Physical & Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics最新文献

Aim: This study was designed to explore experiences of high school athletes in order to understand their occupational engagement after sustaining a sports-related concussion. The study explored the role occupational therapists (OTs) can play in post-concussion care while supporting adolescents in returning to meaningful occupations.

Methods: The study utilized a qualitative, phenomenological approach by conducting interviews with high school athletes to understand their participation in occupations during recovery. Six student-athletes from 14-18 years of age were interviewed.

Results: The five identified themes from the study included impacts on ADL performance, school performance, sleep, mental health, and driver safety. Student-athletes reported feelings of loneliness and loss of identity. Dressing, showering, grooming, and driving were disturbed due to balance deficits, headaches, and nausea. Participants reported decreased participation in social, sports, and leisure occupations due to heightened symptoms.

Conclusions: Due to the considerable variability of disturbance in occupational participation post-concussion, occupational therapists can assist in creating and implementing individualized treatment plans to support high school athletes while recovering from a sports-related concussion.

Aims: Interdisciplinary collaboration between health and education professionals is one of the principles of inclusive education. This study aimed to describe the practices and service delivery by pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) in schools in Spain.

Methods: Data came from a convenience sample of pediatric OTs recruited through Spanish professional colleges and associations for a web-based survey, mixed-method research study. Thirty-five respondents were excluded because they didn't meet the eligibility criteria. Ninety-two responses were obtained for data analysis. Twenty-nine OTs (31.5%) work in schools (school-OTs), and sixty-three participants (68.5%) don't work there but collaborate with schools (non-school OTs).

Results: Participants support students with and without a medical diagnosis. Services provided by OTs external to the educational system are mainly funded by families or only partially covered. Findings show that most participants use standardized assessments and apply several intervention approaches. They believe there are barriers to the collaboration and implementation of occupational therapy services in schools.

Conclusions: This preliminary study shows a need for changes in Spain's State and Regional Education legislation and provides recommendations to improve school service delivery. Pediatric OTs are encouraged to reflect on and identify opportunities for changes to enhance school-based occupational therapy practice in Spain.

Aim: Systematically determine the effectiveness and users' perceptions of upper extremity (UE) exoskeletons and robot-assisted devices for pediatric rehabilitation.

Methods: PubMed/Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, and Cochrane Library were searched for studies with "exoskeletons"/"robot-assisted devices", children with disabilities, effectiveness data, and English publication. Intervention effectiveness outcomes were classified within components of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health, Children and Youth Version (ICF-CY). Secondary data (users' perceptions; implementation setting) were extracted. Risk of bias and methodological quality were assessed. Descriptive analyses were performed.

Results: Seventy-two articles were included. Most evaluated body structure and function and activity outcomes with less emphasis on participation. Most effects across all ICF-CY levels were positive. Devices were primarily evaluated in clinical or laboratory rather than natural environments. Perceptions about device effectiveness were mostly positive, while those about expression, accessibility, and esthetics were mostly negative. A need for increased rigor in research study design was detected.

Conclusions: Across populations, devices, settings, interventions, and dosing schedules, UE exoskeletons and robot-assisted devices may improve function, activity, and perhaps participation for children with physical disabilities. Future work should transition devices into natural environments, design devices and implementation strategies to address users' negative perceptions, and increase research rigor.

Aims: Information about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is available in different videos on YouTube. However, these videos might present inaccurate or outdated information. The aims of this study were to 1) identify characteristics of Brazilian-Portuguese videos about ASD (i.e., type of content, number of views, likes, and dislikes); 2) analyze the content of informative videos about ASD, by assessing their trustworthiness and overall quality; and 3) investigate the most popular topics of informative videos about ASD over time.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional study that investigated Brazilian-Portuguese ASD content on YouTube. Videos were selected by two examiners and categorized as experiential or informative. The Discern checklist and the Global Quality Score (GQS) were used to analyze the trustworthiness and quality of informative videos.

Results: In total, 216 videos were analyzed, of which 19.5% and 85% were classified as experiential and informative, respectively. The majority of informative videos presented moderate trustworthiness and quality. Videos about ASD clinical aspects were the most popular.

Conclusion: YouTube offers a large number of experiential and informative videos on ASD. However, some of these videos fail to present reliable and additional sources of information for stakeholders. Efforts to promote knowledge translation about ASD on YouTube are necessary.

Aims: Animal-assisted therapy has gained increased attention in occupational therapy. Yet there remains minimal education opportunities available. In addition to supporting student learning, student-led clinics have the potential to provide a valuable, cost-effective health service to the community. This study aimed to explore the potential benefits to the children clients participating in a student-led, canine-assisted occupational therapy pediatric clinic from the perspectives of the students and parents.

Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with nine occupational therapy students, and five parents to describe their experience. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.

Results: Participants emphasized how the presence of the therapy dog supported child engagement within the therapy session. Ways in which participants believed the therapy dog influenced the children's engagement were described within three themes. The first highlighted the importance of the relationship between the children and the therapy dog. The second described how this relationship facilitated a sense of safety within the sessions. The third captured how this sense of safety supported the children's participation within their meaningful occupations.

Conclusions: Parents and students involved in the canine-assisted occupational therapy clinic perceived that canine-assisted therapy was supportive of child engagement in therapy.