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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 33 OF 39 · NEWEST FIRST

• PTOTSLPCohort2025Seizures in childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy.Developmental medicine and child neurologySeizures occurred in 29% of boys with childhood cerebral adrenoleukodystrophy, linked to higher MRI lesion scores and functional impairment. No seizures occurred with a Loes score under 6. X-ALD should be considered in boys presenting with first-time seizures.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Mobility device use in children with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with cerebral palsy used more mobility devices as they aged, with wheelchair likelihood increasing yearly. Lower-extremity braces were the most common device across all severity levels. Walkers and standers were underused compared to clinical need, suggesting gaps in equipment access rather than prescription.
• PTOTPilot2025Non-invasive assessment of muscle spasticity in children with cerebral palsy undergoing botulinum toxin treatment using near-infrared spectroscopy.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationMuscle oxygenation measured by NIRS rose significantly after botulinum toxin injections in children with cerebral palsy, peaking at 6 to 10 weeks and returning to baseline by 6 months. These changes correlated with reduced spasticity scores, suggesting NIRS could track treatment response.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Parental perspectives on family-centered care in pediatric neurology: An explanatory sequential mixed-methods study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyParents of children with neurological conditions rated respectful care highly but general information poorly. They felt responsible for coordinating care across therapists and schools, often seeking answers online due to gaps. Quality of life scores were lower for older children and families facing access barriers.
• PTOther2026Convergent validity of physical and neurological examination of subtle signs (PANESS) gaits and stations with performance-based and self-reported balance measures.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineIn adolescents, PANESS Gaits and Stations scores did not move with self-reported balance confidence, but they did move with a standard balance test at a moderate level.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2026Parent Perspectives on Water Safety for Children with Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of autistic children described constant vigilance and avoidance of water due to elopement risks and poor danger awareness. They reported that standard swim lessons often fail because instructors lack autism-specific training, sensory-friendly environments, and adaptive communication strategies.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Autism Early Intervention Providers: Their Priorities, Use of Empirically Supported Practices, and Professional Development Needs.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAustralian early intervention providers mostly used evidence-based practices but often mixed them with unsupported ones, especially for sensory needs. Confidence in addressing sensory and motor domains was low, while priority and training interest focused on communication, behavior, and social skills.
• PTOTSLPCase-Control2026Self-perceived fatigue in relation to activity and participation in adolescents and adults with cerebral palsy living in urban South Africa.Journal of pediatric rehabilitation medicineAdolescents and adults with cerebral palsy in urban South Africa reported similar levels of self-perceived fatigue to their typically developing peers. Fatigue was not associated with how accomplished or satisfied they felt in daily activities, challenging assumptions derived from high-income country studies.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2025'I shouldn't have to educate their school about what autism is': Community attitudes and parent reports of autistic primary and secondary school experiences in Australia.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceMost Australians support school adjustments for autistic students, but parents report these are rarely provided. While 90% back staff training and peer education, fewer than 1 in 8 schools deliver them. This gap forces parents to constantly advocate, often resulting in school changes and distress.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025Scoping Review of Socio-Ecological Factors Contributing to Sleep Health Disparities in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Journal of autism and developmental disordersSleep problems in children with autism are linked to anxiety, ADHD, and low family income, not just autism itself. Most research ignores race and poverty, so current guidelines may not fit diverse or underserved families.
• PTCase-Control2025Intersegmental dynamics imbalance in gait impairments of children with spastic hemiplegia: insights from different torque contribution.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationChildren with spastic hemiplegia rely excessively on active muscle contraction rather than passive forces like gravity during walking. This inefficient strategy increases energy cost and rigidity. Rehabilitation should target coordination and passive torque utilization, not just strength.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Autism Spectrum Disorder and Health-Determining Behaviors: Assessing Physical Activity, Screen Time, and Sleep with the National Survey of Children's Health.Journal of autism and developmental disordersAutistic children rarely meet health guidelines, especially for screen time and sleep. Physical activity rates matched peers when measured as daily activity, but autistic children were less likely to be active four or more days a week. Irregular bedtime linked to poorer outcomes.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2026Aligning Perspectives: Autism Identity, Independence, Participation, and Quality of Life in Autistic Adolescents Through Self and Parental Reports.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents underestimate their autistic teen's independence and quality of life compared to the teen's own report. Teens who feel overwhelmed by their diagnosis report lower emotional and social well-being. Assess both perspectives to target support for identity acceptance and daily autonomy.
• PTRCT2025Effect of EMG-activated vibrotactile biofeedback on skill learning in children with genetic and acquired dystonia during point-to-point and cyclic task practice.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationVibration feedback driven by muscle activity helped children and young adults with acquired dystonia perform a continuous figure-8 task better. It did not help a point-to-point spoon task, and those with genetic dystonia showed no benefit.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Respiratory admissions and impact of COVID-19 lockdowns for children with severe cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyLockdowns cut respiratory hospital admissions for children with severe cerebral palsy by nearly half, but admissions surged after restrictions lifted. Viral infections were the main trigger. This suggests community transmission drives these crises more than chronic lung disease alone.
• PTOTSLPOther2025Use of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory - Computer Adaptive Test in Denmark, the Netherlands, and Norway.Developmental medicine and child neurologyThe Danish, Dutch, and Norwegian PEDI-CAT largely match the original US item difficulty, but show structural issues like multidimensionality and local dependency. Scores remain reliable for measuring function and responsibility, though clinicians must interpret results with caution.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Predictors of community participation from preschool to school age in children with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren with cerebral palsy participated far less in their community than at home, and this gap persisted from preschool to school age. Preschoolers rated as having strengths in prosocial behaviour had higher community participation at school age.
• PTOTSLPPilot2025Pilot rural-urban comparison of health care experiences among autistic adolescents and young adults.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceRural autistic young adults faced more barriers to finding providers and getting dental care covered, but reported similar ease of access and provider communication as urban peers. This suggests local resource gaps, not poor care once found.
• PTOTSLPOther2025A core outcome set to assess chronic pain interference and impact on emotional functioning for children and young people with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyConsensus identified 20 tools to assess how chronic pain affects daily life and emotions in children and young people with cerebral palsy, including proxy and observational options for those who cannot self-report.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Inequalities of the Waiting Time for Education Health and Care Plan Provision for Pupils With Intellectual Developmental Disabilities: A Brief Report.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDRChildren with genetic intellectual disabilities from the most deprived areas waited significantly longer for Education, Health and Care Plans than those from the least deprived areas. Waiting times also varied by region and disability type, with specific learning difficulties facing the longest delays regardless of background.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Early detection of infants with neurodevelopmental concerns indicative of cerebral palsy in a lower middle-income country (India).Developmental medicine and child neurologyCommunity health workers in India reliably screened high-risk infants for cerebral palsy using video-based movement assessments. The General Movements Assessment was highly sensitive but prone to false positives. The Hammersmith Infant Neurological Examination offered better overall accuracy. Early detection is feasible in low-resource settings.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Functional Trajectory of Childhood Stroke in the Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationChildren with new stroke improved significantly in self-care, mobility, and cognition during inpatient rehab. However, those needing agitation medication started lower and gained less. Agitation management is a key predictor of functional recovery in this group.
• PTOTSLPSurvey2025Caregiver-reported meaningful change in functional domains for individuals with developmental and epileptic encephalopathy: A convergent mixed-methods design.Developmental medicine and child neurologyParents of children with severe developmental and epileptic encephalopathies prioritized small, functional steps like communicating pain or preferences and achieving independent sitting. These specific changes were valued for reducing frustration and improving daily care, offering a concrete framework for setting realistic therapy goals.
• PTOTCase Report2025A Dual Approach to Rehabilitation of an autoimmune ataxia : A case study involving the Adult-Onset Opsoclonus-Myoclonus-Ataxia Syndrome.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translationA middle-aged man with autoimmune ataxia regained independence after intensive inpatient rehab. He moved from needing two-person assistance to walking alone, with balance scores rising from 25 to 53 out of 56. This describes one person's recovery, not proof that the specific therapies caused it.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Comparing trajectories of sport participation for autistic- and non-autistic-youth: A group-based multi-trajectory modelling approach.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceAutistic children were far less likely to join team sports, with gaps widening as they aged. However, their rates of individual sport participation matched non-autistic peers. This suggests individual sports may be a more accessible entry point for autistic youth.
• PTOTSLPRCT2025Impact of the Akwenda Intervention Program for cerebral palsy on caregiver-perceived burden, stress, and psychosocial functioning: A cluster-randomized trial in Uganda.Developmental medicine and child neurologyCaregivers in a 12-month group program in Uganda reported less burden and better quality of life than those receiving usual care. The program combined training, therapy sessions, and peer support. It is unclear which specific component drove the improvements.
• PTOTCohort2026Motor performance and higher associative cortical networks in adolescents with neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy treated with therapeutic hypothermia.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAdolescents treated with therapeutic hypothermia for neonatal hypoxic-ischaemic encephalopathy showed significantly lower motor performance scores than controls. Brain imaging revealed increased connectivity between motor and attention networks during movement tasks, suggesting the brain works harder to compensate for motor difficulties rather than having a simple structural deficit.
• PTCohort2026Six-minute walk test reference values in ambulatory children with myelomeningocele.Developmental medicine and child neurologyReference walking distances for children with myelomeningocele vary widely by lesion level, from 215 meters for mid-lumbar to 420 meters for sacral lesions. Shorter 1-minute and 2-minute tests strongly predict these results, offering a faster option for busy clinics.
• PTOTRCT2026Modified sports intervention for improving participation goals and activity competence in ambulant children with cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial.Developmental medicine and child neurologyFor ambulant children with cerebral palsy, an 8-week modified sports programme improved parent-set goals for attending and engaging in leisure physical activity more than usual physical therapy. Motor performance goals also improved. However, the programme did not change overall physical activity levels, body functions, or general participation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Sleep in Infants with Down Syndrome or Familial Likelihood of Autism in the First Year of Life.Journal of autism and developmental disordersParents of infants with Down syndrome reported fewer sleep concerns at 6 months despite objective data showing similar sleep patterns to controls. By 12 months, both Down syndrome and autism-likelihood groups showed less night sleep and more waking than controls, though concerns remained lower in Down syndrome.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Synchronous telehealth and face-to-face administration of the Alberta Infant Motor Scale.Developmental medicine and child neurologyTelehealth Alberta Infant Motor Scale scores matched face-to-face scores almost perfectly for 8- and 12-month-olds. Agreement dropped for 4-month-olds. Clinicians can use synchronous telehealth for older infants, saving significant travel time while maintaining accuracy.
• PTOTOther2026Brain creatine concentrations are associated with sex and symptom severity after concussion: a cross-sectional MR-spectroscopy investigation of adolescents with concussion.Brain injuryIn adolescents recovering from concussion, higher brain creatine measured by MRS was linked to fewer symptoms, less mobility trouble and less pain interference. Males had higher creatine than females. This does not show creatine causes recovery.
• PTOTSLPOther2025The Coexistence of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Positive Childhood Experiences, and Parent-reported Attention-deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Severity: National Survey of Children's Health.Journal of developmental and behavioral pediatrics : JDBPChildren with high adverse experiences and low positive supports had 2.2 times the odds of severe parent-reported ADHD compared to those with low adversity and high supports. Adverse and positive experiences do not operate independently; they cluster in ways that predict symptom severity.
• PTSLPNarrative Review2025Foetal disruptive brain injuries: Diagnosing the underlying pathogenetic mechanisms with cranial ultrasonography.Developmental medicine and child neurologyCranial ultrasound patterns can help separate foetal brain injury causes, such as haemorrhage, stroke, infection, genetic or metabolic disease. Recognising the pattern guides cause testing and counselling, not treatment efficacy.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Incidence of developmental disorders and special educational needs and disabilities in children in the UK.Developmental medicine and child neurologyChildren born even one or two weeks before full term face higher odds of developmental disorders and special educational needs. This risk persists after accounting for deprivation and ethnicity, suggesting early term birth is not harmless.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Age at onset and gene variants predict lifespan and disease duration in childhood neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn children with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses, the age at which symptoms first appear strongly predicts how long the patient lives. Later onset meant significantly longer survival and disease duration, while early onset led to rapid decline. Genetic variant severity did not consistently predict this timeline.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Neurological diagnoses in children potentially fulfilling the criteria for developmental coordination disorder.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn children suspected of developmental coordination disorder, neurological exam alone was unreliable for ruling out other conditions. Thirty-eight percent received an alternative diagnosis, with genetic disorders identified in over half of these cases. Clinicians should consider referring for further investigation when motor signs are atypical or progressive.
• PTOTSLPCohort2025Benign External Hydrocephalus in a Subgroup of Autistic Children Prior to Autism Diagnosis.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism ResearchA subgroup of autistic children under two years old had benign external hydrocephalus and enlarged extra-axial cerebrospinal fluid. This pattern was rare in controls and resolved by age four. These findings suggest a specific early brain development issue in some autistic children.
• PTOTSystematic Review2025Conductive Education for Children With Cerebral Palsy: A Systematic Review of Outcomes, Practice Time and Motor Performance Assessment.Child: care, health and developmentConductive education studies reported mixed motor outcomes in children with cerebral palsy: some showed gains, others did not, and the review could not combine the results.
• PTCohort2026Orthopedic surgery after selective dorsal rhizotomy in children with cerebral palsy: A matched cohort study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyAmong matched limbs in children with spastic cerebral palsy, selective dorsal rhizotomy was followed by fewer rectus femoris transfers and more bony foot and femoral derotation surgeries. It did not meaningfully reduce later muscle contracture or crouch gait surgeries.
• PTOTSLPOther2026Online Health Literacy Resources for People With Intellectual Disability: A Grey Literature Scoping Review.Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDROnline health resources for people with intellectual disability mostly cover tests and physical health but lack content for young people's mental health, sexual health, and men's health. While most use accessible language, very few help users evaluate or apply the information.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Brain lesion extent, growth, and body composition in children with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyGreater brain lesion extent in children with cerebral palsy predicted shorter stature and lower weight, but not differences in body composition. Gross motor function level, not lesion size, drove fat and muscle changes. Children with high GMFCS levels gained excessive fat mass despite similar weight to peers.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Effectiveness and safety of abobotulinumtoxinA in pediatric lower limb spasticity: A phase IV, prospective, observational, multicenter study.Developmental medicine and child neurologyIn children with lower limb spasticity, abobotulinumtoxinA helped most patients reach their specific functional goals. Goal achievement remained high through eight injection cycles, with ambulatory patients doing better than non-ambulatory ones.
• PTOther2026Selective Control Assessment of the Lower Extremity for Infants and Toddlers (Mini-SCALE): Development and validation of a clinical assessment.Developmental medicine and child neurologyMini-SCALE scores matched gross motor skill levels and separated typical development from CP or CP risk. The hip item is unreliable under 9 months, so cap total scores at 8 points for that age group.
• PTOTSLPSystematic Review2025What are we targeting when we support inclusive education for autistic students? A systematic review of 233 empirical studies and call for community partnerships.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceResearch on inclusive education for autistic students overwhelmingly targets child skills, not environment. Social skills interventions were most common, while physical and sensory adaptations were rare. This gap limits true inclusion, as schools often fail to adjust the setting to support participation.
• PTOTSLPCohort2026Predictive associations between brain functional connectivity, motor abilities, and executive function development in early childhood: a longitudinal machine learning study.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationBrain connectivity patterns in healthy 3 to 6 year olds predicted their motor and cognitive development over 12 months. Sensorimotor network maturation was the strongest predictor for motor skills, while attention and default mode networks best predicted executive function.
• PTOTOther2026Longitudinal reference centiles for the Gross Motor Function Measure-66 in children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.Developmental medicine and child neurologyNew reference centiles allow therapists to judge if a child's gross motor gain over six months is clinically meaningful. They extend assessment to adolescents up to 18 years and show high agreement with previous methods for detecting both improvement and deterioration.
• PTOTOther2025Healthy Lifestyle Matters: A Network Analysis of Urban Chinese Pre-School Children's Adiposity, Sleep Health, Mental Health, Child Functioning and Health Behaviours.Child: care, health and developmentAge was the strongest linked factor in urban Chinese preschoolers, linking motor coordination, executive function, and activity. It was not linked to mental health. Girls had less activity and more emotional problems, but overall patterns of relationships did not differ by sex.
• PTOther2026Development and clinical validation of a stroke-specific Gait Deviation Index.Journal of neuroengineering and rehabilitationA stroke-specific gait score fit observed gait curves better than the standard GDI, but both scores were similar and their links to clinical impairment and walking speed were weak. This is not evidence it changes rehabilitation outcomes.
• PTOTSLPQualitative2025Navigating family messaging: Qualitative experiences of Black caregivers of children with autism.Autism : the international journal of research and practiceBlack caregivers of autistic children described family messages ranging from denial and blame to supportive acceptance. Denial often manifested as treating the child as neurotypical, which caregivers noted could inadvertently minimize their need for specific accommodations and support.