Research in developmental disabilities
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Differential effect of Taekwondo training on knee muscle strength and reactive and static balance control in children with developmental coordination disorder: a randomized controlled trial.
This randomized controlled trial aimed to investigate the effect of short-term intensive TKD training on the isokinetic knee muscle strength and reactive and static balance control of children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Among the 44 children with DCD (mean age: 7.6 ± 1.3 years) recruited, 21 were randomly assigned to undergo daily TKD training for 1h over three consecutive months, with the remaining 23 children being assigned to the DCD control group. Eighteen typically developing children (mean age: 7.2 ± 1.0 years) received no training as normal controls. ⋯ Moreover, UST body sway velocity was slower in the DCD-TKD group than in the DCD control group (p<0.001), and was comparable to that of the normal control group (p>0.05) after TKD training. However, no such improvement in balance was observed in the MCT (p>0.025). The results show that children with DCD who undergo a 3-month program of intensive TKD training experience improvements in isokinetic knee muscle strength at 180°/s and static single-leg standing balance control, but do not benefit from improved reactive balance control.
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Children's symptoms of autism are robustly linked to diminished parent well-being and relationship distress, however they are less clearly linked to other aspects of family development. We focused on child atypical symptoms (i.e., behavioral stereotypies) and investigated relations to parental stress and the parenting alliance. ⋯ However, parents with highly atypical children did not report a similarly better self-focused parenting alliance, indicating that direct emotional support from the partner did not differ between the groups. We discuss the possibility that, among parents who stay together in the face of severe child disability, enhanced perceptions of parenting are not uncommon.
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The circadian sleep-wake rhythm changes with aging, resulting in a more fragmented sleep-wake pattern. In individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID), brain structures regulating the sleep-wake rhythm might be affected. The aims of this study were to compare the sleep-wake rhythm of older adults with ID to that of older adults in the general population, and to investigate which factors are associated with the sleep-wake rhythm in older adults with ID. ⋯ Higher age, dementia and depression are also associated with the sleep-wake rhythm in the general population. Neurological and sensory impairments that were associated with the sleep-wake rhythm in older adults with ID, are frequent known conditions in the ID population. Further research should focus on which factors specifically influence the sleep-wake rhythm in older adults with ID, and on the effects of more physical daytime activity on the sleep-wake rhythm in this population.
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Comparative Study
Similarities amid the difference: caregiving burden and adaptation outcomes in dyads of parents and their children with and without cerebral palsy.
This study had two main objectives: first, to examine the direct and indirect effects, via social support, of caregiving burden on the adaptation outcomes of children/adolescents with cerebral palsy and their parents; and second, to assess the invariance of such models in clinical vs. healthy subsamples. Participants were 210 dyads of children/adolescents and one of their parents (total N=420), divided in 93 dyads of children/adolescents with cerebral palsy and 117 dyads of children/adolescents with no medical diagnosis. Data on caregiving burden, social support and adaptation outcomes were obtained through self-report questionnaires. ⋯ Findings were invariant across clinical and healthy subsamples. Caregiving burden may influence adaptation outcomes of children/adolescents with CP and their parents both directly and via their social support perceptions. These patterns are similar to those observed in typically developing children/adolescents.
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Clinical Trial
High intra- and inter-rater chance variation of the movement assessment battery for children 2, ageband 2.
The aim of the present study was to evaluate the intra- and inter-tester reliability of the movement assessment battery for children-second edition (MABC-2), ageband 2. We wanted to analyze the collected data, with adequate statistical methods, to provide relevant recommendations for physical therapists who are interpreting changes in the context of daily clinical practice. Forty-five healthy children, 23 girls and 22 boys with a mean age of 8.7±0.7 years, participated in the study, the inter-tester procedures were performed the same day and the intra-tester procedures within a one to two week interval. ⋯ The present study showed high intra- and inter-rater chance variation MABC-2, ageband 2. A change of more than ±9.7 and ±18.5 on the total test score (TTS) should be required to state (with a 90% confidence) that a real change in a single individual has occurred, for intra- and inter-rater testing, respectively. These findings may indicate that the MABC-2 might be more suitable for diagnostic or clinical decision making purposes, than for evaluation of change over time.