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Importance: Occupational therapy is one of the most used interventions for children on the autism spectrum. There is a critical need to develop an operationalized list of key treatment components of usual-care occupational therapy practice for children on the autism spectrum. Objective: To identify and develop consensus on definitions and examples of key treatment components of usual-care occupational therapy for children on the autism spectrum, ages 6 to 13 yr. Design: We conducted a Delphi study to obtain feedback from a panel of experts. Setting: Electronic survey. Participants: 17 occupational therapy panelists with expertise in autism intervention. Outcomes and Measures: Panelists rated the definition and example of each treatment component and provided feedback through multiple rounds of survey. Results: On the basis of the panelists' feedback on Delphi Round 1, the criteria rating form was revised to include four questions for the definition and example of each treatment component. Through four Delphi rounds of consensus building, we developed an operationalized list of 20 treatment components with definitions and examples that incorporated elements of usual-care occupational therapy intervention for children on the autism spectrum. Conclusions and Relevance: This operationalized list of treatment components serves as a foundational framework to improve education, practice, and research of occupational therapy intervention for children on the autism spectrum. Plain-Language Summary: This study identified and developed consensus on definitions and examples of key treatment components used in usual-care outpatient occupational therapy for children on the autism spectrum. Through four rounds of consensus building with 17 occupational therapy experts in autism, we identified 20 key treatment components central to occupational therapy practice. Our results have the potential to serve as a framework to improve education, practice, and clinical research in autism. The results of this study can serve as a framework to improve education, practice, and clinical research in outpatient occupational therapy for children on the autism spectrum. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date Presented 03/22/24 This pilot study explores the relationship between OT strategies and child engagement levels during routine OT sessions. Our results offer preliminary evidence for optimizing active engagement of autistic children during therapy. Primary Author and Speaker: Amy Watson-Grace Additional Authors and Speakers: Jewel Elias Crasta Contributing Authors: Joseph E. Martis, Lauren Wengerd [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date Presented 03/23/24 Adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) are at risk for additional injury, but little is known about specific home safety hazards. This research examines stakeholder perceptions of pre- and self-identified home safety hazards, risks, and harms for this population. Primary Author and Speaker: Sarah E. Anderson Contributing Authors: Taylor Stamper, Sarah Pierce, Jennifer P. Lundine, Carmen DiGiovine, Emily Patterson, Scott Swearingen, Lauren Wengerd, Amy Darragh [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Date Presented 03/22/24 Adolescents with acquired brain injury (ABI) experience home safety hazards, but few targeted intervention tools exist. This research examines stakeholder perceptions of an existing virtual safety training program and describes necessary modifications this population. Primary Author and Speaker: Sarah E. Anderson Contributing Authors: Taylor Stamper, Sarah Pierce, Jennifer P. Lundine, Carmen DiGiovine, Emily Patterson, Scott Swearingen, Lauren Wengerd, Amy Darragh [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Importance: Despite advancements in stroke rehabilitation research, occupational therapy practitioners still face challenges with implementing research into routine practice. Although the development of evidence-based practices (EBPs) is one critical step along the knowledge translation continuum for the population of people with stroke, research is also needed to identify the most effective strategies for implementing EBPs with stroke survivors who are receiving occupational therapy services. Objective: To synthesize research related to occupational therapy practitioners' implementation of EBPs in adult stroke rehabilitation. Data Sources: We searched four electronic databases--CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Academic Search Complete--and the peer-reviewed journal Implementation Science to identify relevant research studies. Study Selection and Data Collection: Studies that met the following inclusion criteria were included in the scoping review: published between January 2003 and January 2018, addressed the adult stroke population, and examined the implementation of occupational therapy interventions. Data were abstracted on the basis of recommendations from the seminal review framework established by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Thematic analysis identified themes that emerged from the included studies. Findings: Twenty-five articles satisfied our inclusion parameters. Our analyses yielded three overarching themes: barriers to implementation, facilitators of implementation, and implementation strategies. Implementation strategies often consisted of multimodal knowledge translation training programs. Conclusion and Relevance: Although the stroke rehabilitation literature appears to have established the barriers to and facilitators of EBP implementation, greater attention to the identification of effective implementation strategies that promote the uptake of EBPs by occupational therapy practitioners is needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Adolescents with acquired brain injuries are at risk for additional injuries after hospital discharge. We asked healthcare providers to identify and prioritise urgent hazards in the home setting for this population., Methods: We used a convergent mixed methods approach. Healthcare providers who do discharge planning and community re-integration for adolescent patients with brain injury were recruited from hospitals in the US Midwest. Participants completed two structured surveys, semi-structured interviews and a Hazard Prioritisation Matrix Activity. We analysed quantitative data via descriptive statistics and qualitative data via inductive thematic analysis to identify hazards, urgency, interactive themes and generate a conceptual model., Results: All participants validated four preidentified hazards in the surveys and the interviews: slippery objects on the floor, large furniture/objects in the path of travel, unattended open flames and inappropriate use of cooking appliances. 59 hazards were self-identified during the Hazard Priority Matrix Activity and assigned an urgency rating, with 12 (20.3%) urgent, 20 (33.9%) major, 19 (32.2%) moderate and 8 (13.6%) minor risks. We identified seven interactive themes about hazard factors: hazardous activities, hazardous situations, hazardous objects, hazardous others, hazardous spaces, harms and client factors. A conceptual model for home safety concerns links hazards, risks and harms., Conclusions: Adolescents with acquired brain injuries need healthcare providers to recognise unique and complex hazards in their homes that could lead to harm. Mitigating home hazards may prevent additional unintentional injury for these adolescents. More research is needed to generalise this information for this population across clinical settings., Trial Registration Number: NCT04768946., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2024. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.)

Objective. Non-invasive, high-density electromyography (HD-EMG) has emerged as a useful tool to collect a range of neurophysiological motor information. Recent studies have demonstrated changes in EMG features that occur after stroke, which correlate with functional ability, highlighting their potential use as biomarkers. However, previous studies have largely explored these EMG features in isolation with individual electrodes to assess gross movements, limiting their potential clinical utility. This study aims to predict hand function of stroke survivors by combining interpretable features extracted from a wearable HD-EMG forearm sleeve. Approach. Here, able-bodied ( N = 7) and chronic stroke subjects ( N = 7) performed 12 functional hand and wrist movements while HD-EMG was recorded using a wearable sleeve. A variety of HD-EMG features, or views, were decomposed to assess alterations in motor coordination. Main Results. Stroke subjects, on average, had higher co-contraction and reduced muscle coupling when attempting to open their hand and actuate their thumb. Additionally, muscle synergies decomposed in the stroke population were relatively preserved, with a large spatial overlap in composition of matched synergies. Alterations in synergy composition demonstrated reduced coupling between digit extensors and muscles that actuate the thumb, as well as an increase in flexor activity in the stroke group. Average synergy activations during movements revealed differences in coordination, highlighting overactivation of antagonist muscles and compensatory strategies. When combining co-contraction and muscle synergy features, the first principal component was strongly correlated with upper-extremity Fugl Meyer hand sub-score of stroke participants ( R 2 = 0.86). Principal component embeddings of individual features revealed interpretable measures of motor coordination and muscle coupling alterations. Significance. These results demonstrate the feasibility of predicting motor function through features decomposed from a wearable HD-EMG sleeve, which could be leveraged to improve stroke research and clinical care., (Creative Commons Attribution license.)

Importance: Despite advancements in stroke rehabilitation research, occupational therapy practitioners still face challenges with implementing research into routine practice. Although the development of evidence-based practices (EBPs) is one critical step along the knowledge translation continuum for the population of people with stroke, research is also needed to identify the most effective strategies for implementing EBPs with stroke survivors who are receiving occupational therapy services., Objective: To synthesize research related to occupational therapy practitioners' implementation of EBPs in adult stroke rehabilitation., Data Sources: We searched four electronic databases-CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, and Academic Search Complete-and the peer-reviewed journal Implementation Science to identify relevant research studies., Study Selection and Data Collection: Studies that met the following inclusion criteria were included in the scoping review: published between January 2003 and January 2018, addressed the adult stroke population, and examined the implementation of occupational therapy interventions. Data were abstracted on the basis of recommendations from the seminal review framework established by Arksey and O'Malley (2005). Thematic analysis identified themes that emerged from the included studies., Findings: Twenty-five articles satisfied our inclusion parameters. Our analyses yielded three overarching themes: barriers to implementation, facilitators of implementation, and implementation strategies. Implementation strategies often consisted of multimodal knowledge translation training programs., Conclusion and Relevance: Although the stroke rehabilitation literature appears to have established the barriers to and facilitators of EBP implementation, greater attention to the identification of effective implementation strategies that promote the uptake of EBPs by occupational therapy practitioners is needed., What This Article Adds: This article summarizes the contextual factors and effective strategies that may influence practitioners' implementation of stroke research findings in real-world practice., (Copyright © 2020 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.)