Fractal fluctuations in exploratory movements predict differences in dynamic touch capabilities between children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and typical development.

Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) struggle to perform a host of daily activities. Many of these involve forceful interaction with objects and thus implicate dynamic touch. Therefore, deficits in dynamic touch could underlie functional difficulties presented by ADHD children.

Effects of attentional focus on movement coordination complexity.

Attentional focus affects performance and learning of motor tasks. An external attentional focus (on the effects of movement) can lead to more efficient and effective movements compared to an internal focus (on body movement itself). According to the "constrained action hypothesis", an external focus facilitates fast and reflexive movement control while an internal focus leads to disruption of automatic coordination processes.

Reliability of Foot Posture Index individual and total scores for adults and older adults.

Background: Previous studies have suggested that the Foot Posture Index (FPI-6) is valid and reliable to evaluate foot posture of adults and children. However, studies with adults had some important limitations. In addition, it is not clear if FPI-6 is reliable for older adults.

New version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI-CAT): translation, cultural adaptation to Brazil and analyses of psychometric properties.

Background: The Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory-Computer Adaptive Test (PEDI-CAT), developed with innovative measurement methodologies, evaluates functioning of children and youth, from 0 to 21 years, with different health conditions. It is a revision of an earlier instrument (PEDI) that has been used in national and international clinical practice and research. It was felt to be necessary to make this new version (PEDI-CAT) available in Brazil.

Task difficulty and inertial properties of hand-held tools: An assessment of their concurrent effects on precision aiming.

Aiming hand-held tools at targets in space entails adjustments in the dynamical organization of aiming patterns according to the required precision. We asked whether and how these adjustments are modified by the tool's mass distribution. Twelve participants performed reciprocal aiming movements with a 50-cm long wooden probe.

Upper limb performance and the structuring of joint movement in teenagers with cerebral palsy: the reciprocal role of task demands and action capabilities.

Individuals with unilateral cerebral palsy (CP) demonstrate reduced performance in upper limb tasks compared to typically developing (TD) peers. We examined whether task conditions modify differences between teenagers with and without CP during a reciprocal aiming task. Twenty teenagers (nine CP and 11 TD) moved a pointer between two targets as fast as possible without missing a target.

Assessment of gait in toddlers with normal motor development and in hemiplegic children with mild motor impairment: a validity study.

Background: The optimization of gait performance is an important goal in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy (CP) who present a prognosis associated with locomotion. Gait analysis using videos captured by digital cameras requires validation.

Objective: To evaluate the validity of a method that involves the analysis of videos captured using a digital camera for quantifying the temporal parameters of gait in toddlers with normal motor development and children with CP.