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No one was left to warn Alvin Karpis that it was time to leave town. On May 1, 1936, when he left his girlfriend's house in New Orleans to buy [...]

Objective: The Sydney Psychosocial Reintegration Scale for Children (SPRS-C) assesses psychosocial functioning in children with acquired brain injury (ABI). This article aims to: (1) describe normative data for the parent-rated SPRS-C and, (2) evaluate the discriminant validity of the SPRS-C. Methods: For Aim 1, participants were parents of typically developing children (TDC) aged 5–14 years (N = 200). For Aim 2, participants with ABI were aged 5–14 years (n = 26). A matched group of TDC was sampled from the larger normative sample to serve as a control group (n = 26). Results: For Aim 1, SPRS-C scores across the 10 age-bands were in the higher ranges. Correlation coefficients of SPRS-C total score with child's age and parent occupational skill level were not statistically significant. For Aim 2, SPRS-C scores for the ABI group were significantly lower than the control group. Conclusions: These data provide a guide for clinical interpretation of the SPRS-C for measuring psychosocial functioning in children with ABI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sharing information and decisions with children and their parents is critical in pediatric rehabilitation. Although the ethical significance and clinical benefits of sharing decisions are established, approaches for implementing shared decision-making in clinical practice are still developing. Aim: To explore the ethical challenges of sharing information and decisions with one family in pediatric occupational therapy. Method: We used a single qualitative in-depth interview with an occupational therapist to examine the ethical dimensions of sharing decisions. Results: We found that asking what was ethically at stake in the information-sharing process, highlighted how timing and style of information sharing impacts on understanding and collaboration within the therapeutic relationship. Using ethics-based questions assisted in drawing out the complexity of implementing the ideals of sharing information and decisions in pediatric practice. Conclusion: Reflecting on ethical dimensions of communication with families assists to identify approaches to shared decision-making in clinical practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This exploratory study aimed to describe the self-initiated pretend play of three children who had sustained an acquired brain injury (ABI). No previous research was found. Methods: Three children aged 3.0-6.0 years were recruited through purposive sampling. Pretend play ability was assessed using the Child-Initiated Pretend Play Assessment. Results: Two of the three children scored below the range expected for children their age and one child scored above the range, indicating a wide range of pretend play ability for the children. None of the children could sustain their engagement in pretend play to complete the time of the assessment. Conclusion: Complex pretend play ability is a functional assessment of cognitive ability involving sequential planning, problem-solving, language and social understanding. Cognitive fatigue is argued to explain the children's limited ability to engage in play for the time expected for their ages. More research is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The use of virtual reality (VR) as a therapeutic intervention to improve motor function is an emerging area of rehabilitation practice and research. This paper describes VR systems reported in research literature and proposes a classification framework that categorizes VR systems according to characteristics relevant to motor rehabilitation. Methods: A comprehensive database search was undertaken to explore VR systems used in motor rehabilitation for children. Description of these systems, motor learning literature and expert opinion informed development of a classification framework. Results: Six VR systems are included. The descriptive analysis describes each system according to 12 user, system and context variables. The classification framework identifies three features common to all VR systems. Seven categories are proposed to differentiate between systems. Conclusion: This paper organizes available information to facilitate clinical decision-making about VR systems and identifies areas of research to support the use of VR as a therapeutic intervention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]