The Journey to Sustainable Participation in Physical Activity for Adolescents Living with Cerebral Palsy.

Purpose: To understand adolescents' and their parents' perspectives on 'being active', this study explored the experience of participation in physical activity (PA), the role of long-term participation in PA, and the importance of remaining active for life.

Methods: Eight ambulant adolescents with CP (aged 11-16 years, seven male) participated in a high-level mobility programme twice per week for 12 weeks. Guided using interpretive description, adolescents and 12 of their parents were interviewed before, after and nine months following the programme.

Effects of a 12 week community-based high-level mobility programme on sustained participation in physical activity by adolescents with cerebral palsy: a single subject research design study.

Purpose: To assess if a high-level mobility programme (HLMP) can promote sustained participation in physical activity by adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Methods: Eight adolescents with cerebral palsy, Gross Motor Function Classification System levels I-II, 11-16 years, participated in 24 community-based group HLMP sessions across 12 weeks. Participants set attendance, involvement, and physical performance goals, completed activity diaries over 58 weeks and undertook physical capacity tests.

More than just having fun! Understanding the experience of involvement in physical activity of adolescents living with cerebral palsy.

To explore the experiences of involvement of adolescents living with cerebral palsy, and their parents, while participating in physical activity. Understanding involvement in physical activity may be used to guide future participation. Eight adolescents (mean age 13 years 11 months, SD 1 year 6 months) with cerebral palsy participated in a New Zealand-based high-level mobility programme (HLMP) focused on running skills, twice per week for 12 weeks.

Do physical activity interventions influence subsequent attendance and involvement in physical activities for children with cerebral palsy: a systematic review.

Purpose: To investigate if children with cerebral palsy have sustained attendance and involvement in physical activities after completing physical activity interventions.

Methods: The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed. Seven databases were searched for the period 2001-2020 with hand-searching of pertinent reference lists.

Assessing participation of children with acquired brain injury and cerebral palsy: a systematic review of measurement properties.

Aim: To examine which instruments used to assess participation of children with acquired brain injury (ABI) or cerebral palsy (CP) align with attendance and/or involvement constructs of participation; and to systematically review measurement properties of these instruments in children with ABI or CP, to guide instrument selection.

Method: Five databases were searched. Instruments that quantified 'attendance' and/or 'involvement' aspects of participation according to the family of participation-related constructs were selected.

Steering towards collaborative assessment: a qualitative study of parents' experiences of evidence-based assessment practices for their child with cerebral palsy.

Purpose: To understand parents' experiences of evidence-based assessment by health professionals for their child with cerebral palsy.

Methods: A qualitative interpretive description study was undertaken. Primary carers of children with cerebral palsy (aged 3-18 years) from south-eastern Australia were invited to participate.

Gait Velocity and Joint Power Generation After Stroke: Contribution of Strength and Balance.

Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the degree to which isometric strength of multiple lower limb muscle groups and balance is associated with gait velocity and joint power generation during gait after stroke.

Design: Sixty-three participants in a multisite, multinational, cross-sectional, observational study underwent assessment of gait velocity (10-m walk test), standing balance (computerized posturography), and isometric strength (hand-held dynamometry). Twenty-seven participants had joint power generation assessed (three-dimensional gait analysis).

Measures used to quantify participation in childhood disability and their alignment with the family of participation-related constructs: a systematic review.

Aim: We aimed to identify measures used to assess the participation of disabled children and to map the measures' content to the family of participation-related constructs (fPRC) to inform future research and practice.

Method: Six databases were searched to identify measures used to assess participation in health, psychology, and education research. Included studies involved children aged 0 to 18 years with a permanent impairment or developmental disability and reported use of a quantitative measure of participation.

Sustained participation in community-based physical activity by adolescents with cerebral palsy: a qualitative study.

Short-term physical activity programs may encourage adolescents with cerebral palsy to participate in physical activity but how to sustain their involvement is not well known. This qualitative study aimed to identify facilitators that successfully sustain physical activity participation by adolescents with cerebral palsy. Adolescents (12-18 years) with cerebral palsy [Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) levels I-V, without moderate-severe intellectual disability] who participated in regular physical activity were eligible, as well as one parent and an individual who facilitated their physical activity.

Characteristics Influencing Diversity of Participation of Children in Activities Outside School.

Objective: A cross-sectional survey was conducted to determine which personal and environmental characteristics influenced diversity of participation in activities outside school for typically developing children and adolescents.

Method: Four hundred twenty-two (215 boys) typically developing Australian children (mean = 11.0 yr) completed the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) and the Preferences for Activity of Children to describe their participation on five activity types: Recreational, Active Physical, Social, Self-Improvement, and Skill-Based.

Assessment of isometric muscle strength and rate of torque development with hand-held dynamometry: Test-retest reliability and relationship with gait velocity after stroke.

Isometric rate of torque development examines how quickly force can be exerted and may resemble everyday task demands more closely than isometric strength. Rate of torque development may provide further insight into the relationship between muscle function and gait following stroke. Aims of this study were to examine the test-retest reliability of hand-held dynamometry to measure isometric rate of torque development following stroke, to examine associations between strength and rate of torque development, and to compare the relationships of strength and rate of torque development to gait velocity.

Participation trajectories: impact of school transitions on children and adolescents with cerebral palsy.

Aim: To describe participation trajectories, and impact of school transitions on those trajectories, of children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: This population-based longitudinal study assessed participation in activities outside school of children with CP born in 1994/1995. Eligible children contributed data between two and five occasions over 9 years, and had parents with sufficient English proficiency to complete the measures: the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment, and the Preferences for Activities of Children.

A descriptive study of the participation of children and adolescents in activities outside school.

Background: Knowledge about patterns of participation can be used to highlight groups of children and adolescents with low attendance, or low involvement in activities and who may therefore be at risk of mental or physical health concerns. This study used the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment (CAPE) and the Preferences for Activity of Children (PAC) to describe the patterns of participation of children and adolescents in activities outside mandated school in Victoria, Australia.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of Victorian children and adolescents was conducted.

Minimising impairment: Protocol for a multicentre randomised controlled trial of upper limb orthoses for children with cerebral palsy.

Background: Upper limb orthoses are frequently prescribed for children with cerebral palsy (CP) who have muscle overactivity predominantly due to spasticity, with little evidence of long-term effectiveness. Clinical consensus is that orthoses help to preserve range of movement: nevertheless, they can be complex to construct, expensive, uncomfortable and require commitment from parents and children to wear. This protocol paper describes a randomised controlled trial to evaluate whether long-term use of rigid wrist/hand orthoses (WHO) in children with CP, combined with usual multidisciplinary care, can prevent or reduce musculoskeletal impairments, including muscle stiffness/tone and loss of movement range, compared to usual multidisciplinary care alone.

Kinematic gait deficits at the trunk and pelvis: characteristic features in children with hereditary spastic paraplegia.

Aim: To examine the kinematic gait deviations at the trunk and pelvis of children with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP).

Method: This exploratory observational study quantified gait kinematics for the trunk and pelvis from 11 children with HSP (7 males, 4 females) using the Gait Profile Score and Gait Variable Scores (GVS), and compared the kinematics to data from children with typical development using a Mann-Whitney U test.

Results: Children with HSP (median age 11y 4mo, interquartile range 4y) demonstrated large deviations in the GVS for the trunk and pelvis in the sagittal and coronal planes when compared to the gait patterns of children with typical development (p=0.

Assessment of Lower Limb Muscle Strength and Power Using Hand-Held and Fixed Dynamometry: A Reliability and Validity Study.

Introduction: Hand-held dynamometry (HHD) has never previously been used to examine isometric muscle power. Rate of force development (RFD) is often used for muscle power assessment, however no consensus currently exists on the most appropriate method of calculation. The aim of this study was to examine the reliability of different algorithms for RFD calculation and to examine the intra-rater, inter-rater, and inter-device reliability of HHD as well as the concurrent validity of HHD for the assessment of isometric lower limb muscle strength and power.

'Participation': a systematic review of language, definitions, and constructs used in intervention research with children with disabilities.

Aim: Improving participation of children with disabilities is a priority; however, the participation construct lacks clarity. This systematic review investigated how researchers defined 'participation' and the language used in participation intervention research.

Method: Nine health and education databases were searched for intervention studies of children with disabilities that included a participation outcome.

The effect of interventions aimed at improving participation outcomes for children with disabilities: a systematic review.

Aim: Enhancement of participation has been described as the ultimate outcome for health and educational interventions. The goal of this systematic review was to identify and critically appraise studies that aimed to improve the participation outcomes of children with disabilities.

Method: Nine databases that index literature from the fields of health, psychology, and education were searched to retrieve information on research conducted with children with disabilities aged between 5 years and 18 years.

Associations between lower limb strength and gait velocity following stroke: a systematic review.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to identify literature examining associations between isometric strength and gait velocity following stroke.

Methods: An electronic search was performed using six online databases. Targeted searching of reference lists of included articles and three relevant journals was also performed.

Smart technologies to enhance social connectedness in older people who live at home.

Aim: To examine the effectiveness of smart technologies in improving or maintaining the social connectedness of older people living at home.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review and critical evaluation of research articles published between 2000 and 2013. Article screening, data extraction and quality assessment (using the Downs and Black checklist) were conducted by two independent researchers.

Effectiveness and feasibility of virtual reality and gaming system use at home by older adults for enabling physical activity to improve health-related domains: a systematic review.

Background: use of virtual reality and commercial gaming systems (VR/gaming) at home by older adults is receiving attention as a means of enabling physical activity.

Objective: to summarise evidence for the effectiveness and feasibility of VR/gaming system utilisation by older adults at home for enabling physical activity to improve impairments, activity limitations or participation.

Methods: a systematic review searching 12 electronic databases from 1 January 2000-10 July 2012 using key search terms.

Robotics to enable older adults to remain living at home.

Given the rapidly ageing population, interest is growing in robots to enable older people to remain living at home. We conducted a systematic review and critical evaluation of the scientific literature, from 1990 to the present, on the use of robots in aged care. The key research questions were as follows: (1) what is the range of robotic devices available to enable older people to remain mobile, independent, and safe? and, (2) what is the evidence demonstrating that robotic devices are effective in enabling independent living in community dwelling older people? Following database searches for relevant literature an initial yield of 161 articles was obtained.

Health-related quality of life and strain in caregivers of Australians with Parkinson's disease: an observational study.

Background: The relationship between health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers is little understood and any effects on caregiver strain remain unclear. This paper examines these relationships in an Australian sample.

Methods: Using the generic EuroQol (EQ-5D) and disease-specific Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39 Item (PDQ-39), HRQoL was evaluated in a sample of 97 people with PD and their caregivers.

Psychometric properties of functional mobility tools in hereditary spastic paraplegia and other childhood neurological conditions.

Aim: To evaluate studies on the psychometric properties of measurement tools used to quantify functional mobility in children with hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) and other childhood neurological conditions.

Method: Two independent reviewers identified measures previously used by clinicians to quantify functional mobility. Because our primary interest was HSP, the first search identified measurement tools in studies that included those with HSP.

Systemic adverse events following botulinum toxin A therapy in children with cerebral palsy.

Aim: We studied the incidence of incontinence and respiratory events in children with cerebral palsy who received injections of botulinum toxin A (BoNT-A).

Method: We used multivariable logistic regression to investigate relationships between (BoNT-A) dose, Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level, and the incidence of bladder or bowel incontinence, unplanned hospital admission, emergency department consultation or prescription of antibiotics for respiratory symptoms, and diagnosis of upper respiratory tract infection.

Results: Of 1980 injection episodes in 1147 children (mean age 4y 7mo, SD 1y 10mo, range 9mo-23y), 488 (25%) were in children with unilateral involvement and 1492 (75%) in children with bilateral involvement.