Efficacy and threshold dose of intensive training targeting mobility for children with cerebral palsy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Aim: To systematically review the evidence for intensive mobility training in cerebral palsy (CP) and to determine the minimum effective dose to improve mobility.

Method: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) or quasi-RCTs that included participants with CP, and which used intensive task-oriented training (TOT) mobility interventions and reported mobility outcomes, were included. Five databases were searched; two independent reviewers selected studies and extracted data.

Engaging patient and community stakeholders in the optimization of the Compassionate And Loving Mindset towards heart health risk (CALM Hearts) physical activity intervention: a description of initial work and protocol for future engagement activities.

Background: Participatory research approaches systematically integrate the perspectives of individuals, organizations, or communities that have a direct interest in a study's processes and outcomes (i.e., stakeholders) in research design and implementation.

Outcomes following intensive day rehabilitation for young people in Western Australia.

Objective: Intensive rehabilitation aims to improve and maintain functioning in young people who experience disability due to illness or injury. Day rehabilitation may have advantages for families and healthcare systems over inpatient models of rehabilitation.

Methods: This study evaluated the goals and outcomes of a cohort of young people in Western Australia who attended a specialist intensive day rehabilitation programme ("iRehab") at Perth Children's Hospital.

Kindy Moves: the feasibility of an intensive interdisciplinary programme on goal and motor outcomes for preschool-aged children with neurodisabilities requiring daily equipment and physical assistance.

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of an intensive interdisciplinary programme in improving goal and motor outcomes for preschool-aged children with non-progressive neurodisabilities. The primary hypothesis was that the intervention would be feasible.

Design: A single group feasibility study.

ACTIVE STRIDES-CP: protocol for a randomised trial of intensive rehabilitation (combined intensive gait and cycling training) for children with moderate-to-severe bilateral cerebral palsy.

Introduction: For children with cerebral palsy (CP), who are marginally ambulant, gross motor capacity peaks between 6 and 7 years of age with a subsequent clinical decline, impacting their ability to engage in physical activity. Active Strides-CP is a novel package of physiotherapy targeting body functions, activity and participation outcomes for children with bilateral CP. This study will compare Active Strides-CP to usual care in a multisite randomised waitlist-controlled trial.

Validating models of sensory conflict and perception for motion sickness prediction.

The human motion perception system has long been linked to motion sickness through state estimation conflict terms. However, to date, the extent to which available perception models are able to predict motion sickness, or which of the employed perceptual mechanisms are of most relevance to sickness prediction, has not been studied. In this study, the subjective vertical model, the multi-sensory observer model and the probabilistic particle filter model were all validated for their ability to predict motion perception and sickness, across a large set of motion paradigms of varying complexity from literature.

Transition to adult care of young people with congenital heart disease: impact of a service on knowledge and self-care skills and correlates of a successful transition.

Aims: Less than one-third of adolescents with congenital heart disease (CHD) successfully transition to adult care, missing out on education of their cardiac condition, and risking loss to follow-up. We assessed the efficacy of our transition clinic on patient education and empowerment and identified correlates of successful transition.

Methods And Results: Overall, 592 patients were seen at least once in our transition service between 2015 and 2022 (age 15.

The Experience of Locomotor Training From the Perspectives of Therapists and Parents of Children With Cerebral Palsy.

The objective of this study was to explore the experiences of intensive locomotor training from the perspective of therapists and parents of children with cerebral palsy. A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was employed to capture perspectives following an intensive locomotor training intervention. Data were analyzed thematically, systematically coding and interpreted by grouping information into themes and sub-theme categories.

Amplitude and Temporal Dynamics of Motion Sickness.

The relationship between the amplitude of motion and the accumulation of motion sickness in time is unclear. Here, we investigated this relationship at the individual and group level. Seventeen participants were exposed to four oscillatory motion stimuli, in four separate sessions, separated by at least 1 week to prevent habituation.

Relating individual motion sickness levels to subjective discomfort ratings.

High levels of vehicle automation are expected to increase the risk of motion sickness, which is a major detriment to driving comfort. The exact relation between motion sickness and discomfort is a matter of debate, with recent studies suggesting a relief of discomfort at the onset of nausea. In this study, we investigate whether discomfort increases monotonously with motion sickness and how the relation can best be characterized in a semantic experiment (Experiment 1) and a motion sickness experiment (Experiment 2).

Kindy Moves: a protocol for establishing the feasibility of an activity-based intervention on goal attainment and motor capacity delivered within an interdisciplinary framework for preschool aged children with cerebral palsy.

Introduction: Preschool aged children with cerebral palsy (CP) and like conditions are at risk of performing below their peers in key skill areas of school readiness. Kindy Moves was developed to support school readiness in preschool aged children with CP and like conditions that are dependent on physical assistance and equipment throughout the day. The primary aims are to determine the feasibility of motor-based interventions that are functional and goal directed, adequately dosed and embedded into a play environment with interdisciplinary support to optimise goal-driven outcomes.

Individual motion perception parameters and motion sickness frequency sensitivity in fore-aft motion.

Previous literature suggests a relationship between individual characteristics of motion perception and the peak frequency of motion sickness sensitivity. Here, we used well-established paradigms to relate motion perception and motion sickness on an individual level. We recruited 23 participants to complete a two-part experiment.

Objective and subjective responses to motion sickness: the group and the individual.

We investigated and modeled the temporal evolution of motion sickness in a highly dynamic sickening drive. Slalom maneuvers were performed in a passenger vehicle, resulting in lateral accelerations of 0.4 g at 0.

Locomotor and robotic assistive gait training for children with cerebral palsy.

Aim: To determine if robotic assisted gait training (RAGT) using surface muscle electrical stimulation and locomotor training enhances mobility outcomes when compared to locomotor training alone in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: Forty children (18 females, 22 males; mean age 8y 1mo, SD 2y 1mo; range 5y 1mo-12y 11mo) with CP in Gross Motor Function Classification System levels (GMFCS) III, IV, and V were randomly assigned to the RAGT and locomotor training (RAGT+LT) group or locomotor training only group (dosage for both: three 1-hour sessions a week for 6 weeks). Outcomes were assessed at baseline T1 (week 0), post-treatment T2 (week 6), and retention T3 (week 26).

A Study of the Safety and Functionality of Gamified Electromyographic Biofeedback for Children with Cerebral Palsy.

Cerebral palsy is a neurodevelopmental condition that affects 17 million individuals worldwide. Traditionally, methods of therapy are repetitive and monotonous, generating immense difficulty in maintaining patient motivation and engagement. This project's objective was to provide a novel method of therapeutic intervention that was co-designed by therapists and had the capacity to increase patient motivation and enjoyment.

Touchscreens for Aircraft Navigation Tasks: Comparing Accuracy and Throughput of Three Flight Deck Interfaces Using Fitts' Law.

Objective: Use Fitts' law to compare accuracy and throughput of three flight deck interfaces for navigation.

Background: Industry is proposing touch-based solutions to modernize the flight management system. However, research evaluating touchscreen effectiveness for navigation tasks in terms of accuracy and throughput on the flight deck is lacking.

Effects of Target Signal Shape and System Dynamics on Feedforward in Manual Control.

The human controller (HC) in manual control of a dynamical system often follows a visible and predictable reference path (target). The HC can adopt a control strategy combining closed-loop feedback and an open-loop feedforward response. The effects of the target signal waveform shape and the system dynamics on the human feedforward dynamics are still largely unknown, even for common, stable, vehicle-like dynamics.

Effects of Preview on Human Control Behavior in Tracking Tasks With Various Controlled Elements.

This paper investigates how humans use a previewed target trajectory for control in tracking tasks with various controlled element dynamics. The human's hypothesized "near" and "far" control mechanisms are first analyzed offline in simulations with a quasi-linear model. Second, human control behavior is quantified by fitting the same model to measurements from a human-in-the-loop experiment, where subjects tracked identical target trajectories with a pursuit and a preview display, each with gain, single-, and double-integrator controlled element dynamics.

Objective Model Selection for Identifying the Human Feedforward Response in Manual Control.

Realistic manual control tasks typically involve predictable target signals and random disturbances. The human controller (HC) is hypothesized to use a feedforward control strategy for target-following, in addition to feedback control for disturbance-rejection. Little is known about human feedforward control, partly because common system identification methods have difficulty in identifying whether, and (if so) how, the HC applies a feedforward strategy.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation-assisted gait increases muscle strength and volume in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy.

Aim: To determine if neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) applied to the ankle dorsiflexors during gait improves muscle volume and strength in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP).

Method: Thirty-two children (15 females, 17 males; mean age 10y 8mo, age range 5y 5mo-18y 1mo) with unilateral spastic CP and a Gross Motor Function Classification System of level I or level II were randomly assigned to either the 8-week daily NMES treatment group or control group (usual or conventional treatments). Outcomes at week 8 (post-NMES) and week 14 (carryover) included magnetic resonance imaging for muscle volumes (tibialis anterior, anterior compartment, and gastrocnemius), strength (hand-held dynamometry for isometric dorsiflexion strength and heel raises for functional strength), and clinical measures for lower limb selective motor control.

An Empirical Human Controller Model for Preview Tracking Tasks.

Real-life tracking tasks often show preview information to the human controller about the future track to follow. The effect of preview on manual control behavior is still relatively unknown. This paper proposes a generic operator model for preview tracking, empirically derived from experimental measurements.

The orthotic and therapeutic effects following daily community applied functional electrical stimulation in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy: a randomised controlled trial.

Background: The purpose of this study was to determine the orthotic and therapeutic effects of daily community applied FES to the ankle dorsiflexors in a randomized controlled trial. We hypothesized that children receiving the eight-week FES treatment would demonstrate orthotic and therapeutic effects in gait and spasticity as well as better community mobility and balance skills compared to controls not receiving FES.

Methods: This randomized controlled trial involved 32 children (mean age 10 yrs 3 mo, SD 3 yrs 3 mo; 15 females, 17 males) with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy and a Gross Motor Function Classification System of I or II randomly assigned to a FES treatment group (n = 16) or control group (n = 16).

Daily functional electrical stimulation during everyday walking activities improves performance and satisfaction in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: The aim of this paper is to determine whether daily functional electrical stimulation (FES) is effective in improving self-perceptions of individually identified mobility performance problems in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (USCP). We hypothesized that children receiving 8 weeks of FES treatment would have higher scores for self-perceived performance and satisfaction on the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) for individually identified priorities than children not receiving FES.

Methods: Thirty-two children (mean age 10 y 8 mo SD 3y 3mo) with USCP and a Gross Motor Function Classification System I or II were randomly assigned to the FES treatment group (8 weeks of daily FES) and control group (usual treatments).