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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.

1,906 PAPERS · PAGE 13 OF 39 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCohort2021Very Long-Term Outcomes in Children Admitted in a Disorder of Consciousness After Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationMost children admitted to rehab in a disorder of consciousness after severe brain injury emerged from that state by one year, but nearly all remained severely disabled. Children in a minimally conscious state at admission had better long-term outcomes than those in a vegetative state.
• PTOther2021Immediate effects of short period lower limb ergometer exercise in adolescent and young adult patients with cerebral palsy and spastic diplegia.Journal of physical therapy scienceTen minutes of lower limb ergometer exercise immediately reduced spasticity and increased knee extension range in eight adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy. Walking speed showed a non-significant trend toward improvement. This single-session pilot suggests short-term benefits but cannot confirm lasting functional gains.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Characteristics of toddlers with early versus later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceToddlers diagnosed with autism at 25 to 41 months showed more severe delays and symptoms than those diagnosed at 12 to 24 months, especially in motor, daily living, socialization, and restricted behaviors. Expressive language was delayed in all groups.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2021Anxiety in autistic individuals who speak few or no words: A qualitative study of parental experience and anxiety management.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceParents of autistic people who speak few or no words struggle to distinguish anxiety from autism traits or other distress. They rely on deep knowledge of the child's baseline and behavioural cues. While they use sensory and distraction strategies, avoidance and reassurance may inadvertently maintain anxiety.
• PTCohort2021Predictors of Disability Attributed to Symptoms of Increased Interrecti Distance in Women after Childbirth: An Observational Study.Physical therapyIn women with increased abdominal separation after childbirth, disability from its symptoms was mainly linked to lumbopelvic pain, fear of movement, and emotional distress. The actual abdominal gap was not related to disability.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021How do core autism traits and associated symptoms relate to quality of life? Findings from the Longitudinal European Autism Project.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceDepression symptoms, not core autism traits, were the strongest predictor of reduced quality of life in autistic adults. In children, anxiety and social difficulties also lowered satisfaction. Many autistic individuals reported good quality of life, so screen for subthreshold mental health issues rather than assuming poor well-being based on diagnosis alone.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2021Differences in Body Mass Index (BMI) in Early Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Youth with Typical Development.Journal of autism and developmental disordersEarly adolescents with autism had higher body mass index percentiles than typically developing peers, driven mainly by males. This difference persisted after excluding participants on weight-gain medications, suggesting autism itself, rather than medication side effects, is associated with increased weight in this age group.
• PTOTSLPPilotFeasibility and Acceptability of a Telephone-Based Intervention for Hispanic Children to Promote Treatment Adherence After Traumatic Brain Injury: A Pilot Study.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationA telephone-based navigation and education program was feasible and acceptable for Hispanic families after their child's traumatic brain injury. Most parents reported high satisfaction, and 86% of children attended initial follow-up rehabilitation appointments on time.
• PTCohort2021Differences in Physical and Psychological Parameters in Sub-Elite, Male, Youth Soccer Players with Jumper's Knee Following Physical Therapy Compared to Healthy Controls: A Longitudinal Examination.International journal of sports physical therapySub-elite male youth soccer players who completed physical therapy for jumper's knee showed slower change-of-direction and 30-m sprint times than healthy controls throughout the season. However, jump height and endurance were not different. Psychological fear of failure was higher only at the start of the season.
• PTPilot2021An Alternative Model of Care for the Treatment of Adolescent Athletes with Extension-Based Low Back Pain: A Pilot Study.International journal of sports physical therapyPhysical therapy first model (rest and twice-weekly therapy with pain-free progression) cut advanced imaging from 8 to 1, had median billed cost 19% lower, and showed similar outcomes, but used more visits and slower return for some non-specific cases in a 16-patient pilot.
• PTOther2021Post-Trial Feedback Alters Landing Performance in Adolescent Female Athletes Using a Portable Feedback System.International journal of sports physical therapyOne session of portable feedback cut landing forces by nearly 30% and improved knee alignment in adolescent female athletes. These changes persisted during a dual-task test, though the study did not track long-term retention or actual injury rates.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2020Impact of COVID-19 outbreak on mental health and perceived strain among caregivers tending children with special needs.Research in developmental disabilitiesCaregivers of children with special needs in India reported high rates of depression and significantly increased strain during the COVID-19 lockdown. Factors like lack of tele-rehabilitation and difficulty with homecare therapy were linked to worse mental health, suggesting a need for better remote support and caregiver training.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Pubertal Timing During Early Adolescence: Advanced Pubertal Onset in Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchFemales with autism showed earlier breast development and menarche than typically developing females, with menarche occurring 9.5 months earlier on average. No such difference was found in males. This suggests girls with autism may need puberty education and support sooner than peers.
• PTOTSLPCohortNovel Claims-Based Outcome Phenotypes in Survivors of Pediatric Traumatic Brain Injury.The Journal of head trauma rehabilitationInsurance claims data identified four distinct recovery profiles in children surviving traumatic brain injury. The two highest-need groups required significantly more speech and physical therapy, mobility equipment, and neurologic medications. Injury severity, seizures, and inflicted injury mechanisms predicted these high-resource outcomes.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2021Inter-Disciplinary Conservative Management of Bilateral Non-United Lumbar Pars Defects in a Junior Elite Golfer.International journal of sports physical therapyA 15-year-old golfer with bilateral lumbar pars fractures avoided surgery through a 12-month interdisciplinary exercise program. He returned to competitive golf and accepted a college scholarship, remaining asymptomatic 18 months post-intervention.
• PTOTSLPCohort2020Intergenerational Effects of Maternal Childhood Experiences on Maternal Parenting and Infant Developmental Progress.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPMothers who felt their own mothers were supportive were more likely to scaffold their infants. This scaffolding predicted better infant communication and problem-solving progress at 12 months. Adverse childhood experiences did not predict scaffolding, and maternal sensitivity did not predict developmental progress.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Descriptive Strength and Range of Motion in Youth Baseball Players.International journal of sports physical therapyYouth baseball players aged 5-12 already show shoulder adaptations similar to adults: greater external rotation and internal rotation strength in the throwing arm. However, total range of motion remains symmetrical between arms, suggesting these changes are normal development rather than immediate injury risk.
• PTOTSurvey2021Stakeholder Perspectives on Engaging With Cerebral Palsy Research Studies After Onset of COVID-19 in the United States.Archives of physical medicine and rehabilitationPeople with cerebral palsy and their caregivers are willing to join research sooner than they are to socialize, but parents wait longer than adults do for studies offering no direct benefit. Those with higher physical needs were the most cautious about returning to in-person research.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2021Prenatal cytomegalovirus, rubella, and Zika virus infections associated with developmental disabilities: past, present, and future.Developmental medicine and child neurologyPrenatal rubella, cytomegalovirus and Zika can cause developmental disability even when maternal illness is mild. Timing matters, and hearing loss or subtle delays may appear after birth.
• PTOTSLPOther2021The modified Shriners Hospitals for Children Greenville (mSHCG) multi-segment foot model provides clinically acceptable measurements of ankle and midfoot angles: A dual fluoroscopy study.Gait & postureSkin-marker gait analysis closely matches bone-level dual fluoroscopy for ankle and midfoot angles in healthy adults. Differences were mostly under 4 degrees, which is clinically acceptable. However, accuracy dropped as midfoot motion increased, and one forefoot marker shifted significantly during loading.
• PTOTCohort2021Clinical Characteristics Associated with Reduced Selective Voluntary Motor Control in the Upper Extremity of Individuals with Spastic Cerebral Palsy.Developmental neurorehabilitationUnintended movements at other joints were the most common cause of reduced selective motor control in children with cerebral palsy, occurring more often than weakness or tightness. Mirror movements affected 74% of participants and were linked to lower reported hand function.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Awareness and knowledge of developmental coordination disorder: A survey of caregivers, teachers, allied health professionals and medical professionals in Australia.Child: care, health and developmentIn Australia, most teachers, parents and doctors still do not know what developmental coordination disorder is. They recognise motor clumsiness but miss the anxiety and depression that often follow. The old term dyspraxia is better known than the correct one, which delays identification and support.
• PTSLPOther2021Bone Conduction Vibration Vestibular Evoked Myogenic Potential (VEMP) Testing: Reliability in Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults.Ear and hearingBone conduction vibration testing produced consistent and reliable vestibular responses in children, adolescents, and young adults. The Mini-shaker and impulse hammer achieved the highest response rates, while the B-71 oscillator showed poor reliability for ocular responses in adults.
• PTOTRCT2021Efficacy and safety of abobotulinumtoxinA for upper limb spasticity in children with cerebral palsy: a randomized repeat-treatment study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with cerebral palsy who received 8U/kg or 16U/kg abobotulinumtoxinA plus home exercises and ongoing therapy had greater reduction in elbow or wrist muscle tone at 6 weeks than those given 2U/kg. Function and goal scores improved in all groups, without dose differences.
• PTOTSLPCase Report2021Physical therapist-led swimming lessons for children with cerebral palsy: a report of 2 cases.Journal of physical therapy scienceTwo children with cerebral palsy improved swimming speed and distance after six monthly PT-led lessons. Gross motor function and daily living scores barely changed. Muscle tone increased slightly. The intervention was safe and well-liked, but too small to prove it works.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Diagnostic approach to paediatric movement disorders: a clinical practice guide.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThis guide outlines a step-by-step clinical algorithm for diagnosing paediatric movement disorders. It prioritizes distinguishing normal developmental patterns from pathology, classifying the specific movement phenotype, and ruling out functional disorders before initiating genetic or metabolic testing.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Describing the Delivery of Evidence-Based Physical Therapy Intervention to Individuals With Cerebral Palsy.Pediatric physical therapy : the official publication of the Section on Pediatrics of the American Physical Therapy AssociationTherapists delivered evidence-based interventions in 48% of treatment selections for children with cerebral palsy, but usage dropped for those with the most severe motor impairment. This suggests outpatient therapy may not be reaching the children who need it most, or that effective options for severe cases remain limited.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children with cerebral palsy: high prevalence rates in a population-based study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn a population of children with cerebral palsy, 30% had autism and 30% had ADHD, rates higher than previously reported. Intellectual disability, not motor severity, was the strongest predictor. Screening for these conditions is warranted regardless of physical function.
• PTSLPOther2021Concurrent validity of the Warner Initial Developmental Evaluation of Adaptive and Functional Skills and the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development, Third Edition.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn high-risk infants, WIDEA-FS mobility and communication scores tracked Bayley-III motor and language scores. Low scores can help decide who needs full Bayley testing, but some scores max out too early to tell children apart.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021Factors influencing the participation of children with disabilities in the community.Journal of physical therapy scienceFor children with disabilities, needing medical care at home limits the variety of community activities they can join, while poor motor function limits how often they go. Tube feeding and respiratory care specifically blocked trips, events, and playing with other children.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Weight outcomes in children with developmental disabilities from a multidisciplinary clinic.Research in developmental disabilitiesChildren under 12 with developmental disabilities had better weight outcomes in a multidisciplinary clinic than typically developing peers, with 54% achieving significant improvement at 12 months. Adolescents with disabilities did not show this benefit. Family-led structure appears key for younger children.
• PTOTCohort2021Predictive validity of the Hand Assessment for Infants in infants at risk of unilateral cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe Hand Assessment for Infants accurately predicts unilateral cerebral palsy in at-risk infants, but only from about 3.5 months of age. Scores before this time are too variable to rely on. The single-hand score and asymmetry index perform best.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021School outcomes of adolescents with cerebral palsy in Sweden.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAdolescents with cerebral palsy had significantly lower school grades and were less likely to progress to secondary school or university compared to matched peers. Communication ability was the strongest functional predictor of these poor outcomes, outweighing gross or manual motor skills.
• PTOther2021Reliability of the Cutting Alignment Scoring Tool (CAST) to Assess Trunk and Limb Alignment During a 45-Degree Side-Step Cut.International journal of sports physical therapyThe CAST tool showed good agreement between and within raters for assessing 45-degree side-step cuts in adolescents. Cut width was almost perfectly agreed upon, trunk lean was moderate, but knee valgus scores had only fair agreement.
• PTOTSLPPilot2021Distance support and online intervention to blind and visually impaired children during the pandemic COVID-19.Research in developmental disabilitiesDuring lockdown, blind and visually impaired children received online therapy at home. Parents rated the support highly, with median satisfaction scores of 9/10. Professionals also found it useful but rated it lower than parents, citing difficulty adapting face-to-face methods to a screen.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Motor Impairment Increases in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder as a Function of Social Communication, Cognitive and Functional Impairment, Repetitive Behavior Severity, and Comorbid Diagnoses: A SPARK Study Report.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchIn children with autism, the risk of motor impairment rises alongside social, cognitive, and functional difficulties. The risk also increases with comorbid diagnoses like ADHD or intellectual disability. This suggests motor issues are pervasive and linked to overall severity.
• PTSLPCohort2021Speech-Language Profile Groups in School Aged Children with Cerebral Palsy: Nonverbal Cognition, Receptive Language, Speech Intelligibility, and Motor Function.Developmental neurorehabilitationReceptive language scores largely matched nonverbal cognitive scores in 27 speaking children with cerebral palsy. For most, typical language comprehension suggested typical cognition, and impaired comprehension suggested cognitive impairment. This supports using language tests as a rough proxy when motor issues make cognitive testing difficult.
• PTOTSLPNarrative Review2021Factors influencing access to early intervention for families of children with developmental disabilities: A narrative review.Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities : JARIDAccess to early intervention fails at three stages: parents not recognising need, delayed diagnosis, and barriers to receiving support. Low income, minority ethnicity and female child gender consistently block access. Universal free services and proactive professional responses to parental concerns are the strongest facilitators.
• PTOTSLPCohort2021Influence of socioeconomic status on cognitive outcome after childhood arterial ischemic stroke.Developmental medicine and child neurologySocioeconomic status predicted cognitive outcomes better than stroke severity in 18 children. Each point increase in SES raised perceptual reasoning scores by 15.64 percentile points. Clinical factors like lesion size had weaker effects. Low sample size limits generalizability.
• PTOther2021Comparative Pitching Biomechanics Among Adolescent Baseball Athletes: Are There Fundamental Differences Between Pitchers and Non-pitchers?International journal of sports physical therapyAdolescent pitchers threw faster than non-pitchers but showed similar arm mechanics. Non-pitchers used less trunk rotation and ground force. This suggests non-pitchers may not transfer energy efficiently, potentially increasing upper extremity stress despite similar measured forces.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2021Risk factors in early life for developmental coordination disorder: a scoping review.Developmental medicine and child neurologyPreterm birth and male sex are the strongest early risk factors for developmental coordination disorder. Children born before 32 weeks face a substantially higher risk. Accumulated neonatal complications and brain lesions also increase risk, but most other factors show inconsistent or weak associations.
• PTOther2021Shoulder Rotation Range of Motion and Serve Speed in Adolescent Male Volleyball Athletes: A Cross-Sectional Study.International journal of sports physical therapyIn 57 young male volleyball players, shoulder internal rotation was significantly lower on the serving side, but this stiffness did not predict serve speed. Age and BMI explained serve velocity better than any shoulder range of motion measure.
• PTMeta-Analysis2021Increasing prevalence of cerebral palsy among children and adolescents in China 1988-2020: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of rehabilitation medicineCerebral palsy prevalence in China was 2.07 per 1,000 people and rose continuously from 1988 to 2020, with higher rates in rural areas, males, and birthweight under 2.5 kg.
• PTOther2021Shoulder Rotational Strength Profiles of Danish National Level Badminton Players.International journal of sports physical therapyInjury-free adolescent badminton players had stronger shoulder external rotation than adults on both sides. Adults showed an imbalance with dominant-side internal rotation strength not matched by external rotation. This suggests external rotator weakness may develop with age in overhead athletes.
• PTCase Report2021The Implementation of Therapeutic Alliance in the Rehabilitation of an Elite Pediatric Athlete with Salter-Harris Fracture: A Case Report.International journal of sports physical therapyIn an elite pediatric athlete after knee fracture surgery, a physical therapist used shared goals, honesty about uncertainty, and sport-specific compromise to maintain engagement; he improved knee motion and returned to racing.
• PTSLPOther2021Prevalence of long-term mechanical insufflation-exsufflation in children with neurological conditions: a population-based study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMechanical insufflation-exsufflation is used by 6 per 1000 children with neurological conditions in Norway. It is most common in spinal muscular atrophy, but one-third of devices are used by children with central nervous system conditions, often for prophylaxis.
• PTOTSLPOther2021Concordance of the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System, second and third editions.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRCaregiver ratings on the newer ABAS-3 were consistently higher than on the older ABAS-2, especially for practical skills. This score jump reflects a change in the test version, not actual improvement in the child's abilities. Clinicians should not interpret this increase as clinical progress.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021An international study of public contact with people who have an intellectual disability.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRMost people report little contact with those who have intellectual disability. Those with frequent contact were more comfortable meeting them. Contact was linked to volunteering, Special Olympics involvement, working in health or education, and being a parent. This is descriptive survey data, not evidence that interventions work.
• PTOTRCT2021Corpus Callosum Integrity Relates to Improvement of Upper-Extremity Function Following Intensive Rehabilitation in Children With Unilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy.Neurorehabilitation and neural repairIn children with unilateral cerebral palsy, lower corpus callosum integrity predicted greater bimanual hand function gains after Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT). This association was not seen after Hand-Arm Bimanual Intensive Therapy (HABIT), where all children improved regardless of baseline brain structure.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2021How have youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder managed quarantine derived from COVID-19 pandemic? An approach to families perspectives.Research in developmental disabilitiesParents reported that children with autism were generally happier and calmer during quarantine, with many showing increased autonomy and participation in family routines. However, some children became more irritable or developed new stereotypies, while families missed external support and struggled with work-life balance.