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PURPOSE: Family-centered rehabilitative care optimizes outcomes for children with significant developmental disabilities. Family-centered services involve assessing family resources that promote positive developmental outcomes for children. Little is known regarding family resources in the context of caring for a child with developmental disabilities in Brazil due to an absence of validated measures. This study describes the translation and cultural adaptation of the Family Resource Scale and explored the measurement quality of the resulting measure (the Brazilian-Family Resource Scale, or B-FRS). METHODS: A rigorous serial translation process that emphasized linguistic accuracy as well as cultural adaptation was utilized. The resulting 27-item B-FRS was theoretically related and reflected the contextual intent of the original measure. RESULTS: A four-factor scoring approach yielded acceptable internal consistency estimates for the subscales and total scale score. Overall, low levels of family resources were reported by caregivers of children with Congenital Zika Syndrome. Low family resources were associated with parental depressive and stress-related symptoms. CONCLUSION: Confirmatory factor analysis of the B-FRS in a larger sample is recommended. Practitioners in Brazil should broadly consider family needs and resources to provide family-centered care that is effective for the child and engages the family in a way that highlights their strengths and promotes positive developmental trajectories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Handgrip strength is considered an important interpreter of general health, and hand functions in children. It is mainly influenced by anthropometric determinants and hand dimensions. OBJECTIVE: To assess the handgrip strength and their association with anthropometric determinants, hand circumference, hand span, and hand length among school children in both the dominant and non-dominant hand. METHODS: Anthropometric measurements, hand circumference, hand span, hand length, and grip strength measurements were obtained from 133 school children of both genders aged 6–12 years. A Jamar hand-held dynamometer was used to measure handgrip strength and the hand dimensions with a tape measure in cm. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the handgrip strength among boys and girls. The dominant hand was found to be sturdier than the non-dominant hand in both genders. We also found a significant correlation of anthropometric determinants and hand dimensions with handgrip strength. Age, BMI, hand circumference, hand span, and hand length had a strong correlation with grip strength (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: The study revealed the reference values and concluded its correlations with hand dimensions among school children aged 6–12 years and this information can serve as a manual for interpretation of handgrip strength measurements in children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

PURPOSE: This study aimed to 1) investigate the convergent and discriminant validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the Canadian English version of the Computer-Based instrument for Low motor Language Testing (C-BiLLT-CAN), and 2) explore feasibility of the C-BiLLT assessment for children with cerebral palsy (CP) and complex communication needs in the Canadian health care context. METHODS: Eighty typically developing children between 1.5 and 8.5 years of age completed the C-BiLLT-CAN, the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-IV (PPVT-4), the receptive language sub-test of the New Reynell Developmental Language Scales (NRDLS), and/or the Raven's 2. Correlations between raw scores were calculated for estimates of convergent and discriminant validity. Internal consistency was calculated for all items and separately for items pertaining to vocabulary and grammar. To calculate the standard error of measurement (SEM) and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), 33 participants were re-tested with the C-BiLLT within three weeks. Feasibility was explored with nine participants with CP. RESULTS: C-BiLLT-CAN's convergent validity was good to excellent (Spearman's rho > 0.78) and discriminant validity was higher than hypothesized (Spearman's rho > 0.8). Internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = 0.96), test-retest reliability (ICC > 0.9), and measurement error (SEM < 5%) were excellent. The feasibility study could not be fully completed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Preliminary data demonstrated some technical and practical barriers for using the C-BiLLT in children with CP in Canada. CONCLUSION: The C-BiLLT-CAN showed good to excellent psychometric properties in a sample of typically developing children, indicating that it is an adequate test for measuring language comprehension in English-speaking Canadian children. Further research is needed to investigate the feasibility of the C-BiLLT-CAN in children with CP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: The effectiveness of music-based interventions (MI) in autism has been attested for decades. Yet, there has been little empirical investigation of the active ingredients, or processes involved in music-based interventions that differentiate them from other approaches. OBJECTIVES: Here, we examined whether two processes, joint engagement and movement, which have previously been studied in isolation, contribute as important active ingredients for the efficacy of music-based interventions. METHODS: In two separate analyses, we investigated whether (1) joint engagement with the therapist, measured using a coding scheme verified for reliability, and (2) movement elicited by music-making, measured using a computer-vision technique for quantifying motion, may drive the benefits previously observed in response to MI (but not a controlled non-MI) in children with autism. RESULTS: Compared to a non-music control intervention, children and the therapist in MI spent more time in triadic engagement (between child, therapist, and activity) and produced greater movement, with amplitude of motion closely linked to the type of musical instrument. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, these findings provide initial evidence of the active ingredients of music-based interventions in autism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to finalize the standardization of the Assessment of Computer Task Performance for children. Objectives were to obtain descriptive sample data for each age group from 5 to 10 years, identify factors associated with performance, and examine the inter-rater reliability, internal consistency and construct validity of the test in a sample of typically developing children (without impairments). The measure is composed of five standardized and timed keyboard tasks and five standardized and timed mouse tasks. The test was administered to a sample of 524 children recruited from schools and summer camps. Descriptive results for each age group are presented (mean, standard deviation, etc.) and factors associated with performance were identified. Thirty children underwent a second administration by a different evaluator to examine inter-rater reliability. Factors associated with performance were age, level of education and internet use; these factors are primarily associated with keyboard tasks. Gender and hand dominance were not associated with performance. The Assessment of Computer Task Performance for children has satisfactory metric characteristics and provides a standardized method of evaluating computer performance in young children. It may be used for various clinical and research purposes related to the use of the computer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Little research exists on the effectiveness of assistive technology (AT) for children and almost no outcome instruments exist. The Student Performance Profile (SPP) and the School Function Assessment-Assistive Technology (SFA-AT) are instruments %are specifically designed to measure AT outcomes in special education. Purpose: The present study reports on the measurement properties and compares the time needed to use the SFA-AT and the SPP. Materials and methods: The SFA-AT and the SPP were used to measure the effect of AT for 13 children with intellectual, behavioural, or learning disabilities in a public school, and were compared regarding time acceded for their administration, rating and scoring, and measurement properties. Findings: The SPP required less time to administer, score, and analyse than the SFA-AT. Both were sensitive to change in student performance over a four-month period when the conditions of pretest without AT was compared to posttest with AT. The SFA-AT scores did not correlate with the SPP scores at pretest without AT or at posttest with AT. Conclusions: Both the SFA-AT and the SPP have advantages, but the SPP appeared most efficient and sensitive for this population of students in special education. Further studies with larger and alternate participant samples are required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]