correct body asymmetry in adolescents with suspected scoliosis. Back extensor strength increased, but the control group also improved, so the exercise alone did not cause this change.
• PTOTSLPCohort2017Long-Term School Outcomes of Children and Adolescents With Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationChildren with severe TBI need school support services immediately. Those with mild or moderate injuries often appear fine at two years but require comparable support by six years post-injury. Monitor academic performance long-term, not just at discharge.
• OTSLPCohort2017Race, disability, and grade: Social relationships in children with autism spectrum disorders.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceChildren with autism received fewer friendship nominations than their typical peers, especially in upper grades. African American and Latino children with autism in grades 3–5 faced the sharpest drop in social integration and friendships compared to White typical peers in lower grades.
• OTSLPOther2017Lessons learned: Engaging culturally diverse families in neurodevelopmental disorders intervention research.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceEngaging low-income Latino families in autism and ADHD research required shifting from clinic-based to school-based delivery, replacing lectures with small-group discussions, and hiring a bilingual community navigator. Flexible scheduling, Spanish text messaging, and joint questionnaire completion were essential for retention.
• OTSLPCohort2017Non-ASD outcomes at 36 months in siblings at familial risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A baby siblings research consortium (BSRC) study.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchHigh-risk siblings who did not meet autism criteria at 36 months were more likely than controls to have mild-to-moderate global developmental delay and elevated autism symptom scores. Their language delay rates were not higher.
• PTOTSurvey2017Predictors of perceived barriers to physical activity in the general adult population: a cross-sectional study.Brazilian journal of physical therapyLack of motivation and time were the most common barriers to physical activity. People with partners reported fewer barriers, while those with lower education or income reported more. These associations describe who perceives barriers, not whether interventions work.
• PTOTSurvey2017Knee pain in adolescents: prevalence, risk factors, and functional impairment.Brazilian journal of physical therapy22.6% of adolescents reported knee pain in the past week. Pain was more common in older teens and in those not doing school physical education. Girls with knee pain reported greater functional impairment.
• PTOTSLPCohort2016Sociodemographic Disparities in Intervention Service Utilization in Families of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersFamilies using public insurance received fewer weekly hours of individual therapy than those with private insurance. Non-English speaking families also received fewer hours. Children of Black mothers entered classroom services earlier than White children, though this may reflect differences in prior diagnoses or childcare needs rather than superior access.
• OTCase-Control2017Dyspraxia in ASD: Impaired coordination of movement elements.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchChildren with ASD were less accurate copying gestures. The difference was largest when the gesture required several movement parts to happen at once.
• OTCohort2017Social participation and its relation to internalizing symptoms among youth with autism spectrum disorder as they transition from high school.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchStructured social activities dropped significantly after high school, while unstructured time with friends stayed stable. Youth with more internalizing symptoms in high school became more socially isolated after exit. Prior structured participation predicted gains in unstructured social contact later.
• OTSLPQualitative2017The meaning of participation for children in Malawi: insights from children and caregivers.Child: care, health and developmentRural Malawian children and carers described participation as helping at home, chatting and playing. Children with disabilities were often kept near home, not expected to do chores, and faced barriers from community attitudes and parents who denied them chances.
• PTOTCase Report2017The effects of neck and trunk stabilization exercises on cerebral palsy children's static and dynamic trunk balance: case series.Journal of physical therapy scienceEleven children with cerebral palsy did better on sitting trunk-control scores after eight weeks of twice-weekly sessions that included neck and trunk stabilization. But there was no control group, so this cannot show the exercises caused the gain.
• OTSLPCohort2017Mid-childhood outcomes of infant siblings at familial high-risk of autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research15 of 42 high-risk siblings met autism criteria at age 7; they had lower adaptive behaviour and more ADHD and anxiety than low-risk controls. The 24 high-risk siblings without autism had typical-range IQ and language but more separation anxiety.
• PTOTOther2017Environmental barriers and social participation in individuals with spinal cord injury.Rehabilitation psychologyHigher perceived environmental barriers are linked to lower social participation and employment in people with spinal cord injury. Barriers related to assistance and services show the strongest negative association with participation. However, the overall effect is small, and the study cannot prove that removing barriers will improve outcomes.
• OTRCT2017Training Parents of Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder to Advocate for Adult Disability Services: Results from a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents who completed this 12-week advocacy training knew more about adult disability services and felt more empowered than wait-list controls. In-person group attendance was linked to higher confidence and empowerment, while knowledge gains occurred regardless of whether parents attended live or watched recordings.
• OTQualitative2017The Occupational Transition Process to Upper Secondary School, Further Education and/or Work in Sweden: As Described by Young Adults with Asperger Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersYoung adults with Asperger syndrome or ADHD described transition as long and uneven. Early goal setting, work placements with on-the-job support, and help with home life mattered; day centres could help or feel remote.
• OTSLPOther2017Correlates of Adaptive Functioning in Minimally Verbal Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder.American journal on intellectual and developmental disabilitiesMilder social-communication symptoms were linked with better adaptive skills in minimally verbal children with autism, but nonverbal mental age and chronological age explained more. Repetitive behaviours did not add this information after accounting for age and nonverbal mental age.
• PTOTSLPPilot2017Development and assessment of a hand assist device: GRIPIT.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationFour people with spinal cord injury wrote with GRIPIT, a manual glove that tightens a wire to form a tripod grasp. They reported better writing sensation, less fatigue and clearer letters than with a penholder or their own hand, but found it fiddly to put on.
• OTSLPCase Report2017Developmental Regression, Depression, and Psychosocial Stress in an Adolescent with Down Syndrome.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPIn an adolescent with Down syndrome and intellectual disability, function improved after antidepressant treatment, CPAP for sleep apnea, and school environment change. No single component can be credited.
• OTOther2017The Psychometric Properties of a New Measure of Sensory Behaviors in Autistic Children.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents' reports on the Sensory Behavior Questionnaire captured sensory behaviors and their daily-life impact in autistic children. Scores separated autistic children from typical peers and added information beyond the Short Sensory Profile.
• OTSLPSurvey2017Priority service needs and receipt across the lifespan for individuals with autism spectrum disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchCaregivers reported that people with autism across Canada rarely received services matching their top needs, and priority services were received less often after early childhood.
• OTOther2017Participation in Early Childhood Educational Environments for Young Children with and Without Developmental Disabilities and Delays: A Mixed Methods Study.Physical & occupational therapy in pediatricsParents of children with developmental delays or disabilities reported less involvement and perceived less supportive daycare or preschool environments than parents of children without delays. Parents wanting change most often described child-care tasks and peer groups, but this does not prove any strategy works.
• OTOther2016Differences in active range of motion measurements in the upper extremity of patients with writer's cramp compared with healthy controls.Journal of hand therapy : official journal of the American Society of Hand TherapistsOnly 5 of 38 upper-extremity motion measurements differed between 8 people with writer's cramp and 8 controls. Some finger movements were limited, others excessive, and index finger knuckle flexion decreased with longer disease and worse handwriting.
• OTOther2016The impact of handwriting difficulties on compositional quality in children with developmental coordination disorder.The British journal of occupational therapyChildren with DCD wrote lower-quality free writing than matched peers. Handwriting speed and misspelling rate were linked to writing quality, so occupational therapists should look beyond legibility when handwriting problems appear.
• OTPilot2016Effectiveness of Earmuffs and Noise-cancelling Headphones for Coping with Hyper-reactivity to Auditory Stimuli in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Study.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTFor children with autism spectrum disorder, earmuff use was linked to better individual behaviour goal scores than no device. Noise-cancelling headphones did not show the same result, and several children refused devices. Results are preliminary.
• OTOther2016Reliability and Validity of the Activity Participation Assessment for School-age Children in Korea.Hong Kong journal of occupational therapy : HKJOTA 38-item Korean questionnaire about how often school-age children do home, school, social, sport, and self-care tasks was stable over 2 weeks. Parents reported lower participation for children with intellectual disability than for nondisabled children. It may guide OT conversations, not prove treatment benefit.
• OTSLPCohort2017Evaluating the quality of peer interactions in children and adolescents with autism with the Penn Interactive Peer Play Scale (PIPPS).Molecular autismTeacher reports of withdrawn or disconnected play lined up with parent reports of friendship quality. More severe repetitive behaviors and lower verbal ability were linked to less peer connection. It did not match parent reports for all kinds of play behavior.
• OTRCT2017Massage and Storytelling Reduce Aggression and Improve Academic Performance in Children Attending Elementary School.Occupational therapy internationalChildren in weekly massage classes plus daily paired massage, and children in weekly storytelling classes plus daily paired retelling, had fewer teacher-recorded aggressive episodes and higher mean grades than control children in an extra class plus daily paired recall in one public school.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2018Postural disorders in mouth breathing children: a systematic review.Brazilian journal of physical therapyMouth-breathing children often show forward head posture and spinal curve changes, but the evidence linking these is weak. All included studies had low methodological quality and used inconsistent measurement tools, so clinicians should not treat this association as established.
• PTOTCohort2018The Brazilian Back Complaints in the Elders (Brazilian BACE) study: characteristics of Brazilian older adults with a new episode of low back pain.Brazilian journal of physical therapyOlder Brazilian adults with new low back pain reported high pain and disability. Those with lower education and income had worse pain, more disability, and greater fear of falling. Age alone did not predict worse outcomes; the 55–74 group reported more pain than the 75+ group.
• PTOTSLPOther2017Easy assessment tool for motor imagery ability in elementary scool students.Journal of physical therapy scienceA paper-based hand rotation task tracked motor imagery ability in children without computers. Older students judged faster, and errors rose with rotation angle. However, reliability was not tested, so use it as a quick screen rather than a definitive measure.
• OTRCT2017Evaluating the Effectiveness of a School-Based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Intervention for Anxiety in Adolescents Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAdolescents with ASD who received school-based CBT with teaching-assistant support and home projects showed greater reductions in parent, self and teacher-reported anxiety than wait-list controls. Teachers reported less social worry, but self-reported social worry did not differ.
• OTNarrative Review2017Development of a College Transition and Support Program for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersStudents with autism and their parents rated the STEPS college transition program helpful and likely to recommend it. These are early satisfaction reports, not evidence that the program improves college enrollment, graduation, or daily living.
• PTOTSurvey2018What are patients with Rett syndrome interested in?Journal of physical therapy scienceMost individuals with Rett syndrome were reported to show interests, especially people, music, things to see, animations, and books. Staff observations can guide choosing motivating activities, but the report does not prove those interests improve outcomes.
• OTOther2018The effect of fine motor skills on handwriting legibility in preschool age children.Journal of physical therapy scienceIn 52 preschoolers, better fine motor precision and faster in-hand manipulation were linked to more legible Korean alphabet writing. Fine motor precision was the strongest link, reported at sixty percent. This is association, not proof that training improves handwriting.
• OTOther2018Role of cognitive assessment for high school graduates prior to choosing their college major.Journal of physical therapy scienceComputer science students scored higher on a nonverbal cognitive test than art students. Senior computer science students scored higher than junior ones, but senior art students did not differ from junior art students.
• OTSLPOther2017Developmental Screening in Pediatric Sickle Cell Disease: Disease-Related Risk and Screening Outcomes in 4 Year Olds.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPIn 77 four-year-olds, higher-risk sickle cell genotypes had lower language scores and more positive screens. Among higher-risk children, those with abnormal stroke-risk tests also had lower language scores and more positive screens.
• OTCohort2018Brief Report: Executive Function as a Predictor of Academic Achievement in School-Aged Children with ASD.Journal of autism and developmental disordersIn 32 children with ASD, better spatial reversal at age 6 was linked to higher math scores at age 9, not spelling or word reading. At age 9, spatial reversal did not predict math scores once nonverbal and spatial abilities were considered.
• PTOTCase Series2017Cognitive functioning over 2 years after intracerebral hemorrhage in school-aged children.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMotor function improved after childhood intracerebral hemorrhage, and some reasoning skills reached average range, but working memory stayed low and processing speed lagged peers. Motor recovery may mask cognitive needs, so plan serial cognitive testing.
• OTCohort2017Brief Report: Postsecondary Work and Educational Disruptions for Youth on the Autism Spectrum.Journal of autism and developmental disordersHalf of 36 young adults with autism had job or college disruption, or did not take part, after leaving high school. Parents of those later disrupted had more depression, anxiety and lower quality of life before exit; measured youth characteristics did not differ.
• OTSLPSurvey2018Latent Class Analysis of ADHD Neurodevelopmental and Mental Health Comorbidities.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPAmong 2,495 children with current parent-reported ADHD, 61.3% had another diagnosed condition. Four groups emerged: low comorbidity, internalizing disorders, developmental disorders, and high comorbidity, with different school-service patterns.
• OTCohort2017Bowel management and continence in adults with spina bifida: Results from the National Spina Bifida Patient Registry 2009-15.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineBowel continence was reported by 58.3% of adults with spina bifida in a national registry, with higher rates in less severe non-MMC forms. Employment was the only factor still linked to continence after other factors were considered.
• OTCohort2017Early Behavioral Risks of Childhood and Adolescent Daytime Urinary Incontinence and Nocturnal Enuresis.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPEarly difficult temperament and childhood behavior problems were linked to later bedwetting and daytime wetting, but not consistently across ages or outcomes.
• OTSLPQualitative2018Challenges and Successful Pedagogical Strategies: Experiences from Six Swedish Students with Blindness and Autism in Different School Settings.Journal of autism and developmental disordersStudents with blindness and autism described confusion from fast, visually based instructions and noise. Teachers and parents reported calm, small, highly structured settings and using students' interests as helpful. No tested intervention was shown to work.