Older Adults' Engagement in Meaningful Activities and Quality of Life During COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Study.

Importance: Engagement in meaningful activities (EMA) is a central determinant of older adults' health and quality of life (QoL) and is a concern of occupational therapy.

Objective: To examine the impact of EMA on QoL among community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore their subjective experiences of the pandemic's impact on their perceived health.

Design: Cross-sectional mixed-methods design (quantitative and qualitative).

Participation in health-promoting activities of mothers of young children post-man-made disaster caused by terrorist attack.

Objective: Global disasters' rising toll on participation in health-promoting activities (HPA) has been observed, especially for mothers with young children, who may face unique challenges postdisaster. This brief report examined perceived changes in participation in HPA and its supportive factors as perceived by mothers, following a terrorist attack disaster.

Method: Two hundred one mothers (age range = 20-58) of young children up to 12 years completed an online survey including sociodemographic data, exposure to disaster characteristics, participation in HPA, and social support measures.

Preparing Adults with Cerebral Palsy to Move from Assisted to Independent Living.

To evaluate effectiveness of The Greenhouse for autonomy and independence to prepare adults with severe cerebral palsy (CP) for the transition from assisted to independent living. The intervention combines weekly individual sessions using Pathways and Resources for Engagement and Participation together with weekly group sessions. Seven adults with severe CP ages 23-45 years (M = 35; SD = 10) participated in the 20-week program.

Managing the move from assisted to independent living: an inclusive qualitative study among adults with cerebral palsy.

Purpose: To understand aspects important to adults with severe cerebral palsy (CP) as they prepare to move from assisted to independent living and to create an appropriate intervention.

Materials And Methods: An inclusive qualitative study was conducted together with adults with severe CP (Gross Motor Function Classification Scale 4-5) preparing to move to independent living. It included semi-structured interviews which were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed by two occupational therapists to create themes.

Participation Patterns of Israeli Children with and without Autism, and the Impact of Environment.

Aims: Participation is vital to children's quality of life, yet it is often limited for those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An improved understanding of the factors that may support or hinder their participation is important. This study aims to explore the participation patterns of children with and without ASD in the home, school, and community settings, as well as to explore the impact of environmental factors on the participation of children with ASD.

The Pictorial Interview of Children's Metacognition and Executive Functions (PIC-ME): Cultural Adaptation for Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Populations.

Introduction: Executive functions (EFs) are strongly linked to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The pictorial interview of children's metacognition and executive functions (PIC-ME) assesses children's self-perceptions regarding their EF. This study is aimed at describing the cultural adaptation of the PIC-ME to the ultra-Orthodox (UO) Jewish population in Israel.

Participation of Children With Autism During COVID-19: The Role of Maternal Participation.

Background: Little is known about participation during adverse times.

Objectives: This study described participation of children with autism aged 6 to 13 during COVID-19 pandemic and examined the extent to which child factors, mother's own participation, and environmental barriers/supports explain child participation in home and community.

Method: A total of 130 mothers completed the Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth, the Health Promoting Activities Scale, functional issues checklist, and sociodemographic questionnaire.

Improving Participation among Youth with Disabilities within Their Unique Socio-Cultural Context during COVID-19 Pandemic: Initial Evaluation.

Background: Participation in meaningful activities is important for quality of life among youth with disabilities; yet participation is often restricted during adverse times. This study aimed to explore the effectiveness of the Pathways and Resources for Engagement and Participation (PREP) intervention among ultra-Orthodox Jewish Israeli youth with disabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods: A 20-week single-subject research design with multiple baselines measuring participation goals/activities was employed with two youths (15 and 19 years old) combining quantitative and qualitative descriptive data.

The Relationship between Young Children's Graphomotor Skills and Their Environment: A Cross-Sectional Study.

The current study aimed to examine the unique contribution of personal and environmental factors to explain graphomotor skills in typically developing preschoolers and first-year elementary school students. A convenience sample of 136 Israeli children aged three−seven years was recruited. Graphomotor skills were assessed using the Gilboa Functional Test (GIFT); personal and environmental factors were assessed using a demographic questionnaire and the Home Literacy Experiences Questionnaire (HLEQ).

Participation in preschool activities of children with autistic spectrum disorder and comparison to typically developing children.

Background: Participation is essential to children's development and is a major focus of intervention. This study aimed to describe the participation patterns of children with ASD, in comparison to typically developing (TD) children.

Methods: 70 preschoolers participated: 33 children with ASD, attending non-inclusive-education settings; and 37 TD children, attending mainstream educational settings.

The Structured Preschool Participation Observation (SPO) for Children with ASD: Adaptation, Initial Psychometric Properties, and Children's Participation.

Due to the lack of tools evaluating participation of children with ASD in the educational setting, this study aimed to adapt the Structured Preschool Participation Observation (SPO), which assess the participation of preschool children attending mainstream-educational settings to children with ASD attending non-inclusive special education (content validity), to measure its initial psychometric properties (internal reliability, inter-rater reliability), and to describe children's participation characteristics, creating an effective tool to fill this gap. Content validity was evaluated by 21 experts using questionnaires. Thirty-five children with ASD were observed in their educational setting using the adapted tool (SPO-ASD).

Clinicians' Views on the Need for Cultural Adaptation of Intervention for Children with ADHD from the Ultraorthodox Community.

Culture is a core context within occupational therapy, with a recent literature emphasizing the importance of cultural competence, as well as culturally sensitive assessment and intervention. The recent literature has indicated the efficacy of the Cognitive-Functional intervention (Cog-Fun) for children with ADHD among the general Israeli population, yet no studies to date have examined the necessity of cultural adaptations for minority groups. The current study examines the necessity of adapting the intervention protocol and process to the Ultraorthodox (UO) population, as perceived by occupational therapists.

Participation Profile of Children and Youth, Aged 6-14, with and without ADHD, and the Impact of Environmental Factors.

Background: Children and youth with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may experience difficulties in participation, but few studies examine their participation and the environmental factors affecting participation. This study explored the participation and the environmental factors of children and youth, with and without attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), in the following three settings: home, school, and community.

Materials And Methods: Parents of 65 participants aged 6-14 (M = 9.

The Psychometric Properties of the Structured Preschool Participation Observation (SPO).

Aims: To evaluate the validity and reliability of the Structured Preschool Participation Observation (SPO), based on the COnsensus-based-Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments. The SPO development was based on biopsychosocial and ecological models to evaluate children's participation in play, learning and social occupational areas.

Methods: Following the establishment of content validity, construct validity using factor analysis and reliability were examined among 250 preschool children with typical development (TD).

"Perceptions, expectations and satisfaction levels of occupational therapy students prior to and after practice placement and comparison of practice placement models".

Background: Practice placements in occupational therapy are fundamental components in developing a student's professional identity. Various models of placements are available to expose and expand students' participation in various community-based services. The purpose of this study was to compare occupational therapy students' perceptions and expectations prior to placements with their perceptions and satisfaction levels upon completion of placements, and to compare clinical placement models (role-established and role-emerging).

Responsiveness and discriminant validity of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation across three years for children and youth with traumatic brain injury.

Purpose: To examine responsiveness and discriminant validity of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) across three years.

Methods: Examined longitudinal data on 515 children and youth with TBI and arm injuries. Repeated measures analyses of variance were used to examine CASP scores (pre-injury; 3, 12, 24, 36 months post-injury).

Psychometric properties of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) across a 3-year period for children and youth with traumatic brain injury.

Background: Children with traumatic brain injury are often restricted in their participation due to impairments and environmental barriers. Reliable and valid instruments are essential for monitoring their participation over time.

Objective: To examine the construct validity and internal consistency of the Child and Adolescent Scale of Participation (CASP) across a 3-year period.

Efficacy of an early intervention program for at-risk preschool boys: a two-group control study.

Objective: We report the results of a preschool-based multidisciplinary intervention program.

Method: This study took place in two educational settings and included 81 preschool boys from unique cultural backgrounds and of low social economic status (SES). The settings were randomly assigned to an intervention or control group.

The influence of environmental factors on the development of ultra-orthodox preschool boys in Israel.

The study objectives were: (a) to compare the prevalence of children at risk and/or with developmental delay (at risk/delayed) among the Ultra-Orthodox community with the prevalence reported in the literature and (b) to compare the performance of Ultra-Orthodox children in kindergarten versus that of children in preschool. To this end, motor, visual-motor integration and cognitive performance of 203 Ultra-Orthodox boys from low socio-economic status were assessed. We found a higher percentage of children who were at risk/delayed in gross motor and motor-cognitive skills as compared with the percentage reported in the literature.