The American Journal of Occupational Therapy announces a call for papers for a special issue on occupational therapy and autism. The journal seeks research papers examining:

• Intervention effectiveness
• Instrument development and testing
• Clinical classification and subtyping (literature reviews will NOT be reviewed).

Objectives of this issue are to generate empirical research supporting occupational therapy’s role in the treatment autism for use by consumers, insurers, and other health care professionals.

To indicate interest, email an abstract of your proposed submission to Dr. Roseann Schaaf, guest editor, at roseann.schaaf@jefferson.edu, by February 28, 2011.

Abstracts of no more than 200 words should contain the headings Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. Papers matching the goals of the special issue will be invited for formal submission.

The deadline for paper submission is July 30, 2011. Authors invited for formal submission will receive an e-mail message with formatting specifications and author guidelines.

Chris Davis, Director, AOTA Press
cdavis@aota.org
301-652-6611, ext. 2653

Source: OT Connections

This is to invite Filipino physiotherapists to be one of the participants in a continuing education training and update in physiotherapy practice entitled: Effectiveness of an Evidence Based Practice (EBP) program for Filipino Physiotherapists. This project aims to teach Filipino physiotherapists about the concepts of EBP and the knowledge and skills related to practice in an EBP manner considering the nature of practice in the Philippines.

Training includes free food (lunch and snacks) and certificates of attendance (cpe units to be applied for). You will also have a chance to win a free roundtrip ticket to Adelaide, Australia in July or August 2011 and be involved in a project at the International Centre For Allied Health Evidence, for a period of 10 days! Invitation letter for visa application will also be provided to facilitate the travel.

For further details or to register your interest, please contact:
Janine Margarita R. Dizon
PhD Researcher – University of South Australia
Faculty – University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines
Mobile: + 632 9088687110
Email: Janine.Dizon@postgrads.unisa.edu.au / Janine.Dizon@unisa.edu.au

Attachment:
EBP Information Sheet

I am helping some colleagues and peers at Boston University with a research grant project. If you are a parent of a child 6-16 years old (with or without disability) and residing in Canada or the United States, you are encouraged to take the PEP survey online at this link and win an iPod Touch. To participate, click here.

The Participation and Environment Project (PEP) is a federally funded project through the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the U.S. Department of Education. This project involves collaboration among researchers in the United States (Wendy Coster, Boston University and Gary Bedell, Tufts University) and Canada (Mary Law, McMaster University). Here is an excerpt from the letter sent to me by my former BU professor, Mary Khetani, MA, OTR:

“For the past two years, we have been working closely with parents, researchers, and service providers to develop the Participation and Environment Measure-Children and Youth Version (PEM-CY), an online survey to gather parent input about how their children participate in typical activities in the home, at school, and in the community. Parents are asked to report on the kinds of activities their children participate in, how often and how much they participate, whether or not they desire change and if so what type(s) of change, and what helps and/or hinders their child’s participation in each environment. We designed this survey to gather information to enable policymakers to be more responsive to the participation related needs of families.”

Thank you.

Requirements include: English literacy or access to translation, access to a computer, and internet.

If interested, click here to access letter of consent and survey. Round I will be available February 10, 2010 through March 3, 2010, and Round II available March 24, 2010 through April 14, 2010. We all know pain can be quite disabling and lead you to social security disability, so the researchers would appreciate your participation and contribution of knowledge of pain assessments in an effort to further the field of occupational therapy.

Source: WFOT

Faint magnetic signals from brain activity in children with autism demonstrate they process sound and language differently. Identifying and classifying these brain response patterns may allow researchers to accurately diagnose autism and possibly develop more effective treatments for the developmental disorder.

Timing appears to be crucial. Children with autism respond a fraction of a second slower to vowel tones and sounds than healthy children, revealed study leader Timothy Roberts, PhD, vice chair of radiology research and holder of the Oberkircher Family Endowed Chair in Pediatric Radiology at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

To determine this response time, Roberts used a technology called magnetoencephalography (MEG), which detects magnetic fields in the brain, just as electroencephalography (EEG) detects electrical fields.

Read more »

Hopefully this new technology will help in the early diagnosis and intervention of children with ASD.

Physical activity is the cornerstone of any healthy lifestyle – and especially for people with osteoarthritis as exercise helps maintain good joint health, manage their symptoms, and prevent functional decline. Osteoarthritis, however, often makes physical activity, such as exercise, and even performing daily activities, a challenge.

In the pilot study, the researchers found that patients who engaged in activity strategy training along with regular exercise increased their physical activity, more so than those patients who only took part in exercise and health education sessions. Study results are now online and are set to appear in the October issue of Arthritis & Rheumatism.

“Occupational therapy is really the missing link in promoting wellness of people with hip and knee osteoarthritis,” says study lead author Susan L. Murphy, Sc.D., OTR, assistant professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at the U-M Medical School and Research Health Science Specialist at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.

Read more »

 
Source:  Science Daily

Here are ten tips to avoid backpack-related health problems as published by the American Occupational Therapy Association:

1. Never let a child carry more than 15% of his or her body weight. This means a child who weighs 100 pounds shouldn’t wear a backpack heavier than 15 pounds.
2. Load heaviest items closest to the child’s back and arrange books and materials to prevent them from sliding.
3. Always wear both shoulder straps. Wearing only one strap can cause a child to lean to one side, curving the spine and causing pain or discomfort.
4. Select a pack with well-padded shoulder straps. Too much pressure on shoulders and necks can cause pain and tingling.
5. Adjust the shoulder straps so that the pack fits snugly to the child’s back. The bottom of the pack should rest in the curve of the lower back, never more than four inches below the child’s waistline.
6. Use the waist belt, if the backpack has one, to help distribute the pack’s weight more evenly.
7. Check what your child carries to school and brings home to make sure the items are necessary to the day’s activities.
8. If the backpack is too heavy, consider using a book bag on wheels if your child’s school allows it.
   Choose the right size pack for your child’s back as well as one with enough room for necessary school items.
9. If a student is experiencing back pain or neck soreness, consult your physician or occupational therapist.

Source: AOTA

Related Link: Study: Most University Students Self-Report Discomfort Pain Due to Backpack Usage

Study Findings
More than 500 patients with chronic or recurrent low back pain took part in the study over a year.

They were given either normal GP care (control), six sessions of massage, or six or 24 lessons on the Alexander technique. A doctor also prescribed half the patients in each group exercise.

Compared with the control group, all interventions showed ‘significant’ reductions in days in pain at three months, but the benefits of massage did not last beyond that.

The study found that the Alexander technique and exercise were ‘helpful in the long term’.

Six lessons in the Alexander technique followed by exercise prescription were almost as effective as 24 lessons.

Read more »

Related Link:
Randomised controlled trial of Alexander technique lessons, exercise, and massage (ATEAM) for chronic and recurrent back pain from the British Medical Journal

Speaking of tummy time, quoted below is an excerpt of the latest news by the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).  A survey has revealed that there have been an increase in early motor delays in infants over the past six years.  The lack of “tummy time” was noted to be the number one contributor to the escalation in cases.

LACK OF TIME ON TUMMY SHOWN TO HINDER ACHIEVEMENT OF DEVELOPMENTAL MILESTONES, SAY PHYSICAL THERAPISTS
APTA Recommendations In Line with National Survey Findings

ALEXANDRIA, VA, August 6, 2008 — The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is urging parents and caregivers to ensure that babies get enough “tummy time” throughout the day while they are awake and supervised, in light of a recent survey of therapists who say they’ve noticed an increase in motor delays in infants who spend too much time on their backs while awake.

In the national survey of 400 pediatric physical and occupational therapists, conducted on behalf of Pathways Awareness, a non-profit group dedicated to early detection of motor delays in children, two-thirds of those surveyed say they’ve seen an increase in early motor delays in infants over the past six years. The survey was conducted with the assistance of APTA’s Section on Pediatrics and the Neuro-Development Treatment Association (NDTA).

Those physical therapists who saw an increase in motor delays said that the lack of “tummy time,” or the amount of time infants spend lying on their stomachs while awake, is the number one contributor to the escalation in cases.

APTA spokesperson Judy Towne Jennings, PT, MA, a physical therapist and researcher from Fairfield, Ohio, said, “We have seen first-hand what the lack of tummy time can mean for a baby: developmental, cognitive, and organizational skills delays, eye-tracking problems, and behavioral issues, to name just some complications.” She added, “New parents are told of the importance of babies sleeping on their backs to avoid SIDS, but they are not always informed about the importance of tummy time.”

Jennings explains that because new parents now use car seats that also serve as infant carriers – many of which fasten directly into strollers and swings without having to remove the baby from the seat — this generation of babies spends prolonged periods of time in one position. She recommends that awake babies be placed in a variety of positions, including on their tummies, as soon as they return home from the hospital. “Ideally, babies should be placed on their tummies after every nap, diaper change and feeding, starting with 1-2 minutes,” she said. Jennings is co-author of the research, “Conveying the Message about Optimal Infant Positions,” Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics, Volume 25, Number 3, 2005.

Read more »

The aim of the BBC programme is to show how medical science, healthcare professionals and patients themselves are able to rise to the challenge of coping and adapting to situations that are truly testing.

Maverick Television are particularly interested in stories of unusual wounds, fractures, other injuries and symptoms, a bizarre accident in terms of its impact on the body or the accident itself or something that calls for a form of curious treatment or operation, or a fairly commonplace injury that was sustained in improbable or amusing circumstances. In any of the examples patients should have made a substantial recovery.

Interested parties who would like to contribute examples may contact the CSP press office.

Source: CSP