Evaluation of a passive pediatric leg exoskeleton during gait

2020 ◽  
pp. 030936462095686
Author(s):  
Jessica Zistatsis ◽  
Keshia M Peters ◽  
Daniel Ballesteros ◽  
Heather A Feldner ◽  
Kristie Bjornson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Walking Speed ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Step Width ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Ankle Foot Orthoses ◽  
Long Passive ◽  
Optimal Stiffness ◽  
The Impact

Background: Children with hemiparesis are commonly prescribed ankle foot orthoses to help improve gait; however, these orthoses often result in only small and variable changes in gait. Research with adult stroke survivors has suggested that orthoses that extend beyond the ankle using long, passive tendon-like structures (i.e. exotendons) can improve walking. Objectives: The aim of this study was to quantify the impact of an exotendon-based exoskeleton on pediatric gait. Study design: Repeated-measures study. Methods: Two typically-developing children and two children with hemiparesis completed a gait analysis, walking without and with the exoskeleton. The exotendon was tested at three stiffness levels. Results: All children were able to walk comfortably with the exoskeleton, with minimal changes in step width. Walking speed increased and lower limb joint symmetry improved for the children with hemiparesis with the exoskeleton. Each participant had changes in muscle activity while walking with the exoskeleton, although the impact on specific muscles and response to exotendon stiffness varied. Conclusion: Exotendon-based exoskeletons may provide an alternative solution for optimizing gait in therapy and in the community for children with hemiparesis. Determining the optimal stiffness and configuration for each child is an important area of future research.

scholarly journals Assessing Children's Anxiety Using the Modified Short State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and Talking Mats: A Pilot Study

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Nilsson ◽  
Margret Buchholz ◽  
Gunilla Thunberg
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Trait Anxiety ◽  
Reliability And Validity ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
State Trait Anxiety Inventory ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Self Reports ◽  
Study Support ◽  
Children’S Anxiety

Background. Preoperative anxiety complicates treatment and requires assessment by nurses in children. Children, with or without disability, are helped when pictures are used to support communication. The purpose of this pilot study was to test the reliability and validity of the modified short State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) using a modified Talking Mats method in children undergoing day surgeries.Method. A modified short STAI with pictorial support along the lines of the Talking Mats method was pre- and postoperatively administered to 42 typically developing children aged three to nine years. The parents assessed the children’s anxiety, simultaneously and independently, by scoring the short STAI by proxy.Results. The modified short STAI showed moderate internal consistency and good construct validity in the age group seven to nine years.Conclusions. The results of this study support the use of the instrument for self-reports in children aged seven to nine years. Future research will explore the possibilities of also using this instrument for children with cognitive and communicative difficulties.

The Impact of Sleep on Emotion in Typically Developing Children

2015 ◽  
pp. 399-419
Author(s):  
Reut Gruber ◽  
Soukaina Paquin ◽  
Jamie Cassoff ◽  
Merrill S. Wise
Keyword(s):  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
The Impact

Learning of Dynamic Display AAC Technologies by Typically Developing 3-Year-Olds

2004 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 1133-1148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn D. R. Drager ◽  
Janice C. Light ◽  
Rhonda Carlson ◽  
Karen D'Silva ◽  
Brittany Larsson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Augmentative And Alternative Communication ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Alternative Communication ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Learning Session ◽  
Initial Exposure ◽  
Developmental Models ◽  
Dynamic Display ◽  
System Layout

The present study investigated the learning demands of dynamic display augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technologies that differed in system layout and menu page approaches for 3-year-old children. Ten typically developing children were randomly assigned to each of 3 technology approaches and were asked to located vocabulary items within a play context. Results indicated that the children had difficulty with all of the technologies on initial exposure. After the 1st learning session, children performed significantly better with AAC technologies in a contextual scene format than in a grid format. Some limited generalization to new vocabulary was evident. AAC technologies for young children need to be redesigned to better reflect the developmental models of children. Results are discussed with implications for practice and suggestions for future research.

scholarly journals The impact of COVID-19 on anxiety and wellbeing for families of individuals with Special Education Needs and Disabilities in the UK

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vasileios Sideropoulos ◽  
Daniel Dukes ◽  
Mary Hanley ◽  
Olympia Palikara ◽  
Sinead Rhodes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Special Education ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
School Closures ◽  
Time Points ◽  
Special Education Needs ◽  
Education Needs ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Impact

COVID-19 has affected people across the world. However, it has been suggested that individuals with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and their families might have been particularly impacted by the first national lockdown in the UK. In contrast to previous studies, the current study examined wellbeing and anxiety at different time points and included a control group matched for family situation. Parents of 402 individuals with SEND reported on their own anxiety and wellbeing as well as that of their son/daughter at three time points (before COVID-19, when COVID-19 pandemic started, and during the national lockdown). In addition, data from 186 typically developing (TD) siblings was obtained. Repeated measures ANOVAs and regression analyses showed that, although both individuals with SEND and their TD siblings showed increased anxiety across the three time points, levels of anxiety were not predicted by age, gender or health. Instead, levels of anxiety in the SEND group, but not the TD siblings, were predicted by awareness about COVID-19, diagnosis of an existing anxiety disorder as well as parental anxiety. In addition, whilst TD individuals were reported to increasingly worry about social related issues as well as family related issues, those with SEND were reported to worry about issues related to school closures. These findings show that COVID-19 impacts the wellbeing of those with SEND differently to that of their TD siblings and that school closures have a particular effect on this group. Further implications for policy impact and interventions are discussed.

Items Selection for the Japanese Version of the Preschool Activity Card Sort

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (3) ◽  
pp. 166-174
Author(s):  
Go Igarashi ◽  
Chieko Karashima ◽  
Jun-ichi Uemura
Keyword(s):  
Occupational Therapists ◽  
Japanese Version ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Validity And Reliability ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Card Sort ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Sociocultural Background ◽  
Actual Participation

Preschool Activity Card Sort (PACS) is a valid measure of preschoolers’ participation and is a useful and unique tool for focusing on the extent and frequency of their participation. However, given the cultural differences between Japan and other countries, researchers should consider these differences when adapting the PACS for use with children in Japan. The purpose of this study was to select culturally suitable activity items to develop the Japanese version of PACS (PACS-JPN). A two-round survey of parents (who had typically developing children aged between 3 and 6 years) was conducted. The final version of the PACS-JPN included 98 activity items. The PACS-JPN reflects Japanese sociocultural background and allows occupational therapists to assess preschoolers’ actual participation by assessing multiple aspects of children’s community life. The psychometric properties, including the validity and reliability of the PACS-JPN should be examined in future research.

scholarly journals Accuracy and variability in early spontaneous word production: The effects of age, frequency and neighbourhood density

2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
pp. 128-150
Author(s):  
Samuel David Jones
Keyword(s):  
Motor Skills ◽  
Speech Sound ◽  
Word Production ◽  
Bayesian Regression ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Speech Sound Disorder ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Explanatory Account ◽  
Typical Range

High rates of error and variability in early word production may signal speech sound disorder. However, there is little consensus regarding the degree of error and variability that may be expected in the typical range. Relatedly, while variables including child age, word frequency and word phonological neighbourhood density are associated with variance in word production accuracy and variability, such effects remain under-examined in spontaneous speech. This study measured the accuracy and variability of 234,551 spontaneous word productions from five typically developing children in the Providence corpus (0;11–4;0). Using Bayesian regression, accuracy and variability rates were predicted by age, input frequency, phonological neighbourhood density, and interactions between these variables. Between 61% and 72% of word productions were both inaccurate and variable according to strict criteria. However loosening these criteria to accommodate production inconsistencies unlikely to be considered erroneous (e.g. the target /æləɡeɪtəɹ/ pronounced /ælɪɡeɪtəɹ/) reduced this figure to between 10% and 17%, with the majority of word productions then classed as accurate and stable (48%–58%). In addition, accuracy was higher and variability was lower in later months of sampling, and for high frequency words and high density words. The author discusses the implications of these results for future research and the differential diagnosis of speech sound disorder, and presents an explanatory account of findings emphasizing the development of oral-motor skills and increasingly detailed phonological word representations.

Examining the Influence of Care-Recipient Resistance on Family Caregiver Emotional and Physical Well-Being: Average Frequency Versus Daily Fluctuation

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yumi Shirai ◽  
Susan Silverberg Koerner
Keyword(s):  
Physical Health ◽  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Average Frequency ◽  
The United States ◽  
Care Recipient ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Daily Fluctuation ◽  
Health Symptoms ◽  
The Impact

Although existing cross-sectional research suggests that dependent older family members’ resistive behavior (care-recipient [CR] resistance: verbal or nonverbal rejection or resistance toward caregiver [CG] assistance) can be challenging for informal family CGs, we know little about the impact of the occurrence patterns of CR-resistance—average frequency versus daily fluctuation—on CG emotional and physical well-being. To document CGs’ daily experiences with CR-resistance and their emotional and physical well-being, the present study applied short-term repeated measures, collecting data on 8 consecutive days from 63 CGs in Southern Arizona, the United States. Multilevel modeling of the daily data revealed that neither average frequency nor daily fluctuation in CR-resistance alone had a significant impact on CG emotional/physical health. However, the combination of experiencing relatively high frequency and high daily fluctuation in CR-resistance was associated with significant increases in CG physical health symptoms ( b = .34, p < .01). Specifically, on days when a CG faced more CR-resistance than his or her usual amount, significant increases in physical health symptoms existed for CGs with relatively high average frequency of CR-resistance, but not for CGs with relatively low average frequency of CR-resistance. Based on our results, it appears that monitoring and maintaining a reasonable level of CR-resistance are effective strategies to maintain CG resilience to the negative impact of CR-resistance daily fluctuation. The findings are interpreted in light of Stress Theory, and recommendations for future research and practical interventions are offered.

scholarly journals Accounting for motion in fMRI: What part of the spectrum are we characterizing in autism spectrum disorder?

2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Beth Nebel ◽  
Daniel Lidstone ◽  
Liwei Wang ◽  
David Benkeser ◽  
Stewart H Mostofsky ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Intellectual Ability ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
The Impact

The exclusion of high-motion participants can reduce the impact of motion in functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) data. However, the exclusion of high-motion participants may change the distribution of clinically relevant variables in the study sample, and the resulting sample may not be representative of the population. Our goals are two-fold: 1) to document the biases introduced by common motion exclusion practices in functional connectivity research and 2) to introduce a framework to address these biases by treating excluded scans as a missing data problem. We use a study of autism spectrum disorder to illustrate the problem and the potential solution. We aggregated data from 545 children (8-13 years old) who participated in resting-state fMRI studies at Kennedy Krieger Institute (173 autistic and 372 typically developing) between 2007 and 2020. We found that autistic children were more likely to be excluded than typically developing children, with 29.1% and 16.1% of autistic and typically developing children excluded, respectively, using a lenient criterion and 80.8% and 59.8% with a stricter criterion. The resulting sample of autistic children with usable data tended to be older, have milder social deficits, better motor control, and higher intellectual ability than the original sample. These measures were also related to functional connectivity strength among children with usable data. This suggests that the generalizability of previous studies reporting naïve analyses (i.e., based only on participants with usable data) may be limited by the selection of older children with less severe clinical profiles because these children are better able to remain still during an rs-fMRI scan. We adapt doubly robust targeted minimum loss based estimation with an ensemble of machine learning algorithms to address these data losses and the resulting biases. The proposed approach selects more edges that differ in functional connectivity between autistic and typically developing children than the naïve approach, supporting this as a promising solution to improve the study of heterogeneous populations in which motion is common.

scholarly journals Speech Rate Varies With Sentence Length in Typically Developing Children

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Meghan Darling-White ◽  
Symone Whitney Banks
Keyword(s):  
Speech Rate ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Pause Time ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Articulation Rate ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Parts Of Speech ◽  
Highly Sensitive ◽  
Main Effects ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The primary purpose of this study was to examine the effect of sentence length on speech rate and its characteristics, articulation rate and pauses, in typically developing children. Method Sixty-two typically developing children between the ages of 10 and 14 years repeated sentences varying in length from two to seven words. Dependent variables included speech rate (syllables per second), articulation rate (syllables per second), and proportion of time spent pausing. Results Speech rate and articulation rate significantly increased with increases in sentence length, but proportion of time spent pausing did not increase with sentence length. There were no significant main effects of age. Conclusions This is the first study to suggest that sentence length differentially impacts the component parts of speech rate, articulation rate and pause time. Increases in sentence length led to increases in speech rate, primarily due to increases in articulation rate and not increases in pause time. Articulation rate appears to be highly sensitive to the impact of sentence length, while a higher cognitive–linguistic load may be required to see sentence length effects on pause time.

scholarly journals Trajectories of imitation skills in preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorders

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Irene Pittet ◽  
Nada Kojovic ◽  
Martina Franchini ◽  
Marie Schaer
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Social Cognitive ◽  
Developmental Trajectories ◽  
Children With Autism ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Typically Developing ◽  
Typically Developing Children ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
The Impact

Imitation skills play a crucial role in social cognitive development from early childhood. Many studies have shown a deficit in imitation skills in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Little is known about the development of imitation behaviors in children with ASD. This study aims to measure the trajectories of early imitation skills in preschoolers with ASD and how these skills impact other areas of early development. For this purpose, we assessed imitation, language and cognition skills in 177 children with ASD and 43 typically developing children (TD) aged 2 to 5 years old, 126 of which were followed longitudinally, yielding a total of 396 time-points. Our results confirmed the presence of an early imitation deficit in toddlers with ASD compared to TD children. The study of the trajectories showed that these difficulties were marked at the age of two years, and gradually decreased until the age of 5 years old. Imitation skills were strongly linked with cognitive, language skills and level of symptoms in our ASD group at baseline. Moreover, the imitation skills at baseline were predictive of the language gains a year later in our ASD group. Using a data-driven clustering method, we delineated different developmental trajectories of imitation skills within the ASD group. The clinical implications of the findings are discussed, particularly the impact of an early imitation deficit on other areas of competence of the young child.

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