Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

The Psychosocial And Physical Effects Of Therapeutic Horseback Riding For Children With Cerebral Palsy, Karen M. Pratt

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Participation in specialized adapted activities such as therapeutic horseback riding (THR) is critical for children with cerebral palsy (CP) as they are at increased risk for lower habitual physical activity levels, social exclusion and mental health conditions. The benefits of THR for children CP are unclear despite positive anecdotal evidence. Purpose: The aim of the study is to explore the effects of THR participation for children with CP across multiple domains of health (psychological, social and physical) from the children themselves. Specifically, this study explored overall wellbeing including mental health, perceived independence, social inclusion and presence of fatigue and …

Effectiveness Of Alternative Cerebral Palsy Treatments In Pediatrics: Systematic Review, Olivia Doria, Emily Fricker, Katrina Beery

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a multi-faceted movement disorder that affects the lives of approximately 500,000 children in America and millions across the globe. Traditional treatment involves physical and occupational therapies. The purpose of this systematic review is to identify, describe, and critically appraise the evidence about the effectiveness of alternative therapies including hippotherapy, aquatic therapy, and robotic gait training in children with CP. Researchers have found that these therapies improve gross motor function and balance. This review focuses on determining which age subpopulation would benefit most. A critical appraisal of studies is conducted and followed by recommendations for practice …

The Impact Of Palliative Care On Health Status In Hiv-Positive Children, Aabid Abdulmajid Ahmed

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

HIV-positive children in sub-Saharan Africa have numerous challenges to overcome. These challenges increase psychosocial stress as well as symptom burden including fatigue, weight loss, pain, and mental changes. The symptoms may persist even after initiation of antiretroviral therapy, so such children need additional care. Palliative care lays emphasis on holistic patient-centered care, including physical, psychological, social, and spiritual symptoms, alongside antiretroviral therapy. There is limited data on the impact of integrating palliative care with standard HIV care and treatment in children. The purpose of this study was to fill the gap in the literature by investigating the impact of palliative …

Development Of A Tool To Assess Children’S Perceptions Of Their Own Balance (The Pediatric Balance Perception Battery): A Pilot Study, Jillian L. Beckett, Ashlee A. Harmon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Psychosocial aspects of balance including self-perception, behaviors, and experiences, have been found to contribute to activity limitations and participation restrictions in adults. Clinical tools have been established to measure how adults feel about their own balance and the extent to which fear of falling and other related characteristics interfere with participation. There are no clinical tools presently available to explore these relationships and quantify the extent to which they interfere with activity and participation in children.

Purpose: To develop and test reliability and validity of a tool to evaluate balance self-perception in a pediatric population.

Participants: This sample of …

Conceptual Framework Of A Novel Intervention To Improve Mobility In Children With Cerebral Palsy: The Successes And Challenges Of Implementing A Large Amplitude Movement Protocol, Tania Goodwill, Erin Jarrett, Beren Shah, Alanna Stockford

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

While cerebral palsy remains one of the most common childhood disabilities, clinicians continue to face significant challenges developing effective treatment strategies for the widely variable presentation of motor function impairments associated with cerebral palsy. A large gap exists between current research based evidence and feasible clinical practice. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a novel intervention protocol, explore the theoretical framework behind the protocol and provide insight to clinicians about the successes and challenges faced while pilot testing the intervention. The novel intervention was adapted and implemented by researchers combining a large amplitude movement protocol with the well-researched …

Ability Of Ages And Stages Questionaire 3rd Edition To Identify Children In Need Of Comprehensive Motor Evaluation, Courtney Michele Carmichael, Elizabeth Ann Willison, Qing Zhang

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

PURPOSE: The Ages and Stages Questionnaire Third Edition (ASQ-3) is a widely used screening tool designed to identify children who need comprehensive developmental assessment. Its accuracy for identifying children in need of additional motor assessment has not been determined. The purposes of this study were to establish concurrent validity between ASQ-3 gross motor (GM) and fine motor (FM) scores and their corresponding Peabody Developmental Motor Scales Second Edition (PDMS-2) quotients, and to examine the diagnostic accuracy of the ASQ-3 using the PDMS-2 as a gold standard reference test.

MATERIALS/METHODS: This was a secondary analysis of a previous study in which …