Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Developing Bilateral And Spatial Concepts In Primary School-Aged Children: An Empirical Evaluation Of The Anker Bilateral Spatial System, Janet Richmond Dr, M Taylor Dr, S Evans

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

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 …

Play In Children With Motor Disabilities, Suzanne Martin

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The purpose of this research was to explore and describe the relationship among the child, family, home environment, and pretend play of children with motor disabilities. The environment is a powerful force in early child development. This research is based on Bronfennbrenner’s ecological theory of development and the ubiquitous role of play in all domains of development. Children with motor disabilities may lack exploration of the environment and as a consequence demonstrate deficits in play. Play was measured in 32 children with motor disabilities aged 24.8 to 61.3 months with a mean age of 33.7 (SD 9.3) months. Children demonstrated …

Optimizing Hand Crank Configuration For Therapeutic Use Of Amtrykes® For Children With Upper Extremity Motor Deficits, Jennifer Hardy

Theses and Dissertations

Objective

The purpose of this research study was to create a model to assist therapists, that determines the optimal positioning of the hand cranks when fitting a child for an AmTryke® with a disability that limits upper body strength, such as a brachial plexus injury.

Method

A fitting model was developed by testing the amount of force required to start moving the hand cranks on the AmTryke® when various amounts of weight were applied to the seat of the device. The data collected inserted into a table. A questionnaire developed and emailed to a convenient sample of pediatric physical and …

What Are The Relations Among Stress Perception, Health Perception And Activity Participation In School-Aged Children?, Allison Caplin

Honors Theses and Capstones

This correlational study examined possible relations among children’s activity patterns, perceived stress, and perceived health. A variety of self-report questionnaires were administered to a sample of 33 school age children. The Pediatric Activity Sort (PACS) was used to measure activity participation, a health questionnaire was used to assess health, and the Childhood Stress Questionnaire (CSQ) was used to measure perceived stress. Correlations showed no significant relationships between stress level and the amount of reported activity participation. The absence of significant relationships may be due to testing a sample of middle to upper class, Caucasian children, as there was a skewed …

Analysis Of Playground Equipment At Muskegon Public Schools: A Needs Assessment, Kailee Chandonnet,, Elizabeth Elam, Leah Lucas

Pediatrics

A local school district, Muskegon Public Schools, is restructuring due to budget constraints. Therapists at Muskegon Public Schools were concerned about the safety and accessibility of the current playgrounds. The purpose of this needs assessment was to determine if any of Muskegon Public Schools’ playgrounds met the students’ safety and accessibility needs. To determine this, the researchers created a checklist using the Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Handbook on Public Playground Safety (1997) and the U.S. Access Board Summary of Accessibility Guidelines for Play Areas (2005). The checklist was then used to assess all nine Muskegon Public School playgrounds. None of …

The Sensory Processing Patterns And Activity Choices Of A Child With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed-Methods Case Study, Valerie Miller

Online Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that up to 95% of children with autism spectrum disorder experience sensory processing problems. Minimal research is available on the relationship between specific sensory processing patterns, activity preference and behavior patterns in children. It is hypothesized that if children participate in play activities that support their sensory needs, they will experience less behavioral problems, more self-regulating behavior and a higher quality of life. This mixed-methods case study examines how a child with autism spectrum disorder participates in activities and looks at if those activities support sensory needs, thus reinforcing self-regulatory behaviors.

A One-Hour Sleep Restriction Impacts Brain Processing In Young Children Across Tasks: Evidence From Event-Related Potentials, Dennis Molfese, Anna Ivanenko, Alexandra P.F. Key, Adrienne Roman, Victoria J. Molfese, Louise M. O'Brien, David Gozal, Srinivas Kota, Caitlin M. Hudac

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

The effect of mild sleep restriction on cognitive functioning in young children is unclear, yet sleep loss may impact children's abilities to attend to tasks with high processing demands. In a preliminary investigation, six children (6.6 - 8.3 years of age) with normal sleep patterns performed three tasks: attention (“Oddball”), speech perception (conconant-vowel syllables) and executive function (Directional Stroop). Event-related potentials (ERP) responses were recorded before (Control) and following one-week of 1-hour per day of sleep restriction. Brain activity across all tasks following Sleep Restriction differed from activity during Control Sleep, indicating that minor sleep restriction impacts children's neurocognitive functioning.

Sleep Hygiene And Problem Behaviors In Snoring And Non- Snoring School-Age Children, Lisa A. Witcher, David Gozal, Dennis L. Molfese, Scott M. Salathe, Karen Spruyt, Valerie Mclaughlin Crabtree

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Objectives—The effects of sleep-disordered breathing, sleep restriction, dyssomnias, and parasomnias on daytime behavior in children have been previously assessed. However, the potential relationship(s) between sleep hygiene and children’s daytime behavior remain to be explored. The primary goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between sleep hygiene and problematic behaviors in non-snoring and habitually snoring children.

Methods—Parents of 100 5- to 8-year-old children who were reported to snore “frequently” to “almost always,” and of 71 age-, gender-, and ethnicity-matched children who were reported to never snore participated in this study. As part of a larger, ongoing study, …

Occupational Therapy Practice Opportunities When Working With Mothers With Breast Cancer: A Pilot Study, Katie Tam

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Theses (2010-2015)

The purpose of this study was to identify current and ideal occupational therapy practice for mothers with breast cancer, from the perspective of the occupational therapist, in order to describe strategies for effective occupational therapy practice with this population. A grounded theory approach was used to analyze two interviews from occupational therapists working with mothers with breast cancer. Three themes emerged from the interviews, identifying effective treatment strategies: giving a voice, preventing loss of motherhood, and collaborating with multiple disciplines. These themes identified opportunities for occupational therapists to maintain the occupational performance and feelings of success in mothers with breast …

Youth Sport Injury Prevention Is Key, Jane Shimon

Jane Shimon

Describes how providing a well-designed injury prevention program that includes attention to growth and development, training and conditioning, protective equipment, and emergency care can minimize youth sport injuries.

Rating Scale Analysis And Psychometric Properties Of The Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale For Transfers, Daniel Cipriani, Francine E. Hansen, Danielle L. Mcpeck, Gina L.D. Kubec, Julie J. Thomas

Physical Therapy Faculty Articles and Research

Parents and caregivers faced with the challenges of transferring children with disability are at risk of musculoskeletal injuries and/or emotional stress. The Caregiver Self-Efficacy Scale for Transfers (CSEST) is a 14-item questionnaire that measures self-efficacy for transferring under common conditions. The CSEST yields reliable data and valid inferences; however, its rating scale structure has not been evaluated for utility. The aims of this study were to evaluate the category response structure of the CSEST, test the utility of a revised rating scale structure, and confirm its psychometric properties. The Rasch Measurement Model was used for all analyses. Subjects included 175 …

Effects Of Environment On Children's Motor Scores, Eligibility Status, And Administration Times, Derrick Mittelstadt, Abigail Parker, Kirsten Pickett, Heather Temkin

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Best practices for assessing developmental skills in young children focus on naturalistic observation in everyday settings, but the effects of environment on test scores, eligibility status and administration time have not been explored. The Peabody Developmental Motor Scales-Second Edition (PDMS-2) was administered to 34 children aged 18 to 59 months in natural and pull-out settings. PDMS-2 total, gross, and fine motor quotient (TMQ, GMQ, and FMQ) scores were significantly lower in the natural environment (p’s≤.014). Based on our results, more children would qualify for services when tested in natural environments using TMQ and GMQ scores. It also took significantly longer …

Sleep Duration, Sleep Regularity, Body Weight, And Metabolic Homeostasis In School-Aged Children, Karen Spruyt, Dennis L. Molfese, David Gozal

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

OBJECTIVE: The goal was to explore the effects of duration and regularity of sleep schedules on BMI and the impact on metabolic regulation in children.

METHODS: Sleep patterns of 308 community-recruited children 4 to 10 years of age were assessed with wrist actigraphs for 1 week in a cross-sectional study, along with BMI assessment. Fasting morning plasma levels of glucose, insulin, lipids, and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein also were measured for a subsample.

RESULTS: Children slept 8 hours per night, on average, regardless of their weight categorization. A nonlinear trend between sleep and weight emerged. For obese children, …

Correlating The Developmental Test Of Visual Perception -2 (Dtvp And The Test Of Visual Perceptual Skills - Revised (Tvps-R) As Assesssment Tools For Learners With Learning Difficulties, Janet Richmond, K Holland

Research outputs 2011

Learners are often referred to occupational therapists to assess their visual perceptual functioning. It is, therefore, imperative that the occupational therapists use the best assessment tools to obtain accurate and reliable results that lead to effective intervention which will be noticeable in the classroom functioning of these learners. A study was therefore conducted which correlated the results of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (second edition) (DTVP-2) and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills Revised (TVPS-R) in a cohort of 173 learners from Grade 1 to Grade 4 (children aged 6 years to 11 years). The learners attend a remedial …

A Parent Consultation Group For Parents Of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Mixed Methodological Study, Cassandra Catherine Clark

Online Theses and Dissertations

Parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are known have higher levels of negative stress than parents of children without a chronic illness. These parents' roles and routines are also impacted since the many demands made by their children put them at greater risk of occupational injustice as they are less likely to participate in occupations of their choice. Despite multiple studies examining stress in parents of children with ASD, there is little to no recent published research on the effects of a parent consultation group on parents of children with ASD and their sense of competency and attitudes …

A Study On The Effects Of Therapeutic Listening On The Social And Functional Behavior Of Preschool Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Robin Abbott

Theses and Dissertations

Auditory sensory differences and sensitivities are often mentioned by parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and in research involving children with ASD. Addressing these auditory processing differences is the goal of various auditory treatment techniques, but current research does not yield a body of evidence in support of auditory therapy as a treatment for children with ASD. This study is a single-subject study, repeated across two subjects, to investigate the effect of the Therapeutic Listening program on the social engagement and self-care skills of preschool-aged children with ASD. Both social engagement and self-care skills increased with for both …

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 …

Step Counts Of Non-White Minority Children And Youth By Gender, Grade Level, Race/Ethnicity, And Mode Of School Transportation, Tyler G. Johnson, Timothy A. Brusseau, Paul W. Darst, Pamela H. Kulinna, Janel White-Taylor

Kinesiology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The purposes of this study were to describe and analyze the steps/d of nonwhite minority children and youth by gender, grade level, race/ethnicity, and mode of school transportation. A secondary purpose was to compare the steps/d of minority children and youth to their Caucasian grade-level counterparts. Methods: Participants were 547 minority youth grades 5 to 8 from 4 urban schools. Participants wore sealed pedometers for 6 consecutive week/school days. Three hundred and ten participants responded to a questionnaire concerning their mode of transportation to and from school. Results: Statistical analyses indicated a main effect for gender (F(3,546) …

A Clincial Outcomes Commentary On "A Longitudinal Study Of Outcome Measures For Children Receiving Early Intervention Services", Marcia Levinson, Pt, Phd, Mft, Rosaleen Creedon Gnoffo, Pt, Ms, Dpt, Pcs

Department of Physical Therapy Faculty Papers

Pediatric physical therapy, especially in early intervention (EI), focuses on children’s function in natural environments and within daily routines. Valid and reliable tests measuring the ICF participation component are important to consider if we are to align our treatment focus and goals to our measures of progress. This article demonstrates that the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI) Functional Skill scaled scores are sensitive to change in children receiving EI with and without motor involvement.

Frequency And Spatial Characteristics Of Highfrequency Neuromagnetic Signals In Childhood Epilepsy, Jing Xiang, Yang Liu, Yingying Wang, Elijah G. Kirtman, Cincinnati Children’S Hospital Medical Center Kotecha, Yangmei Chen, Xiaolin Huo, Hisako Fujiwara, Nat Hemasilpin, Ki Lee, Francesco T. Mangano, James Leach, Blaise Jones, Ton Degrauw, Douglas Rose

Center for Brain, Biology, and Behavior: Faculty and Staff Publications

Purpose. Invasive intracranial recordings have suggested that high-frequency oscillation is involved in epileptogenesis and is highly localized to epileptogenic zones. The aim of the present study is to characterize the frequency and spatial patterns of high-frequency brain signals in childhood epilepsy using a non-invasive technology. Methods. Thirty children with clinically diagnosed epilepsy were studied using a whole head magnetoencephalography (MEG) system. MEG data were digitized at 4 000 Hz. The frequency and spatial characteristics of high-frequency neuromagnetic signals were analyzed using continuous wavelet transform and beamformer. Threedimensional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was obtained for each patient to localize magnetic sources. …

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 …

Developing The Anker Bilateral Spatial System, Janet Richmond

ECU Posters

Determining the effect of using the Anker Bilateral Spatial System (ABSS) to enhance the development of bilateral and spatial functioning of individuals with visual perceptual or sensory processing difficulties.

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 …

The Relationship Among Sensory Preferences, Play Preferences, Motivation, And Mastery In Guiding Children's Play: A Review Of The Literature, Part 2, Elissa Miller, Heather Miller-Kuhaneck

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Currently, the emphasis throughout health care is on providing evidence-based practice. Occupational therapy practitioners are involved in critical examination of the profession's assumptions and beliefs and are conducting research that supports its theoretical underpinnings. In many areas of practice, practitioners have created bodies of literature to support interventions; and in other areas, we rely on literature from fields outside of the profession. Pediatric occupational therapy is no exception. Although exciting research is currently under way, existing research from outside the profession supports many of our methods and beliefs. A review of the literature found evidence from both inside and outside …

Data On Gait Characteristics Of Four, Five, And Six Year Old Children Using Three Dimensional Video Motion Analysis, Donna Soave Nichols

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this study resulted from a need to gather and analyze data on gait characteristics of normal children using the Peak Performance Technologies, Incorporated system, initiate a data base for the Motion Analysis Center at Old Dominion University and compare a computerized motion analysis system to studies using different methods. Fifteen children, aged four to six, were evaluated during gait using a video-based computerized motion analysis system manufactured by Peak Performance Technologies, Incorporated. The gait characteristics studied were stride length, cadence, angular displacements and angular velocities of the pelvis, hips, knees and ankles. The results showed that methods …

The Effects Of Orthopaedic Surgery And Dorsal Rhizotomy On Selected Gait Characteristics Of Cerebral Palsy Children, Danielle M. Lanoue

Rehabilitation Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Surgical management of cerebral palsy children typically involves multiple orthopaedic surgeries in order to achieve and maintain the maximum functional level of ambulation. Orthopaedic intervention to address lower extremity spasticity often includes: muscle lengthenings, muscle releases and tendon transfers. The most recent advance in management of lower extremity spasticity has been through a neurosurgical approach; selective dorsal rhizotomy. The long term effects of dorsal rhizotomy are still being investigated. Through the use of instrumented gait analysis, the specific objective results of both of these types of surgeries can be investigated. The purpose of this retrospective study was to examine the …

Hypothesis For Prediction Of Stimulant Drug Effectiveness Utilizing Sensory Integrative Diagnostic Methods, Judith Giencke Kimball

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Despite extensive research, there has been no way to predict before drug administration which children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) will respond to medication intended to calm them. A drug trial is the current method used. This paper discusses the action of stimulant medications and presents a hypothesis as to why they work on some children and not others. Sensory integration theory, particularly on vestibular system measures, that involves differential diagnosis of certain types of ADHD children, is used to explain why some children respond to stimulant medications.

Prediction Of Methylphenidate (Ritalin) Responsiveness Through Sensory Integrative Testing, Judith Giencke Kimball

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Seventeen children previously judged to be good or poor responders to methylphenidate (Ritalin) were tested on sensory integrative measures while in the off-drug state. The tester was unaware of the children's drug response category. Results showed that children who were poor responders to Ritalin showed prolonged scores on and an adverse reaction to the Southern California Postrotary Nystagmus Test and had poorer equilibrium reactions and lower double tactile stimuli scores than the children judged good responders to Ritalin. These findings suggest that it might be possible to identify good and poor responders to Ritalin before the medication is given, something …