Recent Chan Publications
Consistent with the Division's ongoing pursuit of innovation and production of knowledge, Chan faculty, staff, and PhD students work at the cutting-edge of their respective fields of expertise. In addition to doing funded research, members of the Chan division generate written publications which contribute to the scholarship of their fields. Peer-reviewed publications authored or co-authored by Chan faculty, staff and PhD students from the last three years are listed below using the American Psychological Association's citation style.
2019
Book Chapters
Pitts, D. B. (2019). The home environment: Permanent supportive housing. In C. Brown, V. C. Stoffel, & J. P. Muñoz (Eds.), Occupational therapy in mental health: A vision for participation (2nd ed., pp. 554-572). Philadelphia, PA: F. A. Davis.
Lawlor, M. C., & Mattingly, C. (2019). Family perspectives on occupation, health, and disability. In B. A. B. Schell & G. Gillen (Eds.), Willard & Spackman's occupational therapy (13th ed., pp. 196-211). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Fazio, L. S. (2019). Consulting as an occupational therapy practitioner. In B. A. B. Schell & G. Gillen (Eds.), Willard & Spackman's occupational therapy (13th ed., pp. 1156-1170). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Roberts, P. S., & Evenson, M. E. (2019). Continuum of care. In B. A. B. Schell & G. Gillen (Eds.), Willard & Spackman's occupational therapy (13th ed., pp. 994-1010). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Phipps, S., & Coppola, S. (2019). Occupational therapy professional organizations. In B. A. B. Schell & G. Gillen (Eds.), Willard & Spackman's occupational therapy (13th ed., pp. 71-83). Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer.
Roll, S. C. (2019). Workers’ compensation. In K. Jacobs (Ed.), Occupational Therapy Manager (6th ed.). Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press.
Smith, J. R., Raney, M. R., & Pineda, R. (2019). Developmental care. In L. Jain & G. K. Suresh (Eds.), Clinical guidelines in neonatology (pp. 577-586). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education.
Monaghan, M., Pyatak, E. A., & Raymond, J. (2019). Transition considerations for youth-onset diabetes (Type 1 and Type 2). In S. Lyons & M. Hilliard (Eds.), Transitioning from pediatric to adult care in endocrinology (pp. 117-137). Cham, Switzerland: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-05045-0_6 Show abstract
Type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes are prevalent endocrine conditions, with over 25,000 youth newly diagnosed with diabetes each year. Late adolescence and young adulthood is a particularly risky time for youth with diabetes. In addition to the normative challenges experienced during this developmental period, most youth with diabetes also must transfer from pediatric to adult health care. This chapter reviews key developmental and psychosocial considerations that may influence diabetes management and evidence-based guidelines informing the treatment of transition-aged youth with type 1 diabetes or type 2 diabetes. Specific recommendations to support transition efforts at the patient, provider, and health-care system levels are presented, and key resources to facilitate developmentally tailored, continuous care for youth with diabetes are highlighted.
Keywords. Type 1 diabetes, Type 2 diabetes, Transition to adult care, Health-care delivery, Adolescents, Young adults, Psychosocial screening, Adolescent development
Rybski, M. F., Rafeedie, S., & Baumgarten, J. (2019). Kinesiology concepts. In M. Rybski (Ed.), Kinesiology for occupational therapy (3rd ed., pp. 17-35). Thorofare, NJ: Slack Incorporated.
Journal Articles
Kirby, A. V., Williams, K. L., Watson, L. R., Sideris, J., Bulluck, J., & Baranek, G. T. (2019). Sensory features and family functioning in families of children with autism and developmental disabilities: Longitudinal associations. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(2), 7302205040p1-7302205040p14. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.027391 Show abstract
IMPORTANCE: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD) commonly display unusual responses to sensory input. Previous work has suggested concurrent associations linking sensory features with aspects of family functioning, including activity participation and caregiver strain. What is unknown, however, is the extent to which sensory features affect family functioning over time, as well as the influence of received services on these relationships.
OBJECTIVE: To assess hypothesized longitudinal associations between sensory features and family functioning and examine interactions by group and service usage (i.e., educational and therapy services).
DESIGN: Multigroup longitudinal observational study.
SETTING: Community.
PARTICIPANTS: A volunteer sample of 81 children (50 with ASD, 31 with DD; 76% male), ages 2-12 yr, and their caregivers participated in assessments at two points, 3.3 yr apart on average.
OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Key measures included the Sensory Experiences Questionnaire, Sensory Profile, Sensory Processing Assessment for Young Children, Tactile Defensiveness and Discrimination Test-Revised, Caregiver Strain Questionnaire, and Home and Community Activities Scale. We also measured the amount of time children received educational and therapy services.
RESULTS: Regression analyses confirmed long-term associations linking sensory features with aspects of activity participation and caregiver strain in this population; group and service usage interactions were also identified.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Sensory features can affect the everyday experiences of both children and caregivers. It is important for practitioners to understand the potentially enduring effects of children's sensory features on family functioning so as to begin to identify supportive interventions with more optimal long-term effects.
Jordan, K. (2019). Occupational therapy in primary care: Positioned and prepared to be a vital part of the team [Editorial]. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(5), 7305170010p1-7305170010p6. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.735002 Show abstract
Reilly’s (1962) now deeply cherished statement that “man, through the use of his hands, as they are energized by mind and will, can influence the state of his own health” (p. 1) was followed a few years later with a question to current and future occupational therapy practitioners. In 1966, Reilly asked how the profession would respond to the challenges of an expanding knowledge base, accelerating health care costs, and escalating regulatory burden. Visionary Wilma West, a contemporary of Reilly’s, expanded on these themes by focusing on ways occupational therapy practitioners could leverage the breadth and depth of their practice to confront these challenges. These issues are now paramount in the primary care arena. An expanding body of literature, including the articles in a special section in this issue of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy, supports occupational therapy’s role as a vital part of the solution to contemporary health care challenges. Occupational therapy practitioners are educationally prepared and successfully poised through policy to engage in evidence-based practice in the primary care environment.
Ting, A., & Rocker, J. (2019). Evaluation and treatment of musicians from a holistic perspective. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 7(4), 1-10. https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1581 Show abstract
Throughout the past 3 decades, treatment of injured musicians in a health care setting has been reported; however, the quality of care from a musician’s standpoint is poor. As musicians are speaking up more about their pain, the profession of occupational therapy has the capacity to make an impact on the way musicians are treated from a rehabilitative perspective. Musicians often do not trust medical practitioners who follow the traditional medical model because their symptoms and concerns are not addressed. Occupational therapists, especially those working in the realm of hand rehabilitation, are well equipped to treat injured musicians using our unique activity analysis skills and holistic frame of reference; the goal is to return them back to their prior levels of playing. To support the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process’s vision, this article discusses evaluation and treatment of the unique musician emphasizing the musician’s point of view through an occupation-based, client-centered, and evidence-based practice.
Henwood, B. F., Rhoades, H., Lahey, J., Pynoos, J., Pitts, D. B., & Brown, R. T. (2019). Examining fall risk among formerly homeless older adults living in permanent supportive housing. Health and Social Care in the Community. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.12915 Show abstract
Although permanent supportive housing (PSH) has been credited with a decline in the number of chronically homeless adults in the United States since 2007, the extent to which PSH can accommodate the needs of a prematurely aging population, including reducing the likelihood of falls, is unclear. The objective of this study is to examine the prevalence and correlates of falls with a sample of 237 tenants (45‐ to 80‐year olds) from two PSH programmes in Los Angeles from 1 January 2017 to 10 August 2017. We also explore the location and severity of fall‐related injury using a subsample of 66 tenants. Standard surveys queried demographics, health status, history of homelessness and falls. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the correlates of falling in the past year. More than half of the sample had fallen and more than 40% had multiple falls in the past year. Functional impairment, frailty and persistent pain were all associated with increased fall risk. For the 66 tenants who provided more detailed fall information, more than 40% fell at home and of those nearly half fell in their bathroom. Fall‐related injuries were common, with more than one‐third of the subsample experiencing serious injury. These findings suggest that fall prevention is needed in PSH but that more research is needed to understand the degree to which individual and environmental risk factors are contributing to falls.
Harris, M. B., Rafeedie, S., McArthur, D., Babikian, T., Snyder, A., Polster, D., & Giza, C. (2019). Addition of occupational therapy to an interdisciplinary concussion clinic improves identification of functional impairments. Journal of Head Trauma Rehabilitation, 34(6), 425-432. https://doi.org/10.1097/HTR.0000000000000544 Show abstract
Background. Concussions, or mild traumatic brain injuries, are prevalent among youth and young adults. These injuries may disrupt a person's daily activities (occupations) including school, physical activity, work, and socialization. Rehabilitation professionals, such as occupational therapists (OTs), are experts in providing individualized intervention to address these temporary life changes during recovery.
Objective. This article aims to identify the benefit of having an occupational therapy practitioner on an interdisciplinary treatment team when providing intervention to patients with concussion.
Setting. Concussion clinic at an academic institution.
Participants. Participants ages 12 to 24 years with a reported history of mild traumatic brain injury or concussion were evaluated by a physician, or by a physician and OT, in an initial evaluation appointment.
Design. A single researcher (OT) with training in concussion qualitatively compared reported impacted occupational domains as defined in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, using both a retrospective and a prospective cohort. The prospective group differed from the retrospective group in that an OT was present, and participated in the initial evaluation.
Results. The domains of performance patterns (P = .007) and performance skills (P ≤ .001) were identified significantly more often when an occupational therapy practitioner participated in the initial evaluation.
Conclusions. Rehabilitation professionals, such as OTs, play an important role in identifying impacted domains after a concussion, which can help optimize patient care.
Pineda, R., Roussin, J., Heiny, E., & Smith, J. (2019). Health care professionals' perceptions about sensory-based interventions in the NICU. American Journal of Perinatology, 36(12), 1229-1236. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1676536 Show abstract
Objective. The main objective of this article is to define perceptions of health care professionals regarding current use of sensory-based interventions in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
Study Design. A multidisciplinary group of NICU health care professionals (n = 108) defined the types of sensory-based interventions used in their NICU, the postmenstrual age (PMA) sensory-based interventions are administered, conditions under which sensory-based interventions are used, and personnel who administer sensory-based interventions.
Results. The most commonly reported tactile intervention was infant holding (88% of respondents), the most common auditory intervention was recorded music/singing (69% of respondents), the most common kinesthetic intervention was occupational and physical therapy (85% of respondents), and the most common vestibular intervention was infant swings (86% of respondents). Tactile interventions were initiated most often at 24 to 26 weeks PMA (74% of respondents), auditory interventions at 30 to 32 weeks (60% of respondents), kinesthetic interventions at 30 to 32 weeks (76% of respondents), vestibular interventions at 33 to 34 weeks (86% of respondents), and visual interventions at 32 to 36 weeks (72% of respondents). Conditions under which sensory-based interventions were administered, and personnel who provided them, varied across settings.
Conclusion. Varied use of sensory-based interventions in the NICU were reported. While this study was limited by biased sampling and the identification of health care professionals' perceptions but not real-world practice, this information can be used to build a comprehensive approach to positive sensory exposures in the NICU.
Liszka, L., Smith, J., Mathur, A., Schlaggar, B. L., Colditz, G., & Pineda, R. (2019). Differences in early auditory exposure across neonatal environments. Early Human Development, 136, 27-32. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.07.001 Show abstract
Background. To date, no study has compared preterm and full term auditory environments.
Aim. To define differences in auditory exposure for preterm infants at term equivalent age in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) compared to auditory exposure in hospital rooms on a labor and delivery ward after full term birth.
Study design. Ninety-eight infants (48 preterm infants born 28 weeks gestation in the NICU at term equivalent age and 50 full term infants in a hospital room on the labor and delivery ward within 4 days of birth) had auditory exposure measured over a single 16-hour period using the Language Environment Acquisition (LENA) device.
Results. More language (p < 0.001) was observed on the labor and delivery ward than in the NICU, with an average of 3.3 h more language in a 16-hour period and an average of 14,110 more words spoken around infants in a 16-hour period on the labor and delivery ward (p < 0.001). More electronic sounds were observed in the NICU, with an average of 2.3 h more in the 16-hour period (p < 0.001). The average decibel level in the NICU was lower than in the hospital rooms on the labor and delivery ward (57.16 ± 2.30 dB, compared to 63.31 ± 2.22 dB; p < 0.001).
Conclusion. The NICU auditory environment for preterm infants is different than the auditory environment for full term infants, with less language, more electronic sounds, and quieter stimuli. This understanding can aid in developing appropriate interventions that enhance positive forms of auditory exposures.
Pyatak, E. A., Carlson, M., Vigen, C. L., Blanchard, J., Schepens Niemiec, S., Sideris, J., & Baranek, G. T. (2019). Contextualizing the positive effects of the Well Elderly 2 trial: A response to Schelly and Ohl (2019). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73, 7306205100. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.038752 Show abstract
IMPORTANCE: A recent reanalysis of data from the Well Elderly (WE) 2 study purportedly indicated that the intervention did not achieve clinically meaningful or statistically significant effects; this article addresses these criticisms.
OBJECTIVE: To contextualize the WE 2 study as targeting a nonclinical population and demonstrate that the intervention produced substantively important, statistically significant effects.
DESIGN: Secondary analysis of WE 2 intervention-based pre–post change scores.
SETTING: The original trial occurred primarily in senior centers and senior housing facilities in greater Los Angeles.
PARTICIPANTS: Independent-living older adults (N = 324) who were assessed before and after intervention.
INTERVENTION: The WE intervention, a version of the Lifestyle Redesign® (LR) approach, was administered by occupational therapists over 6 mo by means of group and individual sessions.
OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The 36-item Short Form Health Survey, the Life Satisfaction Index–Z, and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.
RESULTS: The WE intervention was associated with statistically significant improvement on 10 of 12 outcome variables that were examined.
CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: Because the WE intervention was hypothesized to reduce age-related decline and followed a population-oriented approach, the expectation that average results would be clinically meaningful was inappropriate. The intervention produced positive effects across a wide array of outcome domains. In settings in which clinical meaningfulness is an appropriate index of intervention outcomes, evidence suggests that LR produces effects that are clinically meaningful. As an evidence-based intervention, LR should be considered useful both in population-oriented contexts and in addressing discrete health conditions.
WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS: Valid analyses demonstrate that the positive experimental effects of the WE 2 study are, in fact, genuine and cost-effective, and LR in clinically oriented contexts has produced statistically significant, clinically meaningful results. Clearly and accurately representing the evidence base of occupational therapy in prevention and chronic care is of critical importance to advance the field as a whole.
Kim, H., Irimia, A., Hobel, S. M., Pogosyan, M., Tang, H., Petrosyan, P., Esquivel, R., Blanco, C., Duffy, B. A., Zhao, L., Crawford, K. L., Liew, S.-L., Clark, K., Law, M., Mukherjee, P., Manley, G. T., Van Horn, J. D., & Toga, A. W. (2019). The LONI QC System: A semi-automated, web-based and freely-available environment for the comprehensive quality control of neuroimaging data. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 13, 60. https://doi.org/10.3389/fninf.2019.00060 Show abstract
Quantifying, controlling, and monitoring image quality is an essential prerequisite for ensuring the validity and reproducibility of many types of neuroimaging data analyses. Implementation of quality control (QC) procedures is the key to ensuring that neuroimaging data are of high-quality and their validity in the subsequent analyses. We introduce the QC system of the Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI): a web-based system featuring a workflow for the assessment of various modality and contrast brain imaging data. The design allows users to anonymously upload imaging data to the LONI-QC system. It then computes an exhaustive set of QC metrics which aids users to perform a standardized QC by generating a range of scalar and vector statistics. These procedures are performed in parallel using a large compute cluster. Finally, the system offers an automated QC procedure for structural MRI, which can flag each QC metric as being ‘good’ or ‘bad.’ Validation using various sets of data acquired from a single scanner and from multiple sites demonstrated the reproducibility of our QC metrics, and the sensitivity and specificity of the proposed Auto QC to ‘bad’ quality images in comparison to visual inspection. To the best of our knowledge, LONI-QC is the first online QC system that uniquely supports the variety of functionality where we compute numerous QC metrics and perform visual/automated image QC of multi-contrast and multi-modal brain imaging data. The LONI-QC system has been used to assess the quality of large neuroimaging datasets acquired as part of various multi-site studies such as the Transforming Research and Clinical Knowledge in Traumatic Brain Injury (TRACK-TBI) Study and the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). LONI-QC’s functionality is freely available to users worldwide and its adoption by imaging researchers is likely to contribute substantially to upholding high standards of brain image data quality and to implementing these standards across the neuroimaging community.
Katz Zetler, N., Cermak, S. A., Engel-Yeger, B., & Gal, E. (2019). Somatosensory discrimination in people with autism spectrum disorder: A scoping review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(5), 7305205010p1-7305205010p14. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.029728 Show abstract
Importance. Sensory symptoms in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are commonly reported by researchers. However, an often overlooked sensory aspect of ASD is sensory discrimination in general, and somatosensory discrimination in particular.
Objective. To examine what has and what has not yet been learned concerning the somatosensory discrimination abilities of people with ASD and to reveal gaps warranting further research.
Design. Scoping review of clinical studies published 1995–2017 located through searches of PsycNET, PubMed, ERIC, and Google Scholar. Inclusion criteria were English-language peer-reviewed studies with (1) participants diagnosed with ASD, (2) a specific somatosensory discrimination measure, and (3) a comparison group. No age or intellectual exclusion criteria were established; studies were excluded if they were theoretical or descriptive, did not incorporate a control group, focused only on neurology or genetics, or used simple threshold detection measures or somatosensory measures integrated with other measures. The final search yielded 12 comparative articles discussing tactile and proprioceptive discrimination in people with ASD.
Results. Overall, most results showed atypical somatosensory discrimination in people with ASD, especially among young children. The relationship between sensory discrimination abilities and other sensory symptoms and ASD symptoms is briefly discussed.
Conclusions and Relevance. Heterogeneous findings concerning somatosensory discrimination in people with ASD shed light on underlying mechanisms of these disorders and can contribute to improvement of occupational therapy intervention for this population.
What This Article Adds. The occupational therapy evaluation of people with ASD can benefit from addressing somatosensory discrimination and its contribution to other clinical symptoms. This type of assessment can help improve intervention strategies for people with ASD by promoting a focus on the effect of discrimination deficits on daily function.
Clubbs, B., Barnette, A., Gray, N., Weiner, L., Bond, A., Harden, J., & Pineda, R. (2019). A community hospital NICU developmental care partner program: Feasibility and association with decreased nurse burnout without increased infant infection rates. Advances in Neonatal Care, 19(4), 311-320. https://doi.org/10.1097/ANC.0000000000000600 Show abstract
Background. Volunteers can provide staff-directed sensory inputs to infants hospitalized in the NICU, but research on volunteer programs is limited.
Purpose. To evaluate the feasibility of a developmental care partner (DCP) program in a level III NICU and determine its relationship with provider burnout and infant infection rates.
Methods. DCPs were trained to provide sensory input to infants, based on the behavioral cues observed by the occupational therapists and nursing staff, in medically stable infants. Feasibility was assessed by documenting the process of training and utilizing volunteers, as well as tracking duration and frequency of DCP visits. Staff burnout measures were assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory Human Services Survey (MBI-HSS) before and after implementation. Infant infection rates before and after the introduction of volunteers were compared.
Results. Seventy-two volunteers were interested, and 25 (35%) completed the DCP competencies and provided sensory exposures to 54 neonates, who were visited an average of 8 times (range 1-15). Twelve (48%) DCPs did once-per-week visits, and 9 (36%) did at least 50 contact hours. MBI-HSS scores for staff emotional exhaustion (P < .001) and depersonalization (P < .006) were lower after DCP implementation. There were no differences in infant infection rates before and after DCP implementation (Fisher exact P = 1.000).
Implications for Practice. Volunteer-based DCP programs may be feasible to implement in community hospitals and could help reduce staff emotional exhaustion and depersonalization without increasing the incidence of infant infections.
Implications for Research. Future research on NICU volunteer programs with larger sample sizes and different infant populations is warranted.
Wang, Y., Juliano, J. M., Liew, S.-L., McKinney, A. M., & Payabvash, S. (2019). Stroke atlas of the brain: Voxel-wise density-based clustering of infarct lesions topographic distribution. NeuroImage: Clinical, 24, 101981. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2019.101981 Show abstract
Objective. The supply territories of main cerebral arteries are predominantly identified based on distribution of infarct lesions in patients with large arterial occlusion; whereas, there is no consensus atlas regarding the supply territories of smaller end-arteries. In this study, we applied a data-driven approach to construct a stroke atlas of the brain using hierarchical density clustering in large number of infarct lesions, assuming that voxels/regions supplied by a common end-artery tend to infarct together.
Methods. A total of 793 infarct lesions on MRI scans of 458 patients were segmented and coregistered to MNI-152 standard brain space. Applying a voxel-wise data-driven hierarchical density clustering algorithm, we identified those voxels that were most likely to be part of same infarct lesions in our dataset. A step-wise clustering scheme was applied, where the clustering threshold was gradually decreased to form the first 20 mother (>50 cm3) or main (1–50 cm3) clusters in addition to any possible number of tiny clusters (<1 cm3); and then, any resultant mother clusters were iteratively subdivided using the same scheme. Also, in a randomly selected 2/3 subset of our cohort, a bootstrapping cluster analysis with 100 permutations was performed to assess the statistical robustness of proposed clusters.
Results. Approximately 91% of the MNI-152 brain mask was covered by 793 infarct lesions across patients. The covered area of brain was parcellated into 4 mother, 16 main, and 123 tiny clusters at the first hierarchy level. Upon iterative clustering subdivision of mother clusters, the brain tissue was eventually parcellated into 1 mother cluster (62.6 cm3), 181 main clusters (total volume 1107.3 cm3), and 917 tiny clusters (total volume of 264.8 cm3). In bootstrap analysis, only 0.12% of voxels, were labelled as “unstable” — with a greater reachability distance in cluster scheme compared to their corresponding mean bootstrapped reachability distance. On visual assessment, the mother/main clusters were formed along supply territories of main cerebral arteries at initial hierarchical levels, and then tiny clusters emerged in deep white matter and gray matter nuclei prone to small vessel ischemic infarcts.
Conclusions. Applying voxel-wise data-driven hierarchical density clustering on a large number of infarct lesions, we have parcellated the brain tissue into clusters of voxels that tend to be part of same infarct lesion, and presumably representing end-arterial supply territories. This hierarchical stroke atlas of the brain is shared publicly, and can potentially be applied for future infarct location-outcome analysis.
Carpenter, K., Baranek, G. T., Copeland, W. E., Compton, S., Zucker, N., Dawson, G., & Egger, H. L. (2019). Sensory over-responsivity: An early risk factor for anxiety and behavioral challenges in young children. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology, 47, 1075-1088. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10802-018-0502-y Show abstract
Anxiety disorders are prevalent and significantly impact young children and their families. One hypothesized risk factor for anxiety is heightened responses to sensory input. Few studies have explored this hypothesis prospectively. This study had two goals: (1) examine whether sensory over-responsivity is predictive of the development of anxiety in a large prospective sample of children, and (2) identify whether anxiety mediates the relationship between sensory over-responsivity and behavioral challenges. Children's sensory and anxiety symptoms were assessed in a community sample of 917 at 2-5 and again in 191 of these children at 6 years old. Parents also reported on a number of additional behavioral challenges previously found to be associated with both sensory over-responsivity and anxiety separately: irritability, food selectivity, sleep problems, and gastrointestinal problems. Forty three percent of preschool children with sensory over-responsivity also had a concurrent impairing anxiety disorder. Preschool sensory over-responsivity symptoms significantly and positively predicted anxiety symptoms at age six. This relationship was both specific and unidirectional. Finally, school-age anxiety symptoms mediated the relationship between preschool sensory over-responsivity symptoms and both irritability and sleep problems at school-age. These results suggest sensory over-responsivity is a risk factor for anxiety disorders. Furthermore, children who have symptoms of sensory over-responsivity as preschoolers have higher levels of anxiety symptoms at school-age, which in turn is associated with increased levels of school-age behavioral challenges.
Jordan, K. (2019). Capsule commentary on Bowling et al., prevalence of activity limitations and association with multimorbidity among US adults 50 to 64 years old [Capsule commentary]. Journal of General Internal Medicine. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-019-05297-9
Stein Duker, L. I., Kim, H. K., Pomponio, A., Mosqueda, L., & Pfeiffer, B. (2019). Examining primary care health encounters for adults with autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(5), 7305185030p1-7305185030p11. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.037226 Show abstract
Objective. Our objective was to identify perceived barriers and strategies to improve primary care encounters, as reported by adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), caregivers of adults with ASD, and primary care providers (PCPs) treating adults with ASD.
Method. As part of a larger mixed-methods design, adults with ASD, caregivers, and PCPs (N = 78) in Los Angeles and Philadelphia completed surveys examining barriers to care and strategies to improve care.
Results. Multiple barriers to care were reported by adults with ASD and caregivers, including communication and sensory challenges. Adults with ASD and caregivers reported minimal use of strategies during primary care visits but indicated that those used were helpful during care. Expert PCPs reported using strategies more frequently than novice PCPs. All respondent groups endorsed that strategies had the potential to improve care in the future for adults with ASD.
Conclusion. Opportunities exist for occupational therapy collaboration in primary health care and primary care education to improve care for adults with ASD.
Pyatak, E., King, M., Vigen, C. L., Salazar, E., Díaz, J., Schepens Niemiec, S. L., Blanchard, J., Jordan, K., Banerjee, J., & Shukla, J. (2019). Addressing diabetes in primary care: Hybrid effectiveness–implementation study of Lifestyle Redesign® occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(5), 7305185020p1-7305185020p12. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.037317 Show abstract
Importance. Primary health care is rapidly developing as an occupational therapy practice area. Yet, to date, little evidence supports occupational therapy’s feasibility and efficacy in primary care settings.
Objective. To report on the implementation and preliminary clinical outcomes of a Lifestyle Redesign® (LR)–occupational therapy (LR–OT) diabetes management intervention in a primary care clinic.
Design. Patients were randomized to be offered LR–OT or to a no-contact comparison group (data not reported). We assessed implementation outcomes using mixed methods.
Setting. Safety-net primary care clinic.
Participants. Clinic providers and staff; English- or Spanish-speaking clinic patients ages 18–75 yr with diabetes and a current hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) ≥ 9.0%.
Intervention. Eight 1-hr individual sessions of LR–OT focused on diabetes management.
Outcomes and Measures. Clinical and health behavior outcomes were assessed via electronic medical record (EMR) review and self-report surveys of patients receiving LR–OT at initial evaluation and discharge. We assessed implementation outcomes (acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, efficiency, and timeliness) using patient and staff surveys, interviews, focus groups, and observations.
Results. Seventy-three patients were offered LR–OT: 51 completed one or more sessions, and 38 completed the program. Clinical outcomes among program completers indicate beneficial changes in HbA1c, diabetes self-care, and health status. Implementation challenges included a need for patient and staff education, securing adequate workspace, and establishing a referral process. Factors contributing to implementation success included strong buy-in from clinic leadership, colocation, and shared EMR documentation.
Conclusions and Relevance. LR–OT is a feasible approach to enhancing service delivery and clinical outcomes in primary care.
What This Article Adds. This study provides insight into factors that may create challenges or contribute to the success of implementing occupational therapy services within primary health care settings. In addition, this study provides preliminary evidence of occupational therapy’s effectiveness in improving clinical outcomes among ethnically diverse, low-income patients with diabetes in a safety-net primary care setting.
Floríndez, L. I., Floríndez, D. C., Floríndez, F. M., Como, D. H., Pyatak, E., Baezconde-Garbanati, L., Polido, J. C., & Cermak, S. A. (2019). Oral care experiences of Latino parents/caregivers with children with autism and with typically developing children. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(16), 2905. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16162905 Show abstract
As a result of various barriers, several pediatric populations are at risk for poor oral health, including children with disabilities and children from under-represented populations, such as Latinos. To this end, this study aimed to better understand the factors that affect the oral health experiences of 32 Latino parents/caregivers from 18 families (n = 8 with a typically developing child and n = 10 with a child with Autism). Using a qualitative descriptive methodology, each family was interviewed twice. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and coded thematically to identify the individual, social, systemic, and culturally rooted factors contributing to oral health disparities in the families. The three themes that arose were “Why would I want to start trouble?”: Latino parents’ dissatisfaction with dental treatments, costs, and fear of the dentist and health care providers because of their ethnic minority status as key factors inhibiting receipt of dental care; “We have to put our children first”: prioritizing the oral care activities of their children over their own individual oral care needs; and “We always keep baking soda around”: familial and cultural influences on oral care habits. Understanding the oral health beliefs and experiences of Latino parents and caregivers of children with and without autism is critical for developing targeted prevention and intervention programs and reducing oral health disparities.
Keywords: Latinos; oral care; health disparities; children; culture; autism spectrum disorder
Carandang, K., Vigen, C. L., Ortiz, E., & Pyatak, E. A. (2019). Re-conceptualizing functional status through experiences of young adults with inflammatory arthritis. Rheumatology International. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00296-019-04368-8 Show abstract
The objective of this study is to assess the impact of inflammatory arthritis on young adults’ activity participation using quantitative and qualitative methods to advance the field’s conceptualization of functional status. Young adults diagnosed with juvenile idiopathic arthritis or rheumatoid arthritis completed (1) the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index to determine functional status and (2) the day reconstruction method to explore experiential dimensions of function, including functional performance, functional satisfaction, and severity of arthritis symptoms during activities on the previous day. Bivariate analyses were conducted to examine relationships between functional status, experiential variables, and demographic variables. Open-ended questions were provided for participants to report ways that arthritis affected their participation that were not otherwise reflected within survey questions; responses were numerically coded using summative content analysis. Among 37 participants (24.8 ± 3.3 years old), 70% reported moderate-to-severe disability. On average, participants experienced pain, stiffness, or fatigue for more than 50% of their waking hours. Functional status significantly correlated with functional performance (r = − 0.39, p = 0.02) and satisfaction (r = − 0.39, p = 0.02), yet did not correlate with stiffness or fatigue severity or duration of symptoms throughout the day. Participants described strategies that improved their ability to participate in certain activities but reduced their overall quality of activity engagement and caused emotional distress. Young adults with arthritis may experience more significant functional limitations than previously reported. Traditional measures of functional assessment may not capture experiential components of activity that affect participation, such as severity of stiffness or fatigue or the duration of symptoms throughout the day.
Keywords. Health status, Quality of life, Juvenile idiopathic arthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis, Young adult, Patient reported outcome
Cunningham, R., & Valasek, S. (2019). Occupational therapy interventions for urinary dysfunction in primary care: A case series. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(5), 7305185040p1-7305185040p8. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.038356 Show abstract
Urinary dysfunction is commonly reported in primary care contexts. A shortage of primary care providers is affecting access to relevant services. Occupational therapy practitioners work in primary care settings and typically address urinary dysfunction in an outpatient context. Evidence regarding the delivery of occupational therapy interventions for urinary dysfunction in primary care has been limited. In this study, 3 women received 9–14 occupational therapy sessions in a primary care setting to address urinary symptoms. Plan-of-care duration, assessments, and urinary dysfunction interventions were individualized to accommodate personal and environmental factors. Across all case-series participants, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure scores demonstrated clinically significant improvement. Mixed results were found for SF–36 health-related quality-of-life subscale scores. Assessment scores specific to urinary dysfunction decreased, indicating reduced symptom severity and functional impact. This article provides preliminary evidence regarding the feasibility of occupational therapy interventions addressing urinary dysfunction in primary care settings.
Halle, A. D., Kaloostian, C., & Stevens, G. D. (2019). Occupational therapy student learning on interprofessional teams in geriatric primary care. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(5), 7305185050p1-7305185050p10. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.037143 Show abstract
Importance. Geriatric, interprofessional primary care training for occupational therapy students is needed.
Objective. To measure occupational therapy student–reported knowledge, attitudes, and skills after participation in interprofessional geriatric educational programs.
Design. Prospective, observational study with pre- and posttests for the three programs.
Participants. Fifty-nine entry-level and postprofessional occupational therapy master’s students.
Outcomes and Measures. Self-reported familiarity with other professionals’ roles, perceptions of interprofessional training, capabilities to conduct assessments, and attitudes of older adults.
Results. Students of the three programs (Interprofessional Geriatrics Curriculum [IPGC], Student Senior Partnership Program [SSPP], and Geriatric Assessment Program [GAP]) reported different improvements in familiarity of roles, capabilities of assessment, and Geriatric Attitudes Scale (GAS) scores. For example, IPGC and SSPP students had changes in total GAS score (3.91–4.08, p = .002, and 3.84–3.99, p = .003, respectively), but no change was found for GAP students (3.85–3.91, p = .523).
Conclusions and Relevance. More structured interprofessional education with older adults appeared to help prepare occupational therapy students to work on geriatric interprofessional teams in primary care.
What This Article Adds. This article expands on growing evidence to support occupational therapy’s role in primary care by addressing the need to train future generations to work on interprofessional geriatric primary care teams.
Ito, K. L., Kim, H., & Liew, S.-L. (2019). A comparison of automated lesion segmentation approaches for chronic stroke T1‐weighted MRI data. Human Brain Mapping. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.24729 Show abstract
Accurate stroke lesion segmentation is a critical step in the neuroimaging processing pipeline for assessing the relationship between poststroke brain structure, function, and behavior. Many multimodal segmentation algorithms have been developed for acute stroke neuroimaging, yet few algorithms are effective with only a single T1‐weighted (T1w) anatomical MRI. This is a critical gap because multimodal MRI is not commonly available due to time and cost constraints in the stroke rehabilitation setting. Although several attempts to automate the segmentation of chronic lesions on single‐channel T1w MRI have been made, these approaches have not been systematically evaluated on a large dataset. We performed an exhaustive review of the literature and identified one semiautomated and three fully automated approaches for segmentation of chronic stroke lesions using T1w MRI within the last 10 years: Clusterize, automated lesion identification (ALI), Gaussian naïve Bayes lesion detection (lesionGnb), and lesion identification with neighborhood data analysis (LINDA). We evaluated each method on a large T1w stroke dataset (N = 181). LINDA was the most computationally expensive approach, but performed best across the three main evaluation metrics (median values: dice coefficient = 0.50, Hausdorff's distance = 36.34 mm, and average symmetric surface distance = 4.97 mm). lesionGnb had the highest recall/least false negatives (median = 0.80). However, across the automated methods, many lesions were either misclassified (ALI: 28, lesionGnb: 39, LINDA: 45) or not identified (ALI: 24, LINDA: 23, lesionGnb: 0). Segmentation accuracy in all automated methods were influenced by size (small: worst) and stroke territory (brainstem, cerebellum: worst) of the lesion. To facilitate reproducible science, our analysis files have been made publicly available online.
Henwood, B. F., Lahey, J., Rhoades, H., Pitts, D. B., Pynoos, J., & Brown, R. T. (2019). Geriatric conditions among formerly homeless older adults living in permanent supportive housing. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 34(6), 802–803. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-018-4793-z
Bakhach, M., Reid, M. W., Pyatak, E. A., Berget, C., Cain, C., Thomas, J., Klingensmith, G. J., & Raymond, J. K. (2019). Home telemedicine (CoYoT1 clinic): A novel approach to improve psychosocial outcomes in young adults with diabetes. The Diabetes Educator, 45(4), 420-430. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145721719858080 Show abstract
Purpose. To assess the impact of a home telemedicine clinic model (CoYoT1 Clinic) on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes designed for young adults (YAs) with type 1 diabetes (T1D).
Methods. YAs self-selected to participate in the CoYoT1 Clinic or serve as a usual care control. CoYoT1 Clinic visits consisted of an individual appointment with a provider and a group appointment with other YAs with T1D using home telemedicine. Psychosocial and behavioral functioning was assessed by 4 measures: Diabetes Distress Scale, Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Scale, Self-Management of Type 1 Diabetes in Adolescence Scale, and Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale.
Results. Forty-two patients participated in the CoYoT1 Clinic and 39 patients served as controls. CoYoT1 participants reported lower levels of distress (P = .03), increased diabetes self-efficacy (P = .01), and improved ability to communicate with others about diabetes (P = .04) over the study period compared to controls. YA males in the control group reported increases in depressive symptoms (P = .03) during the study period, but CoYoT1 participants showed no changes.
Conclusion. Group home telemedicine for YAs with T1D positively affects diabetes distress, self-efficacy, and diabetes-specific communication. These positive findings have the potential to also affect the YAs’ long-term diabetes outcomes. Further investigation of the model is needed.
Pineda, R., Dewey, K., Jacobsen, A., & Smith, J. (2019). Non-nutritive sucking in the preterm infant. American Journal of Perinatology, 36(3), 268-276. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1667289 Show abstract
Objective. To identify the progression of non-nutritive sucking (NNS) across postmenstrual age (PMA) and to investigate the relationship of NNS with medical and social factors and oral feeding.
Study Design. Fifty preterm infants born at ≤32 weeks gestation had NNS assessed weekly starting at 32 weeks PMA with the NTrainer System. Oral feeding was assessed at 38 weeks PMA.
Results. There were increases in NNS bursts per minute (p = 0.005), NNS per minute (p < 0.0001), NNS per burst (p < 0.001), and peak pressure (p = 0.0003) with advancing PMA. Level of immaturity and medical complications were related to NNS measures (p < 0.05). NNS measures were not related to Neonatal Oral Motor Assessment Scale scores. Smaller weekly change in NNS peak pressure (p = 0.03; β = –1.4) was related to feeding success at 38 weeks PMA.
Conclusion. Infants demonstrated NNS early in gestation. Variability in NNS scores could reflect medical complications and immaturity. More stable sucking pressure across time was related to feeding success at 38 weeks PMA.
Keywords. non-nutritive sucking, preterm, medical factors, oral feeding
Vourvopoulos, A., Pardo, O. M., Lefebvre, S., Neureither, M., Saldana, D., Jahng, E., & Liew, S.-L. (2019). Effects of a brain-computer interface with virtual reality (VR) neurofeedback: A pilot study in chronic stroke patients. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 13, 210. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2019.00210 Show abstract
Rehabilitation for stroke patients with severe motor impairments is burdensome and demanding because most of the current rehabilitation options require some volitional movement to train the affected side. However, research has shown that survivors of severe stroke may receive modest benefits from action observation, virtual reality (VR), and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). These approaches have shown some success in strengthening key motor pathways thought to support motor recovery after stroke. The purpose of this study was to combine the principles of action observation, VR, and BCI in a platform called REINVENT and assess its effects on four chronic stroke patients across different levels of motor impairment. REINVENT acquires post-stroke EEG signals that indicate an attempt to move and drives the movement of a virtual avatar arm, allowing patient-driven action observation neurofeedback in VR. In addition, synchronous electromyography (EMG) data were also captured to monitor overt muscle activity. Our results show that this EEG-based BCI can be used by stroke survivors across a wide range of motor disabilities. Finally, individual results suggest that patients with more severe motor impairments benefit the most from EEG-based neurofeedback, while patients with more mild impairments may benefit more from EMG-based feedback, harnessing existing sensorimotor pathways. Future research is needed to confirm these findings in a larger and more diverse population.
Roll, S. C., Tung, K. D., Chang, H., Sehremelis, T. A., Fukumura, Y. E., Randolph, S., & Forrest, J. L. (2019). Prevention and rehabilitation of musculoskeletal disorders in oral health care professionals: A systematic review. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 150(6), 489-502. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2019.01.031 Show abstract
Background. The authors’ objective in this systematic review was to describe the evidence for preventive and rehabilitative interventions for musculoskeletal disorders in oral health care.
Types of Studies Reviewed. The authors conducted systematic search, screening, and eligibility processes to identify experimental, quasiexperimental, observational, and survey research studies in which the investigators either directly evaluated or predicted the effects of preventive or rehabilitative interventions on the reduction of musculoskeletal symptoms in oral health care professionals.
Results. The authors identified and screened 3,571 unique abstracts, assessed 256 full-text articles for eligibility, and included 34 articles in the review. Investigators in 17 experimental studies described the results of preventive or rehabilitation interventions and in 17 survey research studies predicted or correlated preventive or protective techniques to a reduction in musculoskeletal symptoms. The primary techniques evaluated in the studies included equipment modification, ergonomic training, and physical exercise.
Conclusions and Practical Implications. The evidence suggests that magnification loupes and indirect-vision techniques have a positive effect on the reduction of musculoskeletal symptoms. In terms of evaluating intervention efficacy, other techniques have mixed evidence or are limited by low-level study design.
Keywords. Ergonomics; injury prevention; musculoskeletal disorders; dentists; dental hygienists
Pineda, R., Raney, M., & Smith, J. (2019). Supporting and enhancing NICU sensory experiences (SENSE): Defining developmentally-appropriate sensory exposures for high-risk infants. Early Human Development, 133, 29-35. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2019.04.012 Show abstract
Introduction. There is evidence to support the use of positive sensory exposures (music, touch, skin-to-skin) with preterm infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), but strategies to improve their consistent use are lacking. The Supporting and Enhancing NICU Sensory Experiences (SENSE) program was developed to promote consistent, age-appropriate, responsive, and evidence-based positive sensory exposures for the preterm infant every day of NICU hospitalization.
Methods. A systematic and rigorous process of development of the SENSE program included an integrative review of evidence on sensory exposures in the NICU, stakeholder feedback, expert opinion, and focus groups.
Results. SENSE implementation materials consist of parent education materials, tailored doses of sensory exposures for each postmenstrual age, an infant assessment of tolerance, bedside logs and implementation considerations for integrating the SENSE program into the NICU.
Discussion. Research is needed to evaluate the SENSE program as an implementation strategy and to assess its impact on parent and infant outcomes.
Krause, D., Ryan, S., Krpalek, D., Roll, S. C., Javaherian-Dysinger, H., & Daher, N. (2019). Participants’ perceptions of Kinesio tape for carpal tunnel syndrome: A qualitative study. Hand Therapy, 24(2), 37–47. https://doi.org/10.1177/1758998319841646 Show abstract
Introduction. Kinesio tape is an alternative non-surgical treatment approach for addressing symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome. The purpose of the study was to investigate individuals’ experiences with the dorsal application of Kinesio tape for carpal tunnel syndrome management and its impact on pain and function.
Method. The study design was a limited phenomenological design study embedded in a randomized controlled trial. Daily symptom journals and semi-structured interviews were completed with 15 participants who were purposefully recruited and randomly allocated to the intervention group of a single blind randomized controlled trial. Kinesio tape was applied dorsally on the affected forearm, wrist, and digits for a duration of two weeks. Transcribed data were analyzed using descriptive coding, coding schemes, and frequency charts to identify emerging themes.
Results. Three themes emerged: Kinesio tape was positively perceived to be effective on decreasing pain, increasing self-efficacy, and improving daily functional performance on tasks previously avoided or abandoned. The most common problem identified was maintaining Kinesio tape on the hands and fingers, to which the majority of participants expressed a desire to learn application.
Discussion. Results of this study suggest that Kinesio tape is a positively perceived intervention for decreasing pain and increasing function for individuals with carpal tunnel syndrome and warrants further consideration as an alternative conservative intervention for carpal tunnel syndrome.
Keywords. Carpal tunnel syndrome, Kinesio tape, qualitative, functional performance
Stein Duker, L. I., & Sleight, A. G. (2019). Occupational therapy practice in oncology care: Results from a survey. Nursing & Health Sciences, 21(2), 164-170. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12576 Show abstract
The everyday landscape of occupational therapy (OT) in oncology is underexplored, hindering targeted improvements. The purpose of the present study was to identify the OT interventions commonly provided and reimbursed in oncology. A survey utilizing snowball sampling was disseminated online to OT working in oncology care; 167 surveys were received from 21 states in the United States. Results found that over 90% of therapists reported focusing on physical impairment, weakness, fatigue, and activities of daily living. Interventions for emotional/social support, self‐advocacy, quality of life, lifestyle management, and cognitive impairment were not directly billed. More than 90% of therapists reported that, in the absence of barriers, they would address quality of life, emotional difficulties, lifestyle management, and home safety. Overall, the findings suggested that OT in the United States primarily provide physical interventions for oncology patients. However, they also provide psychosocial services and client/caregiver education, but often do not bill directly for this care. Reimbursement structures should be modified to allow for the direct billing of mental/psychosocial and educational interventions in OT for cancer care.
Wathugala, M., Saldana, D., Juliano, J. M., Chan, J., & Liew, S.-L. (2019). Mindfulness meditation effects on poststroke spasticity: A feasibility study. Journal of Evidence-Based Integrative Medicine. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/2515690X19855941 Show abstract
This study examined the feasibility of an adapted 2-week mindfulness meditation protocol for chronic stroke survivors. In addition, preliminary effects of this adapted intervention on spasticity and quality of life in individuals after stroke were explored. Ten chronic stroke survivors with spasticity listened to 2 weeks of short mindfulness meditation recordings, adapted from Jon Kabat-Zinn’s Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction course, in a pre/post repeated measures design. Measures of spasticity, quality of life, mindfulness, and anxiety, along with qualitative data from participants’ daily journals, were assessed. On average, participants reported meditating 12.5 days of the full 15 days (mean 12.5 days, SD 0.94, range 8-15 days). Seven of the 10 participants wrote comments in their journals. In addition, there were no adverse effects due to the intervention. Exploratory preliminary analyses also showed statistically significant improvements in spasticity in both the elbow (P = .032) and wrist (P = .023) after 2 weeks of meditation, along with improvements in quality of life measures for Energy (P = .013), Personality (P = .026), and Work/Productivity (P = .032). This feasibility study suggests that individuals with spasticity following stroke are able to adhere to a 2-week home-based mindfulness meditation program. In addition, preliminary results also suggest that this adapted, short mindfulness meditation program might be a promising approach for individuals with spasticity following stroke. Future research should expand on these preliminary findings with a larger sample size and control group.
Keywords: stroke, mindfulness, spasticity, rehabilitation
Liew, S.-L., Schmaal, L., & Jahanshad, N. (2019). Editorial: Collaborative efforts for understanding the human brain. Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 13, 38. https://doi.org/10.3389/fninf.2019.00038
Santarnecchi, E., Sprugnoli, G., Bricolo, E., Costantini, G., Liew, S.-L., Musaeus, C. S., Salvi, C., Pascual-Leone, A., Rossi, A., & Rossi, S. (2019). Gamma tACS over the temporal lobe increases the occurrence of Eureka! moments. Scientific Reports, 9, 5778. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-42192-z Show abstract
The solution to a problem might manifest itself as a burst of unexpected, unpredictable clarity. Such Eureka! events, or Insight moments, are among the most fascinating mysteries of human cognition, whose neurophysiological substrate seems to include a role for oscillatory activity within the α and γ bands in the right parietal and temporal brain regions. We tested this hypothesis on thirty-one healthy participants using transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation (tACS) to externally amplify α (10 Hz) and γ (40 Hz) activity in the right parietal and temporal lobes, respectively. During γ-tACS over the right temporal lobe, we observed an increase in accuracy on a verbal insight task. Furthermore, electroencephalography (EEG) data revealed an increase in γ spectral power over bilateral temporal lobes after stimulation. Additionally, resting-state functional MRI data acquired before the stimulation session suggested a correlation between behavioral response to right temporal lobe tACS and functional connectivity of bilateral temporal lobes, in line with the bilateral increase in γ band revealed by EEG. Overall, results suggest the possibility of enhancing the probability of generating Eureka! moments in humans by means of frequency-specific noninvasive brain stimulation.
Haywood, C., Martinez, G., Pyatak, E. A., & Carandang, K. (2019). Engaging patient stakeholders in planning, implementing, and disseminating occupational therapy research. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73(1), 7301090010p1-7301090010p9. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.731001 Show abstract
Patients are experts on their own lives and the ways in which an illness, injury, or disability affects their health, activity, and quality of life. With its longstanding foundations in participatory action research, patient engagement has been gaining momentum across health care and related research. This momentum is supported by investments from several key research and federal policy–related organizations, including the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute, National Institutes of Health, and Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. Occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely positioned to champion patient collaborations. In this article, we discuss ways in which patient perspectives can be embraced in occupational therapy research, and we share insights from a research planning collaborative with adolescents and young adults that was led by occupational therapy researchers.
Harrison, L. A., Kats, A., Williams, M. E., & Aziz-Zadeh, L. (2019). The importance of sensory processing in mental health: A proposed addition to the research domain criteria (RDoC) and suggestions for RDoC 2.0. Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 103. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00103 Show abstract
The time is ripe to integrate burgeoning evidence of the important role of sensory and motor functioning in mental health within the National Institute of Mental Health’s [NIMH] Research Domain Criteria [RDoC] framework (National Institute of Mental Health, n.d.a), a multi-dimensional method of characterizing mental functioning in health and disease across all neurobiological levels of analysis ranging from genetic to behavioral. As the importance of motor processing in psychopathology has been recognized (Bernard & Mittal, 2015; Garvey & Cuthbert, 2017; National Institute of Mental Health, 2019), here we focus on sensory processing. First, we review the current design of the RDoC matrix, noting sensory features missing despite their prevalence in multiple mental illnesses. We identify two missing classes of sensory symptoms that we widely define as (1) sensory processing, including sensory sensitivity and active sensing, and (2) domains of perceptual signaling, including interoception and proprioception, which are currently absent or underdeveloped in the perception construct of the cognitive systems domain. Then, we describe the neurobiological basis of these psychological constructs and examine why these sensory features are important for understanding psychopathology. Where appropriate, we examine links between sensory processing and the domains currently included in the RDoC matrix. Throughout, we emphasize how the addition of these sensory features to the RDoC matrix is important for understanding a range of mental health disorders. We conclude with the suggestion that a separate sensation and perception domain can enhance the current RDoC framework, while discussing what we see as important principles and promising directions for the future development and use of the RDoC.
Yilmaz, G., Laine, C. M., Tinastepe, N., Özyurt, M. G., & Türker, K. S. (2019). Periodontal mechanoreceptors and bruxism at low bite forces. Archives of Oral Biology, 98, 87-91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2018.11.011 Show abstract
Objective. In this study, we examined if 6–9 Hz jaw tremor, an indirect indicator of Periodontal Mechanoreceptor (PMR) activity, is different in bruxists compared to healthy participants during production of a low-level constant bite force.
Methods. Bite force and surface EMG from the masseter muscle were recorded simultaneously as participants (13 patients, 15 controls) held a force transducer between the upper and lower incisors very gently.
Results. Tremor in 6–9 Hz band for bruxists was greater on average compared to controls, but the difference was not significant, both for force recordings and EMG activity.
Conclusions. The low effect sizes measured with the current protocol contrast highly with those of our previous study, where larger, dynamic bite forces were used, and where jaw tremor was markedly different in bruxists compared with controls.
Significance. We have now gained important insight into the conditions under which abnormal jaw tremor can be elicited in bruxism. From a scientific standpoint, this is critical for understanding the ‘abnormality’ of PMR feedback in bruxism. From a clinical perspective, our results represent progress towards the development of an optimal protocol in which jaw tremor can serve as a biological marker of bruxism.
Keywords. Tremor; Jaw; Bruxism; Periodontal mechanoreceptors; Bite force
Como, D. H., Stein Duker, L. I., Polido, J. C., & Cermak, S. A. (2019). The persistence of oral health disparities for African American children: A scoping review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 16(5), 710. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16050710 Show abstract
Oral health is an important yet often neglected component of overall health, linked to heart disease, stroke, and diabetic complications. Disparities exist for many groups, including racial and ethnic minorities such as African Americans. The purpose of this study was to examine the potential factors that perpetuate oral health care disparities in African American children in the United States. A systematic search of three literature databases produced 795 articles; 23 articles were included in the final review. Articles were analyzed using a template coding approach based on the social ecological model. The review identified structural, sociocultural, and familial factors that impact the ability of African Americans to utilize oral care services, highlighting the importance of the parent/caregiver role and the patient–provider relationship; policy-level processes that impact access to quality care; the value of autonomy in treatment and prevention options; and the impact of sociocultural factors on food choices (e.g., food deserts, gestures of affection). In conclusion, oral health care remains an underutilized service by African American children, despite increasing access to oral care secondary to improvements in insurance coverage and community-based programs.
Carlson, M., Vigen, C. L., Rubayi, S., Blanche, E. I., Blanchard, J., Atkins, M., Bates-Jensen, B., Garber, S. L., Pyatak, E. A., Díaz, J., Floríndez, L. I., Hay, J. W., Mallinson, T., Unger, J. B., Azen, S. P., Scott, M., Cogan, A., & Clark, F. (2019). Lifestyle intervention for adults with spinal cord injury: Results of the USC-RLANRC Pressure Ulcer Prevention Study. Journal of Spinal Cord Medicine, 42(1), 2–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/10790268.2017.1313931 Show abstract
Context/Objective. Medically serious pressure injuries (MSPrIs), a common complication of spinal cord injury (SCI), have devastating consequences on health and well-being and are extremely expensive to treat. We aimed to test the efficacy of a lifestyle-based intervention designed to reduce incidence of MSPrIs in adults with SCI.
Design. A randomized controlled trial (RCT), and a separate study wing involving a nonrandomized standard care control group.
Setting. Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, a large facility serving ethnically diverse, low income residents of Los Angeles County.
Participants. Adults with SCI, with history of one or more MSPrIs over the past 5 years: N=166 for RCT component, N=66 in nonrandomized control group.
Interventions. The Pressure Ulcer Prevention Program, a 12-month lifestyle-based treatment administered by healthcare professionals, largely via in-home visits and phone contacts.
Outcome Measures. Blinded assessments of annualized MSPrI incidence rates at 12 and 24 months, based on: skin checks, quarterly phone interviews with participants, and review of medical charts and billing records. Secondary outcomes included number of surgeries and various quality-of-life measures.
Results. Annualized MSPrI rates did not differ significantly between study groups. At 12 months, rates were .56 for intervention recipients, .48 for randomized controls, and .65 for nonrandomized controls. At follow-up, rates were .44 and .39 respectively for randomized intervention and control participants.
Conclusions. Evidence for intervention efficacy was inconclusive. The intractable nature of MSPrI threat in high-risk SCI populations, and lack of statistical power, may have contributed to this inability to detect an effect.
Trial Registration. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01999816.
Lee, H. Y., Vigen, C., Zwaigenbaum, L., Bryson, S., Smith, I., Brian, J., Watson, L. R., Crais, E. R., Turner-Brown, L., Reznick, J. S., & Baranek, G. T. (2019). The performance of the First Year Inventory (FYI) screening on a sample of high-risk 12-month-olds diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at 36 months. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04208-5 Show abstract
This study examined the performance of the First Year Inventory (FYI; version 2.0), a community-normed parent-reported screening instrument, in a high-risk (HR) sample of 12-month-olds with older siblings diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The FYI 2.0 was completed by parents of 86 HR infants and 35 low-risk control infants at age 12 months, followed by clinical diagnosis at 36 months. HR infants later diagnosed with ASD had significantly higher FYI 2.0 risk scores in both the social-communication and sensory-regulatory domains than typically developing infants. New FYI 2.0 cutoff scores for HR sample were explored by evaluating various cutoff options after considering tradeoffs between sensitivity and specificity and sample characteristics.
Aryal, A., Becerik-Gerber, B., Anselmo, F., Roll, S. C., & Lucas, G. (2019). Smart desks to promote comfort, health and productivity in offices: A vision for future workplaces. Frontiers in Built Environment, 5, 76. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbuil.2019.00076 Show abstract
People spend most of their day in buildings, and a large portion of the energy in buildings is used to control the indoor environment for creating acceptable conditions for occupants. However, majority of the building systems are controlled based on a ‘one size fits all’ scheme which cannot account for individual occupant preferences. This leads to discomfort, low satisfaction and negative impacts on occupants’ productivity, health and well-being. In this paper, we describe our vision of how recent advances in Internet of Things (IoT) and machine learning can be used to add intelligence to an office desk to personalize the environment around the user. The smart desk can learn individual user preferences for the indoor environment, personalize the environment based on user preferences, and act as an intelligent support system for improving user comfort, health and productivity. We briefly describe the recent advances made in different domains that can be leveraged to enhance occupant experience in buildings and describe the overall framework for the smart desk. We conclude the paper with a discussion of possible avenues for further research.
Keywords: Personalized environments, Smart desks, IoT (internet of things), Smart buildings, Indoor environment quality (IEQ)
Kilroy, E., Cermak, S. A., & Aziz-Zadeh, L. (2019). A review of functional and structural neurobiology of the action observation network in autism spectrum disorder and developmental coordination disorder. Brain Sciences, 9(4), 75. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9040075 Show abstract
Recent research has reported motor impairment similarities between children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and a subgroup of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is a debate as to whether DCD is a co-occurring diagnosis in individuals with ASD and motor impairments (ASDd), or if motor impairments in ASD are distinct from DCD. However, the etiology of motor impairments is not well understood in either disorder. Clarifying comorbidities in ASD is important to determine different etiopathological phenotyping clusters in ASD and to understand the variety of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the disorder. Furthermore, this distinction has important therapeutic relevance. Here we explore the current neuroimaging findings in ASD and DCD and discusses possible neural mechanisms that underlie similarities and differences between the disorders.
Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD); developmental coordination disorder (DCD); action observation network (AON); functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI); resting state; diffusion weighted imaging (DWI)
Kilroy, E., Aziz-Zadeh, L., & Cermak, S. (2019). Ayres theories of autism and sensory integration revisited: What contemporary neuroscience has to say. Brain Sciences, 9(3), 68. https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci9030068 Show abstract
Abnormal sensory-based behaviors are a defining feature of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Dr. A. Jean Ayres was the first occupational therapist to conceptualize Sensory Integration (SI) theories and therapies to address these deficits. Her work was based on neurological knowledge of the 1970s. Since then, advancements in neuroimaging techniques make it possible to better understand the brain areas that may underlie sensory processing deficits in ASD. In this article, we explore the postulates proposed by Ayres (i.e., registration, modulation, motivation) through current neuroimaging literature. To this end, we review the neural underpinnings of sensory processing and integration in ASD by examining the literature on neurophysiological responses to sensory stimuli in individuals with ASD as well as structural and network organization using a variety of neuroimaging techniques. Many aspects of Ayres’ hypotheses about the nature of the disorder were found to be highly consistent with current literature on sensory processing in children with ASD but there are some discrepancies across various methodological techniques and ASD development. With additional characterization, neurophysiological profiles of sensory processing in ASD may serve as valuable biomarkers for diagnosis and monitoring of therapeutic interventions, such as SI therapy.
Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); Ayres Sensory Integration (ASI); sensory processing; functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
Baranek, G. T., Carlson, M., Sideris, J., Kirby, A. V., Watson, L. R., Williams, K. L., & Bulluck, J. (2019). Longitudinal assessment of stability of sensory features in children with autism spectrum disorder or other developmental disabilities. Autism Research, 12(1), 100–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.2008 Show abstract
Prior research on the stability of sensory processing problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or other developmental disabilities (DD) has produced inconsistent results. We employed a longitudinal study design to assess the stability of three clinical sensory response patterns: hyporesponsiveness; hyperresponsiveness; and sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviors (SIRS). Parents of children with ASD (n = 55) or DD (n = 35) responded to sensory questionnaires at two time points (T1 and T2) separated by 3.3 years on average, with the children aged 2–12 years (M = 5.69 ± 2.46) at the first assessment. For each sensory response pattern, regression analysis revealed that, for both ASD and DD groups, scores at T1 were strong predictors of scores at T2. Over the longitudinal assessment interval, there was a significant mean decline in severity for SIRS in both groups and for hyporesponsiveness in the ASD group. Parental estimates of the amount of therapy services received were positively associated with the severity of sensory features at T2, an outcome that may result from increased intervention dosages being administered to children who fail to improve over time. The results are discussed in terms of person‐centered and environmental considerations, which, in combination, have the capacity to affect stability outcomes for sensory features.
Schepens Niemiec, S. L., Blanchard, J., Vigen, C. L., Martínez, J., Guzmán, L., Fluke, M., & Carlson, M. (2019). A pilot study of the ¡Vivir Mi Vida! lifestyle intervention for rural-dwelling, late-midlife Latinos: Study design and protocol. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, 39(1), 5-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1539449218762728 Show abstract
Older, rural-dwelling Latinos face multiple health disparities. We describe the protocol of a pilot study of a community health worker–occupational therapist-led lifestyle program, ¡Vivir Mi Vida! (¡VMV!), designed for delivery in primary care and adapted for late-midlife, Latino rural-living patients. Using mixed methods, we collected feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy data on ¡VMV!. Forty 50- to 64-year-old Latinos participated in a 16-week lifestyle intervention led by a community health worker–occupational therapist team. We conducted pre- and post-intervention assessments to evaluate the efficacy of ¡VMV! in improving psychosocial and clinical health outcomes. Focus groups and interviews were held post-intervention with participants and key stakeholders to assess feasibility and acceptability. This is the first trial designed to evaluate a lifestyle intervention that includes collaboration between occupational therapists and community health workers within primary care. The detailed description of methodology promotes research transparency and reproducibility of a community health worker–occupational therapist-led lifestyle intervention.
Takata, S. C., & Roll, S. C. (2019). Identification of aberrant muscle bellies in the carpal tunnel using sonography. Journal of Diagnostic Medical Sonography, 35(1), 62–68. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756479318807469 Show abstract
Musculoskeletal sonography is being widely used for evaluation of structures within the carpal tunnel. While some anatomical variants, such as bifurcated median nerves and persistent median arteries, have been well documented, limited literature describes the sonographic appearance of aberrant muscle bellies within the carpal tunnel. Multiple examples of the sonographic appearance of flexor digitorum superficialis and lumbrical muscle bellies extending into the carpal tunnel are provided. Techniques for static image acquisition and analysis are discussed, and the use of dynamic imaging to confirm which specific muscle belly is involved is described. Knowledge of the potential presence of muscle bellies in these images and ability to identify these structures is vital to avoid misclassification or misdiagnosis as abnormal pathology. The case examples are situated among current published evidence regarding how such anomalies may be related to the development of pathologies, such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Keywords. carpal tunnel, aberrant muscle, musculoskeletal sonography
Leland, N. E., Roberts, P., De Souza, R., Chang, S., Shah, K., & Robinson, M. (2019). Care transition processes to achieve a successful community discharge after postacute care: A scoping review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 73, 7301205140p1-7301205140p9. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2019.005157 Show abstract
Readmissions to health care facilities are undesirable outcomes that indicate the quality of the care transitions. Although there is a growing evidence-base for preventing readmissions, the focus has been on acute care. Postacute care (PAC) patients are often excluded from these studies, and thus there is limited evidence guiding practitioners’ efforts to facilitate an effective community transition after PAC rehabilitation. To provide direction for PAC research and clinical practice, this scoping review summarizes current community transition interventions and identifies practices that facilitate successful community discharge. Thirteen care processes emerged from 35 studies, of which 5 were included in at least 60% of the studies, including coaching on the care transition process, medical self-management, medication self-management, scheduling follow-up medical services, and telephone follow-up. These findings can inform the development, evaluation, and implementation of PAC community transition interventions.
Pineda, R., DeGaetano, S., Kindra, M., Hand, T., Craig, J., Fernandez-Fernandez, A., & Collette, D. (2019). Neonatal therapy: A survey of current practice. Journal of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine, 12(3), 285-294. https://doi.org/10.3233/PRM-180565 Show abstract
Background. Although considered an advanced area of practice, there has been insufficient standardization in clinical training and preparedness for occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists (PTs), and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) practicing in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). The first step in developing a neonatal therapy certification process was to conduct a practice analysis.
Purpose. To describe: 1) the collection of OTs, PTs, and SLPs working in NICUs, 2) educational and professional preparation to practice in the NICU, and 3) interest in neonatal therapy national certification.
Methods. An online survey of 468 neonatal therapists was completed in 2015–2016.
Results. There were 208 (47%) participants who were OTs, 140 (32%) PTs, and 94 (21%) SLPs. Among respondents, 187 (50%) neonatal therapists had a clinical doctorate, and 143 (40%) therapists practiced for > 5 years prior to entering NICU practice. There were 299 (88%) therapists who believed oversight and accountability in the NICU are highly important, and 329 (98%) therapists were interested in a neonatal therapy certification program.
Conclusions. Advanced training and skills of neonatal therapists are vital to ensure safe, effective and evidence-based practice. Insufficient standardization in training and variable adherence to education and training guidelines provided credibility for the creation of a neonatal therapy national certification process, which has now been implemented.
Takata, S. C., Kysh, L., Mack, W. J., & Roll, S. C. (2019). Sonographic reference values of median nerve cross-sectional area: A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis. Systematic Reviews, 8(1), 2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-018-0929-9 Show abstract
Background. Median nerve cross-sectional area (CSA) is the primary sonographic parameter for assessing and diagnosing median nerve pathology, such as carpal tunnel syndrome. However, variability in the sensitivity of diagnostic thresholds exists, which may be due to a lack of standardized normative reference values. Current estimates of normal median nerve CSA stem largely from small studies using a local pool of healthy controls. A systematic review and meta-analysis will be conducted to identify all available data for median nerve CSA in healthy, asymptomatic individuals to create a comprehensive set of normative reference values.
Methods. Articles that include sonographic measures of median nerve CSA will be identified through a rigorous search of published evidence, a hand search through tables of contents of key journals, and the gray literature, including ClinicalTrials.gov and conference abstracts. Each abstract and full text will be reviewed by multiple raters to identify studies from 2000 to present that include original data. Any study that provides median nerve CSA values from healthy individuals will be included (e.g., reference value study, control participants in a diagnostic study). Studies will be assessed for quality using a modified version of the National Institute of Health Study Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies, with primary focus on the use of a detailed and acceptable image acquisition and analysis protocol. Using data from included studies, reference values will be calculated for median nerve CSA by anatomical regions, including the distal forearm, wrist, and carpal tunnel at the level of the pisiform. Reference values will be stratified by gender, ethnicity, and age based upon the specificity of the data provided by the included articles.
Discussion. A comprehensive set of normative reference values of median nerve CSA will reduce variability across studies, allowing future research to more accurately evaluate and establish diagnostic thresholds. Additionally, normative values can serve as a reference for evaluating treatment outcomes and provide a means to investigate and understand minor nuances in CSA changes that may be indicative of preclinical stages of median nerve pathology.
Systematic review registration. PROSPERO 2016 CRD42016037286
Keywords. Meta-analysis, Systematic review, Musculoskeletal sonography, Median nerve, Reference values
Stein Duker, L. I., Floríndez, L. I., Como, D. H., Tran, C. F., Henwood, B. F., Polido, J. C., & Cermak, S. A. (2019). Strategies for success: A qualitative study of caregiver and dentist approaches to improving oral care for children with autism. Pediatric Dentistry, 41(1), 4E-12E. Show abstract
Purpose. Oral health is important to physical and psychological health. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience significant oral care challenges, but little research exists that examines efficacious interventions to improve care. The purpose of this study was to qualitatively explore parental and dentist reports of successful strategies implemented during dental care with children with ASD.
Methods. Focus groups were conducted with parents of children with ASD (N = two groups) and dentists treating children with ASD (N = two groups). Focus group transcripts were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using a thematic analysis approach.
Results. Three key themes were identified from the parent focus groups: (1) what makes a good dentist; (2) flexibility and techniques—strategies used by the dentist; and (3) preparation—strategies for parents and caregivers of children with ASD. Four themes emerged from the dentist groups: (1) parents know best; (2) practice; (3) flexibility; and (4) a network of colleagues. Areas of overlap between the parents and dental providers included the importance of preparation, necessity of flexibility and creativity, and value of collaboration.
Conclusions. Our findings provide insight into techniques perceived by parents and dental providers to facilitate successful dental encounters for children with ASD.
Sleight, A. G., Cogan, A. M., Hill, V. A., Pyatak, E. A., Díaz, J., Floríndez, L. I., Blanchard, J., Vigen, C., Garber, S. L., & Clark, F. A. (2019). Factors protecting against pressure injuries in medically underserved adults with spinal cord injury: A qualitative study. Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, 25(1), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.1310/sci2501-31 Show abstract
Background. Pressure injuries negatively impact quality of life and participation for individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI).
Objective. To examine the factors that may protect against the development of medically serious pressure injuries in adults with SCI.
Methods. A qualitative analysis was conducted using treatment notes regarding 50 socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals who did not develop medically serious pressure injuries during a 12-month pressure injury prevention intervention program.
Results. Eight types of potentially protective factors were identified: meaningful activity, motivation to prevent negative health outcomes, stability/resources, equipment, communication and self-advocacy skills, personal traits, physical factors, and behaviors/activities.
Conclusions. Some protective factors (e.g., personal traits) may be inherent to certain individuals and nonmodifiable. However, future interventions for this population may benefit from a focus on acquisition of medical equipment and facilitation of sustainable, health-promoting habits and routines. Substantive policy changes may be necessary to facilitate access to adequate resources, particularly housing and equipment, for socioeconomically disadvantaged individuals with SCI. Further research is needed to understand the complex interplay of risk and protective factors for pressure injuries in adults with SCI, particularly in underserved groups.
Floríndez, L. I., Carlson, M. E., Pyatak, E., Blanchard, J., Cogan, A. M., Sleight, A. G., Hill, V., Díaz, J., Blanche, E., Garber, S. L., & Clark, F. A. (2019). A qualitative analysis of pressure injury development among medically underserved adults with spinal cord injury. Disability and Rehabilitation. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2018.1552328 Show abstract
Purpose. Medically underserved adults with spinal cord injury (SCI) remain at high risk of incurring medically serious pressure injuries even after receiving education in prevention techniques. The purpose of this research is to identify circumstances leading to medically serious pressure injury development in medically underserved adults with SCI during a lifestyle-based pressure injury prevention program, and provide recommendations for future rehabilitation approaches and intervention design.
Methods. This study entailed a qualitative secondary case analysis of treatment notes from a randomized controlled trial. Participants were 25 community-dwelling, medically underserved adults with SCI who developed medically serious pressure injuries during the course of the intervention of the RCT.
Results and conclusions. Among the 25 participants, 40 unique medically serious pressure injuries were detected. The six themes related to medically serious pressure injury development were: (1) lack of rudimentary knowledge pertaining to wound care; (2) equipment and supply issues; (3) comorbidities; (4) non-adherence to prescribed bed rest; (5) inactivity; and (6) circumstances beyond the intervention’s reach. Together, these factors may have undermined the effectiveness of the intervention program. Modifications, such as assessing health literacy levels of patients prior to providing care, providing tailored wound care education, and focusing on equipment needs, have potential for altering future rehabilitation programs and improving health outcomes.
Keywords. Spinal cord injuries, pressure injury, lifestyle, intervention, cultural diversity
Takata, S. C., Wade, E. T., & Roll, S. C. (2019). Hand therapy interventions, outcomes, and diagnoses evaluated over the last 10 years: A mapping review linking research to practice. Journal of Hand Therapy, 32(1), 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jht.2017.05.018 Show abstract
Study Design. Mapping review.
Introduction. Although published literature and evidence to support medical practice is becoming more abundant, it is not known how well available evidence supports the full spectrum of hand therapy practice.
Purpose of the Study. The aim of this mapping review was to identify strengths and/or gaps in the available literature as compared with the hand therapy scope of practice to guide future research.
Methods. A systematic search and screening was conducted to identify evidence published from 2006 to 2015. Descriptive data from 191 studies were extracted, and the diagnoses, interventions, and outcomes used in the literature were compared with the hand therapy scope of practice.
Results. Osteoarthritis, tendon surgeries, and carpal tunnel syndrome were most frequently studied. Exercise, education, and orthotic interventions were most common, each used in more than 100 studies; only 12 studies used activity-based interventions. Primary outcome measures included range of motion, pain/symptoms, strength, and functional status.
Discussion. Abundant high-quality research exists for a portion of the hand therapy scope of practice; however, there is a paucity of evidence for numerous diagnoses and interventions.
Conclusions. More evidence is needed for complex diagnoses and activity-based interventions as well as behavioral and quality-of-care outcomes.
Level of Evidence. Not applicable.
2018
Books
Morgan, W. J. (Ed.) (2018). Ethics in sport (3rd ed.). Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics. Full text
Book Chapters
Jalaba, T., Smith, L., Rice, C., & Lawlor, M. (2018). Promoting wellness and healthy living for individuals with ASD. In R. Watling & S. L. Spitzer (Eds.), Autism across the lifespan: A comprehensive occupational therapy approach (pp. 447-464). Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press. Full text
Spitzer, S. L., & Bodison, S. C. (2018). Motor and praxis differences in individuals with ASD. In R. Watling & S. L. Spitzer (Eds.), Autism across the lifespan: A comprehensive occupational therapy approach (4th ed.). Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press. Full text
Dieterle, C. (2018). Diabetes. In R. DiZazzo-Miller & F. D. Pociask (Eds.), Preparing for the Occupational Therapy National Board exam: 45 days and counting (2nd ed., pp. 399-412). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett. Full text
Rafeedie, S. (2018). Special needs of the older adult. In H. M. Pendleton & W. Schultz-Krohn (Eds.), Pedretti's occupational therapy: Practice skills for physical dysfunction (8th ed., pp. 1142-1165). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier. Full text
Aldrich, R. M., & Heatwole Shank, K. (2018). An occupational science perspective on occupation, adaption, and participation. In L. C. Grajo & A. Boisselle (Eds.), Adaptation through occupation: Multidimensional perspectives (pp. 159-174). Thorofare, NJ: Slack.
Watson, L. R., Nowell, S. W., Crais, E. R., Baranek, G. T., Wakeford, L., & Turner-Brown, L. (2018). Supporting families of infants at-risk for ASD identified through community screening and surveillance. In M. Siller & L. Morgan (Eds.), Handbook of parent-implemented interventions for very young children with autism (pp. 25-43). Switzerland: Springer International. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90994-3_2 Show abstract
Screening tools have given us the opportunity to identify risk symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in infants prior to the full expression of symptoms when a definitive diagnosis can be made. Identification of ASD risk via community screening and surveillance is particularly important for the estimated 89% of infants without known genetic risk factors (such as an older sibling with ASD) who will eventually be diagnosed with ASD. Based on the application of a transactional model of development to infants at-risk for ASD, parent-implemented very early interventions have the potential to attenuate the expression of ASD symptoms in these infants and improve outcomes. In this chapter, we will (1) discuss what is known about identification of infants who are at-risk for ASD through community screening, (2) highlight the research to date examining use of parent-implemented very early interventions for infants who were identified as at-risk for ASD via community screening, and (3) offer insight into some of the advantages and obstacles in intervening with this population based on our own research experiences and those of our colleagues who have done similar work.
Isaac, N., & Choi, E. (2018). Infant anatomy and physiology for feeding. In S. H. Campbell, J. Lauwers, R., Mannel, & B. Spencer (Eds.), Core curriculum for interdisciplinary lactation care (pp. 37-55). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. Full text
Journal Articles
Dayan, E., López-Alonso, V., Liew, S.-L., & Cohen, L. G. (2018). Distributed cortical structural properties contribute to motor cortical excitability and inhibition. Brain Structure and Function, 223(8), 3801–3812. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00429-018-1722-1 Show abstract
The link between the local structure of the primary motor cortex and motor function has been well documented. However, motor function relies on a network of interconnected brain regions and the link between the structural properties characterizing these distributed brain networks and motor function remains poorly understood. Here, we examined whether distributed patterns of brain structure, extending beyond the primary motor cortex can help classify two forms of motor function: corticospinal excitability and intracortical inhibition. To this effect, we recorded high-resolution structural magnetic resonance imaging scans in 25 healthy volunteers. To measure corticospinal excitability and inhibition in the same volunteers, we recorded motor evoked potentials (MEPs) elicited by single-pulse transcranial magnetic stimulation and short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) in a separate session. Support vector machine (SVM) pattern classification was used to identify distributed multi-voxel gray-matter areas, which distinguished subjects who had lower and higher MEPs and SICIs. We found that MEP and SICI classification could be predicted based on a widely distributed, largely non-overlapping pattern of voxels in frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, and cerebellar regions. Thus, structural properties distributed over the brain beyond the primary motor cortex relate to motor function.
Keywords
Cortical excitability; Cortical inhibition; TMS; MRI
Vigen, C. L., Carandang, K., Blanchard, J., Sequeira, P. A., Wood, J. R., Spruijt-Metz, D., Whittemore, R., Peters, A. L., & Pyatak, E. A. (2018). Psychosocial and behavioral correlates of A1C and quality of life among young adults with diabetes. The Diabetes Educator, 44(6), 489–500. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145721718804170 Show abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to evaluate relationships between behavioral and psychosocial constructs, A1C, and diabetes-dependent quality of life (DQoL) among low-socioeconomic status, ethnically diverse young adults with diabetes.
Methods. Using baseline data of 81 participants in the Resilient, Empowered, Active Living (REAL) randomized controlled trial, behavioral, cognitive, affective, and experiential variables were correlated with A1C and DQoL while adjusting for demographic characteristics, and these relationships were examined for potential effect modification.
Results. The data indicate that depressive symptoms and satisfaction with daily activities are associated with both A1C and DQoL, while diabetes knowledge and participation in daily activities are associated with neither A1C nor DQoL. Two constructs, diabetes distress and life satisfaction, were associated with DQoL and were unrelated to A1C, while 2 constructs, self-monitoring of blood glucose and medication adherence, were associated with A1C but unrelated to DQoL. These relationships were largely unchanged by adjusting for demographic characteristics, while numerous effect modifications were found.
Conclusion. The data suggest that when tailoring interventions, depressive symptoms and satisfaction with daily activities may be particularly fruitful intervention targets, as they represent modifiable risk factors that are associated with both A1C and DQoL.
Floríndez, L. I., & Floríndez, D. C. (2018). Gangs in Los Angeles: Limited occupational possibilities for Latino male adolescents. Journal of Occupational Science, 25(2), 191-199. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2018.1445009 Show abstract
An occupational perspective is relevant in examining how the unique context of a person’s life and environment can impact the types of occupations in which he or she participates, and the dilemmas that can occur when restrictive surroundings or perceived lack of lifestyle options constrain occupational choices. This paper examines how participation in gangs by Latino adolescent males may be due to the limited options for other occupations that low socioeconomic status (SES) neighborhoods afford. By presenting narrative from the memoir of a former gang member, alongside county public health records, the engaging and health-promoting occupations as well as health-threatening occupations of gang life are explored. This scholarly discussion contributes to occupational science by evaluating the relationship between context and occupational possibilities for Latino male adolescents living in constrained environments.
Wong, C., & Leland, N. E. (2018). Clinicians' perspectives of patient engagement in post-acute care: A social ecological approach. Physical & Occupational Therapy In Geriatrics, 36(1), 29-42. https://doi.org/10.1080/02703181.2017.1407859 Show abstract
Aims. To identify rehabilitation providers' perspectives on barriers and facilitators of patient engagement in hip fracture patients in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) within the social ecological model.
Methods. We conducted 13 focus groups in SNFs throughout Los Angeles County comprised of rehabilitation staff (n = 99). Focus groups were audio-recorded and transcribed. A secondary analysis of themes related to patient engagement were identified and organized within the social ecological model.
Results. Clinicians identified barriers and facilitators of patient engagement across all levels of the social ecological model: public policy (e.g., insurance), organizational (e.g., facility culture), interpersonal (e.g., clinicians fostering self-reflection), and intrapersonal (e.g., patients' anxiety).
Conclusions. Examining barriers and facilitators to patient engagement has highlighted areas which need to be sustained and improved. Thus, these findings will inform future efforts to enhance patient engagement in order can to optimize patient healthcare decisions.
Carandang, K., & Pyatak, E. A. (2018). Analyzing occupational challenges through the lens of body and biography. Journal of Occupational Science, 25(2), 161-173. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2018.1446353 Show abstract
Introduction. Occupational scientists are tasked with the responsibility of examining the relationship between occupational engagement and health, yet as occupations are explored in situ, these concepts only become more complex. For example, lifestyle trade-offs occur when individuals make conscious decisions between two competing sets of actions: actions taken in promotion of physical health versus actions in agreement with an identity-driven biography. In this study, these dilemmas are viewed as parts of an ongoing occupational challenge to balance physical health with subjective well-being in everyday life.
Methods. Anselm Strauss’s concepts of body state and biographical moment are conceptualized as analytic tools to study dimensions within which occupation is performed. A descriptive, single-case analysis of a young adult diagnosed with diabetes is presented as an exemplar of how Strauss’s tools may be utilized.
Results. Four themes emerged within the presented narrative: (1) by the book versus reality, (2) testing the boundaries of diabetes, (3) diabetes burnout and the struggle for perfection, and (4) the inevitable merge between body and biography.
Conclusion. Sadie’s narrative exemplifies the multiple contexts in which agentic decisions to engage in specific occupations are made. Sadie’s experiences of diabetes burnout and actions taken while “on vacation” are not uncommon within chronic illness literature and warrant further analyses that consider physical and psychological domains of health. By dismantling situational factors using analytic tools, such as Strauss’s body state and biographical moment, occupational scientists may further understand lived experiences and clarify the link between occupation and health.
Gupta, O. T., Wiebe, D. J., Pyatak, E. A., & Beck, A. M. (2018). Improving medication adherence in the pediatric population using integrated care of companion animals. Patient Education and Counseling, 101(10), 1876–1878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pec.2018.05.015 Show abstract
Medication non-adherence occurs in more than half of children with chronic conditions. Unfortunately, most strategies for improving adherence have had limited success in the pediatric population highlighting the need for novel interventions that establish healthy self-management habits for children and adolescents. In this paper we discuss innovative strategies to improve adherence by embedding a medical regimen within a pet care routine, thereby capitalizing on the benefits of a structured habit while providing opportunities for development of autonomy in children and fostering collaborative parent interactions.
Williams, K. L., Kirby, A. V., Watson, L. R., Sideris, J., Bulluck, J., & Baranek, G. T. (2018). Sensory features as predictors of adaptive behaviors: A comparative longitudinal study of children with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Research in Developmental Disabilities, 81, 103-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ridd.2018.07.002 Show abstract
Background. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities (DD) exhibit sensory features that differ from their typically developing peers. Prior cross-sectional research has demonstrated significant associations between elevated sensory features and lower adaptive behavior scores, yet there is limited prospective research examining longitudinal associations.
Aims. To examine the longitudinal prediction of early sensory response patterns (i.e., hyperresponsiveness, hyporesponsiveness, and sensory interests, repetitions, and seeking behaviors) to later adaptive behavior outcomes in children with ASD and DD.
Methods and procedures. Children with ASD (n = 51) and DD (n = 30) were seen at two time points (Time 1: M(SD) = 5.6(2.5) years; Time 2: M(SD) = 9.0(2.2) years). We used a series of regression models with both observational and parent-report measures of sensory response patterns, and including group interactions.
Outcomes and results. All three sensory response patterns significantly predicted aspects of adaptive behaviors, with some differences based on assessment format and diagnostic group. Across groups and sensory patterns, we found some evidence that elevated sensory features early in childhood predicted lower adaptive behavior skills later in childhood.
Conclusions and implications. Sensory features may interfere with development of adaptive behaviors, suggesting a need for effective interventions addressing sensory features early in development.
Keywords. Autism; Child development disorders; Longitudinal analysis; Sensory processing; Adaptive behaviors
Schepens Niemiec, S. L., Blanchard, J., Vigen, C., Martínez, J., Guzmán, L., Concha, A., Fluke, M., & Carlson, M. (2018). Evaluation of ¡Vivir Mi Vida! to improve health and wellness of rural-dwelling, late middle-aged Latino adults: Results of a feasibility and pilot study of a lifestyle intervention. Primary Health Care Research & Development, 19, 448-463. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1463423617000901 Show abstract
Aim.
The aim of this study was to determine the feasibility and efficacy of a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention, ¡Vivir Mi Vida! (Live My Life!). This intervention was designed to improve the health and well-being of high risk late middle-aged Latino adults and to be implemented in a rural primary care system.
Background.
Rural-dwelling Latino adults experience higher rates of chronic disease compared with their urban counterparts, a disparity exacerbated by limited access to healthcare services. Very few lifestyle interventions exist that are both culturally sensitive and compatible for delivery within a non-metropolitan primary care context.
Methods.
Participants were 37 Latino, Spanish-speaking adults aged 50–64-years-old, recruited from a rural health clinic in the Antelope Valley of California. ¡Vivir Mi Vida! was delivered by a community health worker-occupational therapy team over a 16-week period. Subjective health, lifestyle factors, and cardiometabolic measures were collected pre- and post-intervention. Follow-up interviews and focus groups were held to collect information related to the subjective experiences of key stakeholders and participants.
Findings.
Participants demonstrated improvements in systolic blood pressure, sodium and saturated fat intake, and numerous patient-centered outcomes ranging from increased well-being to reduced stress. Although participants were extremely satisfied with the program, stakeholders identified a number of implementation challenges. The findings suggest that a tailored lifestyle intervention led by community health workers and occupational therapists is feasible to implement in a primary care setting and can improve health outcomes in rural-dwelling, late middle-aged Latinos.
Boyd, B. A., Watson, L. R., Reszka, S. S., Sideris, J., Alessandri, M., Baranek, G. T., Crais, E. R., Donaldson, A., Gutierrez, A., Johnson, L., & Belardi, K. (2018). Efficacy of the ASAP intervention for preschoolers with ASD: A cluster randomized controlled trial. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(9), 3144–3162. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3584-z Show abstract
The advancing social-communication and play (ASAP) intervention was designed as a classroom-based intervention, in which the educational teams serving preschool-aged children with autism spectrum disorder are trained to implement the intervention in order to improve these children’s social-communication and play skills. In this 4-year, multi-site efficacy trial, classrooms were randomly assigned to ASAP or a business-as-usual control condition. A total of 78 classrooms, including 161 children, enrolled in this study. No significant group differences were found for the primary outcomes of children’s social-communication and play. However, children in the ASAP group showed increased classroom engagement. Additionally, participation in ASAP seemed to have a protective effect for one indicator of teacher burnout. Implications for future research are discussed.
Keywords. Autism spectrum disorder; ASAP; Randomized controlled trial; School interventions; Engagement; Social-communication
Liew, S.-L., Thompson, T., Ramirez, J., Butcher, P., Taylor, J. A., & Celnik, P. A. (2018). Variable neural contributions to explicit and implicit learning during visuomotor adaptation. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 610. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00610 Show abstract
We routinely make fine motor adjustments to maintain optimal motor performance. These adaptations have been attributed to both implicit, error-based mechanisms, and explicit, strategy-based mechanisms. However, little is known about the neural basis of implicit versus explicit learning. Here, we aimed to use anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to probe the relationship between different brain regions and learning mechanisms during a visuomotor adaptation task in humans. We hypothesized that anodal tDCS over the cerebellum (CB) should increase implicit learning while anodal tDCS over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), a region associated with higher-level cognition, should facilitate explicit learning. Using a horizontal visuomotor adaptation task that measures explicit/implicit contributions to learning (Taylor et al., 2014), we found that dlPFC stimulation significantly improved performance compared to the other groups, and weakly increased explicit learning. However, CB stimulation had no effects on either target error or implicit learning. Previous work showed variable CB stimulation effects only on a vertical visuomotor adaptation task (Jalali et al., 2017), so in Experiment 2, we conducted the same study using a vertical context to see if we could find effects of CB stimulation. We found only weak effects of CB stimulation on target error and implicit learning, and now the dlPFC effect did not replicate. To resolve this discrepancy, in Experiment 3, we examined the effect of context (vertical vs. horizontal) on implicit and explicit contributions and found that individuals performed significantly worse and used greater implicit learning in the vertical screen condition compared to the horizontal screen condition. Across all experiments, however, there was high inter-individual variability, with strong influences of a few individuals, suggesting that these effects are not consistent across individuals. Overall, this work provides preliminary support for the idea that different neural regions can be engaged to improve visuomotor adaptation, but shows that each region’s effects are highly context-dependent and not clearly dissociable from one another. This holds implications especially in neurorehabilitation, where an intact neural region could be engaged to potentially compensate if another region is impaired. Future work should examine factors influencing interindividual variability during these processes.
Keywords: Visuomotor adaptation-learning, tDCS, Explicit learning, implicit learning, Cerebellum, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), Context-dependent learning
Failla, M. D., Moana-Filho, E. J., Essick, G. K., Baranek, G. T., Rogers, B. P., & Cascio, C. J. (2018). Initially intact neural responses to pain in autism are diminished during sustained pain. Autism, 22(6), 669-683. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317696043 Show abstract
Pain assessments typically depend on self-report of the pain experience. Yet, in individuals with autism spectrum disorders, this can be an unreliable due to communication difficulties. Importantly, observations of behavioral hypo- and hyperresponsivity to pain suggest altered pain sensitivity in autism spectrum disorder. Neuroimaging may provide insight into mechanisms underlying pain behaviors. The neural pain signature reliably responds to painful stimulation and is modulated by other outside regions, affecting the pain experience. In this first functional magnetic resonance imaging study of pain in autism spectrum disorder, we investigated neural responses to pain in 15 adults with autism spectrum disorder relative to a typical comparison group (n = 16). We explored temporal and spatial properties of the neural pain signature and its modulators during sustained heat pain. The two groups had indistinguishable pain ratings and neural pain signature responses during acute pain; yet, we observed strikingly reduced neural pain signature response in autism spectrum disorder during sustained pain and after stimulus offset. The posterior cingulate cortex, a neural pain signature modulating region, mirrored this late signal reduction in autism spectrum disorder. Intact early responses, followed by diminished late responses to sustained pain, may reflect altered pain coping or evaluation in autism spectrum disorder. Evidence of a dichotomous neural response to initial versus protracted pain may clarify the coexistence of both hypo- and hyperresponsiveness to pain in autism spectrum disorder.
Wong, C., Martínez, J., Fagan, B., & Leland, N. E. (2018). Understanding communication between rehabilitation practitioners and nurses: Implications for post-acute care quality. Journal of Applied Gerontology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464818794148 Show abstract
Objective. This study examined post-acute care (PAC) rehabilitation practitioner’s perspectives on communication.
Method. This is a secondary data analysis of a larger qualitative study, which included PAC rehabilitation provider (n = 99) focus groups that were held in a purposive sample of 13 skilled nursing facilities (SNFs).
Results. Participants emphasized the importance of bidirectional communication between rehabilitation and nursing. Three themes were identified: (a) communication between rehabilitation practitioners and registered nurses or licensed practical nurses, (b) communication between rehabilitation practitioners and certified nursing assistants, and (c) communication between rehabilitation practitioners and nursing leaders. Two subthemes within each of the three themes were further characterized to understand how information was exchanged: (a) static communication and (b) action-oriented communication.
Conclusion. Our findings highlight opportunities for better communication in PAC between rehabilitation practitioners and nursing and thus lay a foundation for future efforts to improve care coordination through enhancing interdisciplinary communication.
Gardner-Neblett, N., & Sideris, J. (2018). Different tales: The role of gender in the oral narrative-reading link among African American children. Child Development, 89(4), 1328-1342. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.12803 Show abstract
Evidence suggests that oral narrative skills are a linguistic strength for African American children, yet few studies have examined how these skills are associated with reading for African American boys and girls. The current study uses longitudinal data of a sample of 72 African American 4-year-olds to examine how preschool oral narrative skills predict reading from first through sixth grades and explores differences by gender. Findings indicate that although girls demonstrated stronger narrative skills, their narrative skills did not moderate change in reading. For boys, narrative skills moderated change in reading over time such that as preschool narrative skills increased, their reading scores showed greater change over time. Educational implications and directions for future research are discussed.
Costa, L.-J., Green, M., Sideris, J., & Hooper, S. R. (2018). First-grade cognitive predictors of writing disabilities in grades 2 through 4 elementary school students. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 51(4), 351-362. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022219417721182 Show abstract
The primary aim of this study was determining Grade 1 cognitive predictors of students at risk for writing disabilities in Grades 2 through 4. Applying cognitive measures selected to align with theoretical and empirical models of writing, tasks were administered to Grade 1 students assessing fine-motor, linguistic, and executive functions: 84 at risk (bottom quartile for age-base expectations) and 54 typically developing. A model with individual predictors was compared to a previously developed latent trait model to determine the relative predictive worth of each approach. Data analysis primarily involved stepwise logistic regression. Results revealed that the individual measures of orthographic choice, working memory, inhibitory control, visual memory recognition, and planning all were significant predictors of at risk status in Grades 2 through 4. The latent trait model also fared well but did not account for the same amount of variance as any of the individual measurement models for any of the grades. The findings lay the foundation for an empirically based approach to cognitive assessment in Grade 1 for identifying potential at-risk students in later elementary grades and suggest potential underlying neurocognitive abilities that could be employed with educational interventions for students with later-emerging writing disabilities.
Solomon, O., & Lawlor, M. C. (2018). Beyond V40.31: Narrative phenomenology of wandering in autism and dementia. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 42(2), 206–243. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11013-017-9562-7 Show abstract
Research on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and on Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and other types of dementia describes a behaviour called 'wandering', a term that denotes movement through space lacking intention or exact destination, as when a person is disoriented or not self-aware. In the U.S., 'wandering' in both ASD and AD has been examined mostly from a management and prevention perspective. It prioritizes safety while primarily overlooking personal experiences of those who 'wander' and their families, thus limiting the range of potentially effective strategies to address this issue. Communicative challenges faced by many people diagnosed with ASD and AD further obscure the experiential, existential aspects of 'wandering'. This article reflects an increasing concern of social science scholars interested in whether and how the conceptual and practical strategies to address 'wandering' are informed by the situated experiences of people with cognitive and developmental disabilities and their families. We examine 'wandering' at the intersections of personal experience, family life, clinical practice, public health policy, and legislation, as a conceptually rich site where notions of personhood, subjectivity, intentionality, and quality of life powerfully and consequentially converge to impact the lives of many people with ASD and AD, and their families. We draw upon critical autism studies describing how attributions of personhood, subjectivity, intentionality, rational agency, and moral autonomy of people with ASD have been contingent upon the norms and conventions governing movement of the human body through space (Hilton, Afr Am Rev 50(2):221-235, 2017). When this movement is deemed aberrant, the person may be construed as irrational, a danger to self because of a lack of self-awareness, and a danger to others because of a lack of empathy. These attributions put the person at risk of being excluded from the considerations and, more importantly, the obligations of the 'moral community' to ensure that he or she has a 'good human life' (Barnbaum, The Ethics of Autism: Among Them but not of Them. Indiana University Press, Bloomington, 2008; Silvers and Francis, Metaphilosophy 40(3/4):475-498, 2009). Using ethnographic, narrative phenomenological (Mattingly, The Paradox of Hope: Journeys through a Clinical Borderland. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010), and medical humanities (Charon, JAMA 286:1897-1902, 2001; Narrative Medicine: Honoring the Stories of Illness. New York: Oxford University Press, 2006) approaches, we examine multiple perspectives on 'wandering' in ASD and AD across narrative discourse genres, institutional contexts, and media of representation. We argue for an extension of the prevention and management view to focus not only on safety but also on what phenomenologist Merleau-Ponty (1962) called "having a world" (p. 146). The analysis is intended to inform clinical practice, policy and public health efforts to enhance understanding of first and second person perspectives on 'wandering' in order to improve the participation and quality of life of people with ASD and AD who 'wander', and their families.
Aldrich, R. M. (2018). Strengthening associated living: A Deweyan approach to occupational justice. Journal of Occupational Science, 25(3), 337-345. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2018.1484386 Show abstract
The transactional perspective informed by John Dewey’s philosophy continues to mature in occupational science. Scholars have called for more attention to the community orientation within a transactional perspective, necessitating deeper engagement with Dewey’s political writings. As a contribution to that effort, this article outlines Dewey’s political philosophy and connects his notions of occupation and associated living with his broader ideas about freedom, equality, growth, and justice. Dewey’s enduring attention to democracy throughout his career established a particular function for occupation vis-à-vis the intentionally constructed social relations that constitute associated living. Culminating in his vision of a Great Community, Dewey’s focus on the conditions of associated living provides compelling directions for thinking about and pursuing occupational justice.
Aldrich, R. M., Gupta, J., & Laliberte Rudman, D. (2018). “Academic innovation in service of” what? The scope of North American occupational science doctoral graduates’ contributions from 1994–2015. Journal of Occupational Science, 25(2), 270-282. https://doi.org/10.1080/14427591.2017.1365257 Show abstract
More than 100 people have graduated with occupational science doctoral degrees in North America. Accordingly, there is a body of work that can be examined to assess what qualities have characterized doctoral-level occupational science inquiry to-date. In this preliminary study, we performed a directed content analysis of 101 dissertation abstracts published between 1994 and 2015 from four occupational science doctoral programs in the United States and Canada. Our analysis explored the extent to which the 101 doctoral studies, as evidenced by their abstracts, directly contributed to knowledge of occupation or humans as occupational beings. Our findings suggested that 40 studies made a direct contribution, 29 made an indirect contribution, and 32 made no contribution to the study of occupation or humans as occupational beings. Additional analyses revealed that studies in the direct and indirect categories relied heavily (80% and 69%, respectively) on qualitative methodologies, whereas studies in the no contribution category were more evenly split across qualitative (37%) and quantitative (47%) methodologies. A variety of topics and themes characterized studies in each category, and further research on 92 doctoral students’ post-graduation publications showed that 50 made contributions to occupational science’s knowledge base through published articles or book chapters. The findings from this preliminary inquiry provide a basis to critically reflect on the goals, outcomes, and functions of occupational science doctoral education as well as how the discipline has developed through doctoral work within evolving academic, scientific, and political landscapes.
Rafeedie, S., Metzler, C., & Lamb, A. J. (2018). Opportunities for occupational therapy to serve as a catalyst for culture change in nursing facilities. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(4), 7204090010p1-7204090010p6. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.724003 Show abstract
Ensuring that older adults are receiving quality and effective rehabilitation and skilled nursing services must be a priority to society and to the health care system, but health care policies and systems driving reimbursement continue to challenge the delivery of services. A review of the literature indicates significant problems among residents of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) that could be alleviated by meaningful occupational therapy. Research and practice in the occupational therapy community should focus on this large area of practice. Advocacy by individual practitioners—challenging themselves and others to provide more patient-centered care—can lead to changes that benefit clients, facilities, and payment systems as well as contribute to career satisfaction of occupational therapy practitioners. Occupational therapy can and should serve as catalyst for culture change in SNFs by providing meaningful interventions and opportunities that support engagement and health.
Nowell, S. W., Watson, L. R., Faldowski, R. A., & Baranek, G. T. (2018). An initial psychometric evaluation of the Joint Attention Protocol. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(6), 1932–1944. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3458-9 Show abstract
The goal of this paper is to examine the psychometric properties of a live-coded behavioral measure of joint attention, the Attention-Following and Initiating Joint Attention Protocol (JA Protocol), in order to assist researchers and clinicians in identifying when this measure may meet their joint attention assessment needs. Data from 260 children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, or typical development between the ages of 2 and 12 years were used to evaluate this measure using quality standards for measurement. Overall, the JA Protocol demonstrated good psychometric properties. Recommendations and limitations for use of this measure based on psychometric analysis results are reported.
Zhang, W., Baranek, G. T., & Boyd, B. (2018). Brief report: Factors associated with emergency department visits for epilepsy among children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(5), 1854-1860. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3433-5 Show abstract
We examined how demographic and clinical characteristics differ between emergency department (ED) visits for epilepsy (EP cohort) and ED visits for other reasons (non-EP cohort) in children with ASD. The data were drawn from the 2009 and 2010 Nationwide Emergency Department Sample. We performed both univariate and multivariate analyses to compare and contrast similarities and differences between EP cohort and non-EP cohort among children with ASD. The results showed ED visits in EP cohort were more likely to occur among adolescents aged 13–17 years, less likely to occur among children with co-occurring psychiatric conditions, and were more likely to co-occur with injury. We discussed some unique challenges for managing children with both ASD and epilepsy.
Aziz-Zadeh, L., Kilroy, E., & Corcelli, G. (2018). Understanding activation patterns in shared circuits: Toward a value driven model. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 12, 180. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2018.00180 Show abstract
Over the past decade many studies indicate that we utilize our own motor system to understand the actions of other people. This mirror neuron system (MNS) has been proposed to be involved in social cognition and motor learning. However, conflicting findings regarding the underlying mechanisms that drive these shared circuits make it difficult to decipher a common model of their function. Here we propose adapting a “value-driven” model to explain discrepancies in the human mirror system literature and to incorporate this model with existing models. We will use this model to explain discrepant activation patterns in multiple shared circuits in the human data, such that a unified model may explain reported activation patterns from previous studies as a function of value.
Gerlach, A. J., Teachman, G., Laliberte Rudman, D., Aldrich, R. M., & Huot, S. (2018). Expanding beyond individualism: Engaging critical perspectives on occupation. Scandinavian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 25(1), 35-43. https://doi.org/10.1080/11038128.2017.1327616 Show abstract
Background: Perspectives that individualize occupation are poorly aligned with socially responsive and transformative occupation-focused research, education, and practice. Their predominant use in occupational therapy risks the perpetuation, rather than resolution, of occupational inequities.
Aim: In this paper, we problematize taken-for-granted individualistic analyses of occupation and illustrate how critical theoretical perspectives can reveal the ways in which structural factors beyond an individual’s immediate control and environment shape occupational possibilities and occupational engagement.
Method: Using a critically reflexive approach, we draw on three distinct qualitative research studies to examine the potential of critical theorizing for expanding beyond a reliance on individualistic analyses and practices.
Results: Our studies highlight the importance of addressing the socio-historical and political contexts of occupation and demonstrate the contribution of critical perspectives to socially responsive occupational therapy.
Conclusion and significance: In expanding beyond individualistic analyses of occupation, critical perspectives advance research and practices towards addressing socio-political mediators of occupational engagement and equity.
Ito, K. L., Kumar, A., Zavaliangos-Petropulu, A., Cramer, S. C., & Liew, S.-L. (2018). Pipeline for Analyzing Lesions After Stroke (PALS). Frontiers in Neuroinformatics, 12, 63. https://doi.org/10.3389/fninf.2018.00063 Show abstract
Lesion analyses are critical for drawing insights about stroke injury and recovery, and their importance is underscored by growing efforts to collect and combine stroke neuroimaging data across research sites. However, while there are numerous processing pipelines for neuroimaging data in general, few can be smoothly applied to stroke data due to complications analyzing the lesioned region. As researchers often use their own tools or manual methods for stroke MRI analysis, this could lead to greater errors and difficulty replicating findings over time and across sites. Rigorous analysis protocols and quality control pipelines are thus urgently needed for stroke neuroimaging. To this end, we created the Pipeline for Analyzing Lesions after Stroke (PALS; DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1266980), a scalable and user-friendly toolbox to facilitate and ensure quality in stroke research using T1-weighted MRIs. The PALS toolbox offers four modules integrated into a single pipeline, including (1) reorientation to radiological convention, (2) lesion correction for healthy white matter voxels, (3) lesion load calculation, and (4) visual quality control. In the present paper, we discuss each module and provide validation and example cases of our toolbox using multi-site data. Importantly, we also show that lesion correction with PALS significantly improves similarity between manual lesion segmentations by different tracers (z=3.43, p=0.0018). PALS can be found online at https://github.com/npnl/PALS. Future work will expand the PALS capabilities to include multimodal stroke imaging. We hope PALS will be a useful tool for the stroke neuroimaging community and foster new clinical insights.
Harris, R., Gibbs, D., Mangin-Heimos, K., & Pineda, R. (2018). Maternal mental health during the neonatal period: Relationships to the occupation of parenting. Early Human Development, 120, 31-39. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2018.03.009 Show abstract
Purpose. To (1) examine the extent of a range of early mental health challenges in mothers with a very preterm infant hospitalized in the NICU and mothers of full-term infants, (2) identify family social background and infant medical factors associated with higher levels of maternal psychological distress, and (3) assess the relationship between maternal psychological distress and maternal perceptions of the parenting role, parenting confidence and NICU engagement.
Methods. At hospital discharge 37 mothers of very preterm infants (≤32 weeks gestation) and 47 mothers of full-term infants (≥37 weeks gestation) completed structured assessments of their psychological wellbeing and transition to parenting. Mothers of very preterm infants were also questioned about their NICU visitation and involvement in infant care.
Results. Sixty-four percent (n = 54) of mothers experienced psychological distress (n = 26, 70% of preterm; n = 28, 60% of full-term). Lower infant birthweight was associated with maternal psychological distress (p = .03). Mothers of very preterm infants had significantly more psychological distress related to having a Cesarean section delivery (p = .02). Higher levels of psychological distress were associated with lower levels of parenting confidence in mothers of both very preterm and full-term infants (p < .02).
Conclusion. Although parents of very preterm infants have higher rates of maternal mental health challenges, mothers of full-term infants at high social risk are also impacted.
Keywords. Postnatal; Parenting; Psychology; NICU; Preterm
Pineda, R., Luong, A., Ryckman, J., & Smith, J. (2018). Pacifier use in newborns: related to socioeconomic status but not to early feeding performance. Acta Paediatrica, 107(5), 806-810. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.14253 Show abstract
Aim. Mothers are often advised not to use pacifiers until breastfeeding has been well‐established. This study determined the infant and social factors that were related to pacifier use during the first few days of life and whether it led to alterations in feeding performance.
Methods. We enroled 51 full‐term infants and their mothers at Barnes‐Jewish Hospital in urban St. Louis, USA, in 2015. Before they were discharged the mothers completed a questionnaire, and infant feeding was assessed using a standardised assessment.
Results. There were 24 (47%) infants who used a pacifier during the first few days of life and seven (29%) of these were exclusively breastfed. Pacifier use was less common among mothers who exclusively breastfed (p = 0.04). Pacifier use was more common among mothers whose income was less than 25 000 US dollars (p = 0.02), who were single (p = 0.002) and who did not have a college education (p = 0.03). No associations between pacifier use and feeding performance were observed.
Conclusion. While lower socioeconomic status was related to pacifier use, feeding performance in the first few days of life was no different between those infants who did and did not use pacifiers after a full‐term birth.
Liew, S.-L., Garrison, K. A., Ito, K. L., Heydari, P., Sobhani, M., Werner, J., Damasio, H., Winstein, C. J., & Aziz-Zadeh, L. (2018). Laterality of poststroke cortical motor activity during action observation is related to hemispheric dominance. Neural Plasticity, 2018, 3524960. https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/3524960 Show abstract
Background. Increased activity in the lesioned hemisphere has been related to improved poststroke motor recovery. However, the role of the dominant hemisphere—and its relationship to activity in the lesioned hemisphere—has not been widely explored.
Objective. Here, we examined whether the dominant hemisphere drives the lateralization of brain activity after stroke and whether this changes based on if the lesioned hemisphere is the dominant hemisphere or not.
Methods. We used fMRI to compare cortical motor activity in the action observation network (AON), motor-related regions that are active both during the observation and execution of an action, in 36 left hemisphere dominant individuals. Twelve individuals had nondominant, right hemisphere stroke, twelve had dominant, left-hemisphere stroke, and twelve were healthy age-matched controls. We previously found that individuals with left dominant stroke show greater ipsilesional activity during action observation. Here, we examined if individuals with nondominant, right hemisphere stroke also showed greater lateralized activity in the ipsilesional, right hemisphere or in the dominant, left hemisphere and compared these results with those of individuals with dominant, left hemisphere stroke.
Results. We found that individuals with right hemisphere stroke showed greater activity in the dominant, left hemisphere, rather than the ipsilesional, right hemisphere. This left-lateralized pattern matched that of individuals with left, dominant hemisphere stroke, and both stroke groups differed from the age-matched control group.
Conclusions. These findings suggest that action observation is lateralized to the dominant, rather than ipsilesional, hemisphere, which may reflect an interaction between the lesioned hemisphere and the dominant hemisphere in driving lateralization of brain activity after stroke. Hemispheric dominance and laterality should be carefully considered when characterizing poststroke neural activity.
Pyatak, E. A., Carandang, K., Vigen, C. L., Blanchard, J., Díaz, J., Concha-Chavez, A., Sequeira, P. A., Wood, J. R., Whittemore, R., Spruijt-Metz, D., & Peters, A. L. (2018). Occupational therapy intervention improves glycemic control and quality of life among young adults with diabetes: The Resilient, Empowered, Active Living With Diabetes (REAL Diabetes) randomized controlled trial. Diabetes Care, 41(4), 696-704. https://doi.org/10.2337/dc17-1634 Show abstract
Objective. To assess the efficacy of a manualized occupational therapy (OT) intervention (Resilient, Empowered, Active Living with Diabetes [REAL Diabetes]) to improve glycemic control and psychosocial well-being among ethnically diverse young adults with low socioeconomic status (SES) who have type 1 or type 2 diabetes.
Research Design and Methods. Eighty-one young adults (age 22.6 ± 3.5 years; hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c] = 10.8%/95 mmol/mol ± 1.9%/20.8 mmol/mol) were randomly assigned to the REAL Diabetes intervention group (IG) or an attention control group (CG) over 6 months. IG participants received biweekly sessions guided by a manual composed of seven content modules; CG participants received standardized educational materials and biweekly phone calls. Blinded assessors collected data at baseline and 6 months. The primary outcome was HbA1c; secondary outcomes included diabetes self-care, diabetes-related quality of life (QOL), diabetes distress, depressive symptoms, and life satisfaction. Change scores were analyzed using Wilcoxon rank sum tests.
Results. Intent-to-treat analyses showed that IG participants showed significant improvement in HbA1c (-0.57%/6.2 mmol/mol vs. +0.36%/3.9 mmol/mol, P = 0.01), diabetes-related QOL (+0.7 vs. +0.15, P = 0.04), and habit strength for checking blood glucose (+3.9 vs. +1.7, P = 0.05) as compared with CG participants. There was no statistically significant effect modification by sex, ethnicity, diabetes type, recruitment site, or SES. No study-related serious adverse events were reported.
Conclusions. The REAL Diabetes intervention improved blood glucose control and diabetes-related QOL among a typically hard-to-reach population, thus providing evidence that a structured OT intervention may be beneficial in improving both clinical and psychosocial outcomes among individuals with diabetes.
de Pierrefeu, A., Fovet, T., Hadj‐Selem, F., Löfstedt, T., Ciuciu, P., Lefebvre, S., Thomas, P., Lopes, R., Jardri, R., & Duchesnay, E. (2018). Prediction of activation patterns preceding hallucinations in patients with schizophrenia using machine learning with structured sparsity. Human Brain Mapping, 39(4), 1777-1788. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.23953 Show abstract
Despite significant progress in the field, the detection of fMRI signal changes during hallucinatory events remains difficult and time‐consuming. This article first proposes a machine‐learning algorithm to automatically identify resting‐state fMRI periods that precede hallucinations versus periods that do not. When applied to whole‐brain fMRI data, state‐of‐the‐art classification methods, such as support vector machines (SVM), yield dense solutions that are difficult to interpret. We proposed to extend the existing sparse classification methods by taking the spatial structure of brain images into account with structured sparsity using the total variation penalty. Based on this approach, we obtained reliable classifying performances associated with interpretable predictive patterns, composed of two clearly identifiable clusters in speech‐related brain regions. The variation in transition‐to‐hallucination functional patterns not only from one patient to another but also from one occurrence to the next (e.g., also depending on the sensory modalities involved) appeared to be the major difficulty when developing effective classifiers. Consequently, second, this article aimed to characterize the variability within the prehallucination patterns using an extension of principal component analysis with spatial constraints. The principal components (PCs) and the associated basis patterns shed light on the intrinsic structures of the variability present in the dataset. Such results are promising in the scope of innovative fMRI‐guided therapy for drug‐resistant hallucinations, such as fMRI‐based neurofeedback.
Odom, S. L., Cox, A., Sideris, J., Hume, K. A., Hedges, S., Kucharczyk, S., Shaw, E., Boyd, B. A., Reszka, S., & Neitzel, J. (2018). Assessing quality of program environments for children and youth with autism: Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS). Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 913–924. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3379-7 Show abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Autism Program Environment Rating Scale (APERS), an instrument designed to assess quality of program environments for students with autism spectrum disorder. Data sets from two samples of public school programs that provided services to children and youth with autism spectrum disorder were utilized. Cronbach alpha analyses indicated high coefficients of internal consistency for the total APERS and moderate levels for item domains for the first data set, which was replicated with the second data set. A factor analysis of the first data set indicated that all domain scores loaded on one main factor, in alignment with the conceptual model, with this finding being replicated in the second data set. Also, the APERS was sensitive to changes resulting from a professional development program designed to promote program quality.
Pineda, R., Harris, R., Foci, F., Roussin, J., & Wallendorf, M. (2018). Neonatal Eating Outcome Assessment: tool development and inter‐rater reliability. Acta Paediatrica, 107(3), 414-424. https://doi.org/10.1111/apa.14128 Show abstract
Aim. To define the process of tool development and revision for the Neonatal Eating Outcome (NEO) Assessment and to report preliminary inter‐rater reliability.
Methods. Tool development consisted of a review of the literature and observations of feeding performance among 178 preterm infants born ≤32 weeks gestation. 11 neonatal therapy feeding experts provided structured feedback to establish content validity and define the scoring matrix. The tool was then used to evaluate feeding in 50 preterm infants born ≤32 weeks of gestation and 50 full‐term infants. Multiple revisions occurred at each stage of development. Finally, six neonatal occupational therapists participated in reliability testing by independently scoring five videos of oral feeding of preterm infants using version 4 of the tool.
Results. The intraclass correlation for the ‘prefeeding’ score was 0.71 (0.37–0.96), and the intraclass correlation for the ‘total’ score was 0.83 (0.56–0.98).
Conclusion. The ‘total’ score had good to excellent reliability. Fleiss’ Kappa scores for all 18 scorable items ranged from slight agreement to moderate agreement. Items with the lowest Kappa scores were revised, and additional feedback from therapists engaged in reliability testing was incorporated, resulting in final version 5.
Weigensberg, M. J., Vigen, C., Sequeira, P., Spruijt-Metz, D., Juarez, M., Florindez, D., Provisor, J., Peters, A., & Pyatak, E. A. (2018). Diabetes Empowerment Council: Integrative Pilot Intervention for Transitioning Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes. Global Advances in Health and Medicine. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/2164956118761808 Show abstract
Background. The transition of young adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) from pediatric to adult care is challenging and frequently accompanied by worsening of diabetes-related health. To date, there are no reports which prospectively assess the effects of theory-based psycho-behavioral interventions during the transition period neither on glycemic control nor on psychosocial factors that contribute to poor glycemic control. Therefore, the overall aim of this study was to develop and pilot test an integrative group intervention based on the underlying principles of self-determination theory (SDT), in young adults with T1D.
Methods. Fifty-one young adults with T1D participated in an education and case management-based transition program, of which 9 took part in the Diabetes Empowerment Council (DEC), a 12-week holistic, multimodality facilitated group intervention consisting of “council” process based on indigenous community practices, stress-reduction guided imagery, narrative medicine modalities, simple ritual, and other integrative modalities. Feasibility, acceptability, potential mechanism of effects, and bio-behavioral outcomes were determined using mixed qualitative and quantitative methods.
Results. The intervention was highly acceptable to participants, though presented significant feasibility challenges. Participants in DEC showed significant reductions in perceived stress and depression, and increases in general well-being relative to other control participants. Reduction in perceived stress, independent of intervention group, was associated with reductions in hemoglobin A1C. A theoretical model explaining the effects of the intervention included the promotion of relatedness and autonomy support, 2 important aspects of SDT.
Conclusions. The DEC is a promising group intervention for young adults with T1D going through transition to adult care. Future investigations will be necessary to resolve feasibility issues, optimize the multimodality intervention, determine full intervention effects, and fully test the role of the underlying theoretical model of action.
Angell, A. M., & Solomon, O. (2018). Understanding parents’ concerns about their children with autism taking public school transportation in Los Angeles County. Autism, 22(4), 401-413. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361316680182 Show abstract
There are a number of recent US news media reports of children and youth with autism becoming lost, injured, or even dying while taking public school transportation, yet research on this problem is scarce. This ethnographic study examines the experiences of 14 parents whose children with autism take public school transportation in Los Angeles County. We present two case studies of children with autism being “lost” while in transit from school to home on the bus to (1) describe how the situation was experienced, responded to, and managed by the parents; (2) consider three interrelated themes that emerged from interviews with 14 parents, related to children’s safety, independence, and participation, across multiple contexts and analytic levels; and (3) discuss the findings in relation to US news media reports of incidents involving children with autism on school buses to identify specific weaknesses in school transportation infrastructure, particularly in the context of privatization, that create conditions in which children with autism can “fall through the cracks” in potentially life-threatening ways. We argue that there is a critical need to address transportation accessibility for individuals on the autism spectrum to ensure their safety and support their independence and community participation.
Juang, C., Knight, B. G., Carlson, M., Schepens Niemiec, S. L., Vigen, C., & Clark, F. A. (2018). Understanding the mechanisms of change in a lifestyle intervention for older adults. The Gerontologist, 58(2), 353–361. https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnw152 Show abstract
Purpose of the Study. This study investigated the mechanisms of change underlying an activity-based lifestyle intervention, an occupational therapy program aimed at promoting healthy habits, and routines in older adults. We examined two activity-relevant factors as potential mediators linking the intervention to reduced symptoms of depression: activity frequency and global perceptions of activity significance. Social connections and perceived control were assessed to understand how activity-related factors relate to reduced symptoms of depression.
Design and Methods. The sample consisted of 460 multiethnic community-dwelling older adults aged 60-95 years. Participants were randomly assigned to a 6-month lifestyle redesign intervention (n = 232) or a no-treatment control (n = 228) condition. After the 6-month period, 360 individuals completed post-testing. Latent change score models were used to represent changes from baseline over the experimental interval. Structural equation models were applied to examine the indirect effects of the intervention on reduced depressive symptoms.
Results. The results demonstrated significant indirect effects from intervention receipt to decreased depressive symptoms via increased activity frequency and activity significance. Higher activity frequency was linked to fewer depressive symptoms via heightened social connections, whereas increased activity significance was associated with fewer depressive symptoms via enhanced perceived control.
Implications. The results support basic principles of occupational therapy by highlighting important mediating roles of activity frequency and activity significance in reducing depressive symptoms. Understanding of these change mechanisms can help optimize activity-centered interventions to reduce depressive symptoms.
Baranek, G. T., Woynaroski, T. G., Nowell, S., Turner-Brown, L., DuBay, M., Crais, E. R., & Watson, L. R. (2018). Cascading effects of attention disengagement and sensory seeking on social symptoms in a community sample of infants at-risk for a future diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience, 29, 30-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2017.08.006 Show abstract
Recent work suggests sensory seeking predicts later social symptomatology through reduced social orienting in infants who are at high-risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on their status as younger siblings of children diagnosed with ASD. We drew on extant longitudinal data from a community sample of at-risk infants who were identified at 12 months using the First Year Inventory, and followed to 3–5 years. We replicate findings of Damiano et al. (in this issue) that a) high-risk infants who go on to be diagnosed with ASD show heightened sensory seeking in the second year of life relative to those who do not receive a diagnosis, and b) increased sensory seeking indirectly relates to later social symptomatology via reduced social orienting. We extend previous findings to show that sensory seeking has more clinical utility later in the second year of life (20–24 months) than earlier (13–15 months). Further, this study suggests that diminished attention disengagement at 12–15 months may precede and predict increased sensory seeking at 20–24 months. Findings add support for the notion that sensory features produce cascading effects on social development in infants at risk for ASD, and suggest that reduced attention disengagement early in life may set off this cascade.
Nagamori, A., Laine, C. M., & Valero-Cuevas, F. J. (2018). Cardinal features of involuntary force variability can arise from the closed-loop control of viscoelastic afferented muscles. PLOS Computational Biology, 14(1), e1005884. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pcbi.1005884 Show abstract
Involuntary force variability below 15 Hz arises from, and is influenced by, many factors including descending neural drive, proprioceptive feedback, and mechanical properties of muscles and tendons. However, their potential interactions that give rise to the well-structured spectrum of involuntary force variability are not well understood due to a lack of experimental techniques. Here, we investigated the generation, modulation, and interactions among different sources of force variability using a physiologically-grounded closed-loop simulation of an afferented muscle model. The closed-loop simulation included a musculotendon model, muscle spindle, Golgi tendon organ (GTO), and a tracking controller which enabled target-guided force tracking. We demonstrate that closed-loop control of an afferented musculotendon suffices to replicate and explain surprisingly many cardinal features of involuntary force variability. Specifically, we present 1) a potential origin of low-frequency force variability associated with co-modulation of motor unit firing rates (i.e.,‘common drive’), 2) an in-depth characterization of how proprioceptive feedback pathways suffice to generate 5-12 Hz physiological tremor, and 3) evidence that modulation of those feedback pathways (i.e., presynaptic inhibition of Ia and Ib afferents, and spindle sensitivity via fusimotor drive) influence the full spectrum of force variability. These results highlight the previously underestimated importance of closed-loop neuromechanical interactions in explaining involuntary force variability during voluntary ‘isometric’ force control. Furthermore, these results provide the basis for a unifying theory that relates spinal circuitry to various manifestations of altered involuntary force variability in fatigue, aging and neurological disease.
Eglseder, K., Webb, S., & Rennie, M. (2018). Sexual functioning in occupational therapy education: A survey of programs. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.1446 Show abstract
Despite the importance of sexuality to overall quality of life and well-being for individuals with disabilities, occupational therapy practitioners continue to under-address this issue. One possibility for the lack of attention in this area is the comfort and knowledge level of practitioners. In their seminal work, Payne, Greer, and Corbin (1988) surveyed occupational therapy programs in the United States in an effort to identify the amount of sexuality education provided. This study was aimed at identifying current trends in the provision of sexuality education for occupational therapy students. Despite the nearly 30-year gap in this area of research, and the societal changes related to sexuality, findings suggest that there has been little advancement in the area of sexuality in occupational therapy curricula. Implications for occupational therapy practice and future education are discussed.
Halle, A. D., Mroz, T. M., Fogelberg, D. J., & Leland, N. E. (2018). Health policy perspectives—Occupational therapy and primary care: Updates and trends. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(3), 7203090010p1-7203090010p6. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.723001 Show abstract
As our health care system continues to change, so do the opportunities for occupational therapy. This article provides an update to a 2012 Health Policy Perspectives on this topic. We identify new initiatives and opportunities in primary care, explore common challenges to integrating occupational therapy in primary care environments, and highlight international works that can support our efforts. We conclude by discussing next steps for occupational therapy practitioners in order to continue to progress our efforts in primary care.
Schertz, H. H., Odom, S. L., Baggett, K. M., & Sideris, J. H. (2018). Mediating parent learning to promote social communication for toddlers with autism: Effects from a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(3), 853–867. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3386-8 Show abstract
A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate effects of the Joint Attention Mediated Learning (JAML) intervention. Toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) aged 16–30 months (n = 144) were randomized to intervention and community control conditions. Parents, who participated in 32 weekly home-based sessions, followed a mediated learning process to target preverbal social communication outcomes (social visual synchrony, reciprocity, and responding and initiating forms of joint attention) throughout daily interactions. The analysis found post-intervention effects for all outcomes, with all except initiating joint attention sustaining 6 months post-intervention. Findings support the value of very early intervention targeting explicitly social functions of preverbal communication and of promoting active engagement in the learning process for both toddlers and parents.
Carandang, K. M., & Pyatak, E. A. (2018). Feasibility of a manualized occupation-based diabetes management intervention. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(2), 7202345040p1–7202345040p6. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.021790 Show abstract
Objective. We investigated the feasibility and acceptability of an occupational therapy intervention targeting diabetes management for underserved young adults.
Method. Eight participants completed the intervention and a battery of assessments at baseline and after the intervention. At completion, the participants and occupational therapist were interviewed about their experiences with the study. Four categories of assessment questions were used to guide the study: process, resource, management, and scientific.
Results. Successes included recruitment; fulfillment of tasks by staff and partnering clinics; adequate space, financial support, and equipment; and meaningfulness of the intervention for participants. Challenges included scheduling participants for the intervention and follow-up focus groups and providing client centeredness and flexibility while reducing burden on the intervener.
Conclusion. This feasibility study allowed us to make necessary revisions to our study protocol before implementing a larger pilot study.
Cogan, A. M., & Carlson, M. (2018). Deciphering participation: An interpretive synthesis of its meaning and application in rehabilitation. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(22), 2692-2703. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2017.1342282 Show abstract
Purpose. Participation is widely recognized as an important outcome for rehabilitation. However, it lacks a universally accepted definition. The purpose of this review is to synthesize the literature about participation in rehabilitation in order to clarify the term and increase its usefulness for rehabilitation providers and researchers.
Methods. We undertook an interpretive synthesis of the literature, drawing from a broad and varied selection of the vast number of publications on the subject of participation. The search and analysis was iterative and continued until saturation of themes was achieved.
Results and Conclusions. Seventy-six articles were included in our analysis. We argue that three essential dimensions — performance, subjective experience, and interpersonal connection — constitute participation. We further divide participation into community-based and interventional contexts. Interventional participation is circumscribed by the treatment setting, whereas community-based encompasses all other areas. Participation in either interventional or community-based contexts is largely determined by the available opportunities from which a person can choose, with such opportunities affected by conditions that are either internal or external to the individual. As defined in this framework, participation is not inherently good or bad; rather, its effect is determined by a person's unique life circumstances and the impact may not always be apparent. We posit this model as a resource for future research as well as clinical reasoning.
Implications for Rehabilitation. The often tacit assumption that increasing participation is a desirable outcome needs to be challenged and considered in each patient's life situation. Treatment settings constitute a unique context in which patients participate. Intervention goals should be clearly connected with patients' personal goals for community-based participation.
Leland, N. E., Lepore, M., Wong, C., Chang, S. H., Freeman, L., Crum, K., Gillies, H., & Nash, P. (2018). Delivering high quality hip fracture rehabilitation: The perspective of occupational and physical therapy practitioners. Disability and Rehabilitation, 40(6), 646-654. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2016.1273973 Show abstract
Aim. The majority of post-acute hip fracture rehabilitation in the US is delivered in skilled nursing facilities (SNFs). Currently, there are limited guidelines that equip occupational and physical therapy practitioners with a summary of what constitutes evidence-based high quality rehabilitation. Thus, this study aimed to identify rehabilitation practitioners' perspectives on the practices that constitute high quality hip fracture rehabilitation.
Methods. Focus groups were conducted with 99 occupational and physical therapy practitioners working in SNFs in southern California. Purposive sampling of facilities was conducted to capture variation in key characteristics known to impact care delivery for this patient population (e.g., financial resources, staffing, and patient case-mix). Questions aimed to elicit practitioners' perspectives on high quality hip fracture rehabilitation practices. Each session was audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were systematically analyzed using a modified grounded theory approach.
Results. Seven themes emerged: objectives of care; first 72h; positioning, pain, and precautions; use of standardized assessments; episode of care practices; facilitating insight into progress; and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Conclusions. Clinical guidelines are critical tools to facilitate clinical decision-making and achieve desired patient outcomes. The findings of this study highlight the practitioners' perspective on what constitutes high quality hip fracture rehabilitation. This work provides critical information to advance the development of stakeholder-driven rehabilitation clinical guidelines. Future research is needed to verify the findings from other stakeholders (e.g., patients), ensure the alignment of our findings with current evidence, and develop measures for evaluating their delivery and relationship to desired outcomes. Implications for Rehabilitation This study highlights occupational and physiotherapy therapy practitioners' perspectives on the cumulative best practices that reflect high quality care, which should be delivered during hip fracture rehabilitation. While this study was limited to two professions within the broader interdisciplinary team, consistently occupational and physiotherapy therapy practitioners situated their role and practices within the team, emphasizing that high quality care was driven by collaboration among all members of the team as well as the patient and caregivers. Future research needs to evaluate the (a) frequency at which these practices are delivered and the relationship to patient-centered outcomes, and (b) perspectives of rehabilitation practitioners working in other PAC settings, patients, caregivers, as well as the other members of the interdisciplinary PAC team.
Chistol, L. T., Bandini, L. G., Must, A., Phillips, S., Cermak, S. A., & Curtin, C. (2018). Sensory sensitivity and food selectivity in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48(2), 583-591. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3340-9 Show abstract
Few studies have compared atypical sensory characteristics and food selectivity between children with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We compared oral sensory processing between children with (n = 53) and without ASD (n = 58), ages 3–11 years. We also examined the relationships between atypical oral sensory processing, food selectivity, and fruit/vegetable consumption in children with ASD. We found that more children with ASD presented with atypical sensory processing than children without ASD. Among children with ASD, those with atypical oral sensory sensitivity refused more foods and ate fewer vegetables than those with typical oral sensory sensitivity. The findings suggest that efforts to address food selectivity in children with ASD may be enhanced by including strategies that address oral sensory processing.
Liew, S.-L., Anglin, J. M., Banks, N. W., Sondag, M., Ito, K. L., Kim, H., Chan, J., Ito, J., Jung, C., Khoshab, N., Lefebvre, S., Nakamura, W., Saldana, D., Schmiesing, A., Tran, C., Vo, D., Ard, T., Heydari, P., Kim, B., Aziz-Zadeh, L., Cramer, S. C., Liu, J., Soekadar, S., Nordvik, J.-E., Westlye, L. T., Wang, J., Winstein, C., Yu, C., Ai, L., Koo, B., Craddock, R. C., Milham, M., Lakich, M., Pienta, A., & Stroud, A. (2018). A large, open source dataset of stroke anatomical brain images and manual lesion segmentations. Scientific Data, 5, 180011. https://doi.org/10.1038/sdata.2018.11 Show abstract
Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability worldwide, with up to two-thirds of individuals experiencing long-term disabilities. Large-scale neuroimaging studies have shown promise in identifying robust biomarkers (e.g., measures of brain structure) of long-term stroke recovery following rehabilitation. However, analyzing large rehabilitation-related datasets is problematic due to barriers in accurate stroke lesion segmentation. Manually-traced lesions are currently the gold standard for lesion segmentation on T1-weighted MRIs, but are labor intensive and require anatomical expertise. While algorithms have been developed to automate this process, the results often lack accuracy. Newer algorithms that employ machine-learning techniques are promising, yet these require large training datasets to optimize performance. Here we present ATLAS (Anatomical Tracings of Lesions After Stroke), an open-source dataset of 304 T1-weighted MRIs with manually segmented lesions and metadata. This large, diverse dataset can be used to train and test lesion segmentation algorithms and provides a standardized dataset for comparing the performance of different segmentation methods. We hope ATLAS release 1.1 will be a useful resource to assess and improve the accuracy of current lesion segmentation methods.
Pineda, R., Bender, J., Hall, B., Shabosky, L., Annecca, A., & Smith, J. (2018). Parent participation in the neonatal intensive care unit: Predictors and relationships to neurobehavior and developmental outcomes. Early Human Development, 117, 32-38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earlhumdev.2017.12.008 Show abstract
Objective. To 1) define predictors of parent presence, any holding, holding in arms, and skin-to-skin care in the NICU and 2) investigate the relationships between parent participation and a) early neurobehavior and b) developmental outcomes at age 4 to 5 years among preterm infants.
Methods. Eighty-one preterm infants born ≤ 32 weeks estimated gestational age were prospectively enrolled within one week of life in a level III–IV NICU. Parent (maternal and paternal) presence and holding (including holding in arms and skin-to-skin care) were tracked throughout NICU hospitalization. Neurobehavior at term equivalent age and development at 4 to 5 years were determined using standardized assessments.
Results. The median number of days per week parents were documented to be present over NICU hospitalization was 4.0 (IQR = 2.4–5.8) days; days held per week 2.8 (IQR = 1.4–4.3) days [holding in arms days per week was 2.2 (IQR = 1.2–3.2) days and parent skin-to-skin care days per week was 0.2 (IQR = 0.0–0.7) days]. More parent presence was observed among mothers who were Caucasian, married, older, or employed and among those who had fewer children, familial support and provided breast milk (p < 0.05). More holding was observed in infants with fewer medical interventions (p < 0.05) and among those who were Caucasian, had a father who was employed, had fewer children and family support (p < 0.05). More parent holding in the NICU was related to better reflex development at term age (p = 0.02). More parent skin-to-skin care was related to better infant reflexes (p = 0.03) and less asymmetry (p = 0.04) at term and better gross motor development (p = 0.02) at 4–5 years.
Discussion. Social and medical factors appear to impact parent presence, holding, and skin-to-skin care in the NICU. Parent holding is related to better developmental outcomes, which highlights the importance of engaging families in the NICU.
Keywords. Neonatal intensive care unit; Preterm; Parent engagement; Participation; Development; Holding; Skin-to-skin care; Presence; Visitation; Outcomes; Environment; Attachment
Bodison, S. C., & Parham, L. D. (2018). Specific sensory techniques and sensory environmental modifications for children and youth with sensory integration difficulties: A systematic review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1), 7201190040p1-7201190040p11. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.029413 Show abstract
This systematic review examined the effectiveness of specific sensory techniques and sensory environmental modifications to improve participation of children with sensory integration (SI) difficulties. Abstracts of 11,436 articles published between January 2007 and May 2015 were examined. Studies were included if designs reflected high levels of evidence, participants demonstrated SI difficulties, and outcome measures addressed function or participation. Eight studies met inclusion criteria. Seven studies evaluated effects of specific sensory techniques for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Qigong massage, weighted vests, slow swinging, and incorporation of multisensory activities into preschool routines. One study of sensory environmental modifications examined adaptations to a dental clinic for children with ASD. Strong evidence supported Qigong massage, moderate evidence supported sensory modifications to the dental care environment, and limited evidence supported weighted vests. The evidence is insufficient to draw conclusions regarding slow linear swinging and incorporation of multisensory activities into preschool settings.
Hopkins, J., Cermak, S. A., & Merritt, R. J. (2018). Oral feeding difficulties in children with short bowel syndrome: A narrative review. Nutrition in Clinical Practice, 33(1), 99-106. https://doi.org/10.1177/0884533617707493 Show abstract
Children with short bowel syndrome (SBS) with associated intestinal failure may be unable to absorb sufficient nutrients to sustain life. Improvements in the medical management of SBS, including use of parenteral nutrition, has significantly increased life expectancy. Independence from parenteral nutrition further improves quality of life. However, children living with SBS often develop oral aversions and feeding difficulties. There is limited research and information on which to base interventions that will preserve and develop oral motor and feeding skills. The aims of this article are to explore what is known about children with SBS who exhibit oral aversion/feeding difficulties and to suggest research for possible future interventions that could help these children overcome oral aversion, eat orally, and increase participation and satisfaction in mealtimes. This review explores the complexity of feeding children with SBS. Three underlying themes emerged: physical, developmental, and social aspects of eating and mealtimes. Interdisciplinary teams are needed to effectively address these complex oral feeding problems. Accurate identification the underlying issues will allow healthcare providers to develop interventions to improve feeding outcomes for children with SBS. Future research should focus on evaluating the effectiveness of interventions that address each of the underlying issues.
Hume, K., Dykstra Steinbrenner, J., Sideris, J., Smith, L., Kucharczyk, S., & Szidon, K. (2018). Multi-informant assessment of transition-related skills and skill importance in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Autism, 22(1), 40-50. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361317722029 Show abstract
Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder have limited participation in the transition planning process, despite the link between active participation and an improvement in postsecondary education and employment outcomes. The Secondary School Success Checklist was designed to support transition planning for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder by incorporating their own assessments of strengths, skill deficits, and prioritization for instruction along with those of their parents and teachers across multiple skill domains. Findings from more than 500 adolescents with autism spectrum disorder across the United States indicate discrepancies between adolescent, teacher, and parent ratings of skills highlighting the importance of the inclusion of multiple perspectives in transition planning. Although ratings varied, agreement between adolescents with autism spectrum disorder, parents, and teachers across the highest and lowest rated skills suggests the need to broaden the focus on critical transition skills to include problem-solving, planning for life after high school, and self-advocacy.
Pfeiffer, B., May-Benson, T. A., & Bodison, S. C. (2018). State of the science of sensory integration research with children and youth [Editorial]. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(1), 7201170010p1-7201170010p4. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.721003 Show abstract
Many children and youth with and without disabilities are affected by challenges in processing and integrating sensations. Occupational therapy practitioners serve a pivotal role in the evaluation and treatment of this population. This special section of the American Journal of Occupational Therapy includes articles that elucidate the relationship between sensory processing and participation in valued occupations as well as articles that guide best practice, including systematic reviews on common occupational therapy interventions for children and youth with challenges in processing and integrating sensation. This editorial elaborates on key issues for future research.
Lopez-Alonso, V., Liew, S.-L., del Olmo, M. F., Cheeran, B., Sandrini, M., Abe, M., & Cohen, L. G. (2018). A preliminary comparison of motor learning across different non-invasive brain stimulation paradigms shows no consistent modulations. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 12, 253. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnins.2018.00253 Show abstract
Non-invasive brain stimulation (NIBS) has been widely explored as a way to safely modulate brain activity and alter human performance for nearly three decades. Research using NIBS has grown exponentially within the last decade with promising results across a variety of clinical and healthy populations. However, recent work has shown high inter-individual variability and a lack of reproducibility of previous results. Here, we conducted a small preliminary study to explore the effects of three of the most commonly used excitatory NIBS paradigms over the primary motor cortex (M1) on motor learning (Sequential Visuomotor Isometric Pinch Force Tracking Task) and secondarily relate changes in motor learning to changes in cortical excitability (MEP amplitude and SICI). We compared anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), paired associative stimulation (PAS25), and intermittent theta burst stimulation (iTBS), along with a sham tDCS control condition. Stimulation was applied prior to motor learning. Participants (n = 28) were randomized into one of the four groups and were trained on a skilled motor task. Motor learning was measured immediately after training (online), 1 day after training (consolidation), and 1 week after training (retention). We did not find consistent differential effects on motor learning or cortical excitability across groups. Within the boundaries of our small sample sizes, we then assessed effect sizes across the NIBS groups that could help power future studies. These results, which require replication with larger samples, are consistent with previous reports of small and variable effect sizes of these interventions on motor learning.
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