Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Barriers: Location, Functionality, And Method Of Access In Childhood Pool/Spa Submersion Incidents, United States, 2000-2017, Alison Miller, Kristina R. Anderson, William D. Ramos

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Drowning is a leading cause of fatality among children in the United States, and residential pools/spas currently account for as much as 80% of these submersion incidents. This study reviewed narrative case reports obtained from the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to understand barrier location, type, and functionality as methods of pool/spa access for childhood submersion incidents. Retroactive analysis of 1,523 fatal and non-fatal submersion incidents among children aged 13 years old and younger was conducted using the CPSC in depth investigation dataset from 2000-2017. Narrative descriptions were coded according to the attributes of barrier location, functionality, and …

The Ventilatory Management Of Paediatric Central Sleep Apnoea: A Systematic Review, Kane A. Hodge, Anne Jones

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Paediatric central sleep apnoea (CSA) occurs more frequently in the presence of another medical condition. This systematic review aimed to determine the effectiveness of oxygen therapy and non-invasive ventilation (NIV) for children with CSA and additional underlying comorbidities. Method: A search was undertaken of CINAHL Complete, Emcare, Scopus, MEDLINE, and PubMed with forward and backward citations for studies published between database inception and the 5th of May 2022. Articles of any study design or quality were included, excluding systematic reviews, letters, or study protocols. Articles had to involve only paediatric patients with a diagnosis of CSA with …

Pharmacology Training Of Counselors, Jessica Fanguy Cortez, Chris Rachal

Louisiana Journal of Counseling

As the use of psychotropic medications to treat mental illness increases across the lifespan, the need for psychopharmacology training for counselors intensifies. Research by Sepulveda (2011) concluded that counselor educators are not overwhelmingly supportive of including a psychopharmacology course in CACREP–approved school counselor curricula. Expanding on Sepulveda’s (2011) work, our findings indicate that most CACREP-approved counseling programs do not offer psychological or psychopharmacology courses. Most program directors favor such courses in their programs, and agree that licensed counselors are routinely confronted with medication issues in professional settings. But despite the fact that most programs lack training in psychopharmacology, directors believe …

Educating Counselors-In-Training To Work With Parents Of Minors, Krystal M. Vaughn, Erin M. Dugan, Kellie G. Camelford

Louisiana Journal of Counseling

Counselor education programs offer numerous opportunities for students to receive the necessary knowledge, skills, and experiences to become professional counselors. However, due to limited time, there are areas in the program that are not covered in-depth for various reasons. One such area where students may lack educational or clinical training is in the preparation of working with minors, and more specifically, the treatment of minors surrounding parental consultation practice patterns. The purpose of this article is to define parent consultation, review ethical and legal considerations when working with minors, and to provide counselor educators considerations to utilize when preparing counselors-in-training …

Assessing The Effectiveness Of The Mover Program For Treating Attention Deficit In Children (Mover: Movement Opportunities Through Vestibular Engagement Rhythm), Lindsay B. Williams, Camille Skubik-Peplaski

Student Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of participation in a movement- to music program on the attention span of elementary school-aged children who have attention deficits. The hypothesis was that participants would demonstrate improved attention on the Test of Sustained Selective Attention (TOSSA) (Kovacs, 2015).

Methods: This quantitative study involved nine children who participated in four movement-to-music sessions with a staggered stop over a period of six weeks. The study incorporated a single group pre-test/post-test design, and a non-parametric Sign Test was utilized to analyze data from the TOSSA subcategories of concentration, detection, …

Comparison Of Computer-Based And Therapeutic Activity Interventions For Improving Visual Motor Abilities Of Preschoolers With Autism: A Randomized Control Study, Supawadee C. Lee

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a computer-based and a traditional activity/practice-based intervention for improving the visual motor abilities of children with autism.

Methods: A group, pre-post, experimental design was used with randomization of subjects to four intervention conditions: a computer-based training, a therapeutic practice intervention, the combination of a computer-based training and therapeutic practice intervention, and a martial arts exercise. A sample of 34 preschool children with autism and visual motor integration deficits between 3 and 5 years of age were recruited. The Wide Range Assessment of Visual Motor Abilities was administered …

Cognitive Orientation To Daily Occupational Performance (Co-Op): 1-Week Group Intervention With Children Referred For Motor Coordination Difficulties, Rose Martini, Jacinthe Savard

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of a Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) intervention delivered in a group format in a 1-week summer day camp program for children referred for motor coordination difficulties. Transfer of learned skills to self-selected tasks not addressed in the group intervention was also explored.

Method: A quasi-experimental one group pretest-posttest design with a 1-month follow-up was used. Changes in nine children’s self-selected occupational performance goals, as well as their sense of self-efficacy for these goals, were determined using nonparametric statistics.

Results: Findings indicate a significant …

Effectiveness Of An Intensive Drowning Prevention Program And Skills Retention By Children With And Without Disabilities, Anna L. Forde Otd, Otr/L, Ctrs, Emily A. Zeman Otd, Ms, Otr/L, Lynn Clarke

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

This study examined the effectiveness of a drowning prevention program and the retention of swimming and water safety skills for 3-14 year-old children with and without disabilities. The intensive program, SWIM Central, used a top-down approach to teach 6 swimming and water safety skills during 10, 30-minute sessions. A post-participation parent survey results suggested that children ages 3-14 with and without disabilities who had previously participated in SWIM Central retained swimming and water safety skills to a similar degree. The current swim skill assessments showed that there was not an overall difference in swim skill performance in the presence of …

Development Of Lip Closing Function During Taking Food Into The Mouth In Children With Down Syndrome, Tomoko Isoda, Fumiyo Tamura, Takeshi Kikutani, Miki Mizukami

International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy

Children with Down Syndrome (DS) show developmental retardation of gross motor function including acquisition of oral movements related to eating and swallowing. To characterize the process of development/acquisition of eating/swallowing function of children with DS, interlabial pressure (IP) during taking food into the mouth was assessed. This study included 99 children with DS (birth to 4 year-old), and 112 age-matched control children showing typical development. IP during taking food into the mouth was measured as an objective index of lip closing function. The system for measuring IP during taking food into the mouth consisted of a strain gauge-pressure sensor connected …

Investigating Factors Related To The Acquisition Of Masticatory Function In Down Syndrome Children, Miki Mizukami, Takeshi Kikutani, Miwa Matsuyama, Keigo Nagashima

International Journal of Orofacial Myology and Myofunctional Therapy

Down syndrome (DS) has the highest prevalence of any chromosomal abnormality identified in newborns. DS children have specific eating and swallowing difficulties such as poor tongue control, mouth opening, swallowing food without chewing, and both facial and occlusal abnormalities. DS children are also at high risk of aspiration, and swallowing food without chewing is considered to be a factor associated with increased risk of aspiration and eating problems. This study aimed to identify factors preventing the acquisition of masticatory function in DS children. The subjects were 75 outpatient DS children (44 males, age range 12 to 36 month-old, mean age …

Examining The Perceived Impacts Of Recreational Swimming Lessons For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Erin Kraft M.A. Ed.

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

The purpose of this study was to examine the perceived impacts of recreational swimming lesson participation for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Although swimming lessons are a suitable form of physical activity for children with ASD, minimal research has examined the impacts of these lessons. The author conducted semi-structured interviews with an Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) certified therapist and a swim instructor, each with experience working with children with ASD in swimming lessons. The participants suggested that swimming lessons encouraged children with ASD to socialise. Both participants agreed that distractions in swimming lessons and barriers in communication created challenges …

The Sensory Processing 3-Dimensions Scale: Initial Studies Of Reliability And Item Analyses, Shelley Mulligan, Sarah A. Schoen, Lucy Jane Miller, Andrea Valdez, Deborah Magalhaes

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The Sensory Processing 3-Dimensions Scale (SP-3D) is a performance-based measure for assessing sensory processing abilities and challenges, including sensory modulation, sensory discrimination, and sensory-based motor disorders. Initial studies of reliability were conducted, and item response theory was applied to assist in refining the measure.

Methods: Descriptive and correlational methods were used to examine internal consistency of the scales and inter-rater reliability. Item response theory using Rasch analyses was applied to examine unidimensionality of scales, model fit, and item difficulty.

Results: Internal consistency for most measures was acceptable, demonstrating the subtests, domains, and behavior scales as distinct …

Alternative Interventions For Children Coping With Chronic Conditions: A Critical Review Of The Literature, Nina M. Pelsi, Kim S. Amer

DePaul Discoveries

Reduction of stressors and anxiety levels in adolescents with chronic illnesses is a critical concept in pediatric health care in America today. The many stressors associated with chronic illness include displaying physical and mental differences, social stigma, financial difficulty, and family stress. These stressors may affect the adolescent’s ability to learn and cope in everyday life. The current research was a critical review of the literature examining studies done with adolescents coping with chronic diseases and illnesses. The aim was to analyze the most efficacious non-pharmacological methods for reducing stressors in adolescents with chronic illness. A critical review of the …

Interprofessional Collaboration To Support Children With Diabetes, Katie M. Polo, Susan M. Cahill

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The purpose of this study was to investigate school nurses’ perspectives related to interprofessional collaboration to support health promotion and development of self-management skills of students with diabetes.

Method: A link to an on-line survey was sent to 312 school nurses. The survey included 11 items pertaining to the nurses’ perceptions.

Results: The majority of the respondents (91.8%, n = 56) reported that instruction and maintenance of diabetes self-management skills would benefit from an interprofessional team. Few of the respondents (20.8%, n = 11) identified occupational therapy practitioners as possible collaborators. Nearly two-thirds (62.7%, n = 37) of the …

Developing Bilateral And Spatial Concepts In Primary School-Aged Children: An Empirical Evaluation Of The Anker Bilateral Spatial System, Janet E. Richmond, Myra Taylor, Sarah Evans

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties contribute to school-aged learning problems. Hence, a need exists to address children’s visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties as early as possible in the child’s school career. Thus, this study reports on the evaluation of the Anker Bilateral Spatial System’s (ABSS) effectiveness in remediating primary school children’s perceptual difficulties.

Method: Thirty-one children (17 boys and 14 girls) aged 6 to 12 years who had been identified by their classroom teacher as having observable visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties participated in a 10-week pre/posttest intervention study. The study’s pre/posttest assessments included the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor …

Result Of Low Frequency Speech Therapy In Children With Articulation Disorder, Yu-Nan Wang, Mei-Li Cheng, Ya-Wen Li, Xiao-Jun Zhang

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Articulation disorder refers to the mispronunciation of speech sounds by omitting, distorting, substituting, or adding sounds which make speech difficult to understand. It is not an uncommon disorder among children. The prevalence of articulation disorder in preschool and school-age children is about 10%. For children without associated condition, articulation disorder may be treatable with speech therapy. In this study, we examined 55 children with articulation disorder who received speech therapy in our hospital during the past four years. The boys to girls ratio is 2.4 to 1. Among the different types of articulation disorders, substitution is the most common type …

Rehabilitation And Prognosis Of Childhood Arterial Ischemic Stroke: A Casereport, Chia-Huang Dai, Wei-Jang Yen, Ta-Shen Kuan, Chang-Zern Hong

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

The incidence of ischemic stroke in childhood is two to 13 per 100,000 children per year. Although the incidence is much lower than adults, strokes in children not only cause a large number of deaths, but also induce significant disabilities. Because childhood ischemic strokes are rare, multi center, controlled trials should be performed to provide evidence based data related to effectiveness of medical treatment and rehabilitation. Current studies on the management of stroke in children are mainly based on casereports, uncontrolled trials, or are adapted from adult literature.An eleven-year-old, obese boy presented to the Emergency Department with an initial presentation …

Analysis Of Speech Motor Control In Children With Normal Development: Preliminary Report, Liang-Yi Yang, Chai-Ling Chen, Wei-Hsien Hong, Hsieh-Ching Chen, Ching-Yi Wu, Alice M.K. Wong

Rehabilitation Practice and Science

Speech is a complex motor skill. It requires the coordination of articulatory and phonation systems, including the chest wall, larynx and oral system, to produce precise oral motor control. Treatment of motor speech dysfunction is based on understanding the mechanism underlying normal speech development and motor control. The purpose of this study is to establish speech motor control patterns in children with normal development (ND) by kinematic analysis.Twenty-eight children with ND (16 males and 12 females) aged 4 to 12 years participated in this study. The children were split into three groups based on age: group A aged 4 to …