Approximately 85% of children with autism spectrum disorder from the SPARK study receiving standard interventions such as speech-language and occupational therapies. In contrast, only 32%-13% of children with autism spectrum disorder received movement therapies such as physical and recreational therapies, respectively. Little is known about how…

The aim of this Swedish study was to explore and describe physiotherapists and occupational therapists' attitudes and understanding of the place of play in habilitation. This was a qualitative study, using semi-structured interviews exploring ten habilitation professional's experiences and attitude towards play. Interviews were analysed using…

Caregiver support is an important contextual factor in the daily functioning of children with cerebral palsy (CP), but few studies have examined child-caregiver interactions during collaborative motor tasks to identify characteristics of effective support that should be promoted in clinical interventions. The aims of this exploratory study were to…

Parents seek sustained intense "hands-on" therapy for their children based on a belief that "more is better." Since the core objective of evidence-based practice (EBP) is to do the right things, for the right child, at the right time, and to optimize intervention outcomes, it is vital to know what the literature says about how much therapy to…

The aim is to describe the development of hand function in young adults with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP), who participated in a 2-week Constraint Induced Movement Therapy (CIMT) camp 6 years earlier. Eleven participants, 16-21 years at follow-up, were assessed at three occasions during 2005 and once in 2011. At the 6-year follow-up, performance…

To increase the rigor of pediatric rehabilitation research, there is a need to evaluate the degree to which an intervention is conducted as planned (i.e., fidelity). Generic fidelity measures evaluate more than one intervention and often include nonspecific attributes of the therapy process common to both interventions. The objective of this study…

Group intervention in pediatric physical and occupational therapy is an alternative to individual intervention allowing the therapist to meet the needs of multiple children at one time. Survey research indicates that approximately 40% to 60% of pediatric physical and occupational therapists use group intervention at least occasionally in practice,…

Content validity and reliability of the Brief Assessment of Motor Function (BAMF) Upper Extremity Gross Motor Scale (UEGMS) were evaluated in this prospective, descriptive study. The UEGMS is one of five BAMF ordinal scales designed for quick documentation of gross, fine, and oral motor skill levels. Designed to be independent of age and…

Since the 1990s the number of children with disabilities placed within the general education classroom has steadily increased. Many of these children are provided special education services under the generic disability title "intellectual disability." Over the past decade, there has been a significant amount of research concerning rare…

This study examined differences by age in service use and associated expenditures during 2005 for Medicaid-enrolled children with autism spectrum disorders. Aging was associated with significantly higher use and costs for restrictive, institution-based care and lower use and costs for community-based therapeutic services. Total expenditures…

A single-group pre- and post-test design was used to evaluate functional outcomes of a constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT) protocol implemented in an outpatient therapy center. The participants were 29 children with hemiplegia, ages 1.6-19.1 years old. The less-involved upper limb was placed in a cast that was worn 24 hr a day, 7 days a…

Pediatric physical and occupational therapists are in the unique position to provide therapeutic and health promotion interventions to children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN) including those with chronic conditions (such as overweight and obesity) in a variety of settings. In this commentary, the authors share their experiences…

Children's developmental problems vary, with some easier to identify than others. The accuracy of caregivers' initial identification of children's developmental problems is important in the timely treatment of those problems by medical professionals. In this study, we investigated the degree to which caregivers' initial identification of…

Objectives: To explore perceptions related to increased utilization of group interventions as a part of the service reorganization within a pediatric rehabilitation program. Methods: Individual interviews with program administrators (n = 13) and focus groups with therapists (n = 19) and parents of children with disabilities (n = 5) were conducted.…

Research on intensity of therapy services is limited and perspectives often vary considerably among families, therapists, administrators, policy makers, and health insurers. In this commentary, the authors share their perspectives on intensity of physical therapy and/or occupational therapy services for children with developmental conditions. Five…