Objectives: The Shoulder Pain And Disability Index (SPADI) is a self-report questionnaire developed to evaluate patients with shoulder problems. No validated Turkish version exists. This study sought to translate and culturally adapt a Turkish versio

Objective: The effects of hydrotherapy on an 11-year-old girl with stage III Rett syndrome were inve...

Purpose: This study was planned to investigate the effects of individual and group approaches to sensory-perceptual-motor (SPM) training on children with cerebral palsy. Method: This study was carried out at the School of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation of Hacettepe University, Occupational Therapy Unit. Forty-one children who were diagnosed as having spastic diplegic cerebral palsy by the Department of Paediatric Neurology of Hacettepe University were assessed. Forty-one children with cerebral palsy were randomly divided into three groups. Individual and group SPM training were given to first group (IND) (n 16) and second group (GRP) (n 16) respectively. The third group was determined as a control group (n 9) and only the home programme was given. All children were evaluated with Ayres Southern California Sensory Integration Test and Physical Ability Test before and after training. The SPM training programmes were applied for 1.5 hours, 3 days per week for 3 months. Results: Estimates of effect sizes were calculated for group, individual and control treatments. Results indicated that both group and individual treatments had a measurable effect that was consistently greater than that of controls. Conclusions: This study shows that programmes of SPM training in individuals and group treatments affect children with cerebral palsy. It was concluded that SPM training in children with cerebral palsy will be applied to combined programmes and the relationship with individual and group treatments developed.

Many developmental skills are related to children's school readiness in the early years, and these skills are essential for later achievement. Some of these skills include sensory processing, motor and visual perceptual skills, and executive functions. To date, limited research has examined these skills associated with school readiness. This study investigated the relationship between sensory processing, motor and visual perceptual skills, and executive functions, and school readiness in kindergarten children. A total of 138 kindergarten children administered the Sensory Profile, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test 2- Brief Form, the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-3, the Childhood Executive Functioning Inventory, and the Primary School Readiness Scale. The results showed that sensory processing, motor and visual perceptual skills, and executive functions were correlated with children's school readiness, and these skills were also highly predictive of children's school readiness (p < 0.05). It is necessary for future studies to consider these skills when assessing school readiness and to include strategies to develop these skills in intervention programs.

Purpose. This study investigated the effects of sensory-perceptual-motor and cognitive functions on handwriting skill in primary-school children with left-hemiplegic cerebral palsy, compared with that of their healthy peers. Methods. The study included 26 children aged 8–12 years with left hemiplegic cerebral palsy and 32 typically developing children of similar age with dominant right hand. The Minnesota Handwriting Assessment was used to evaluate handwriting skill. The Bruininks–Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency was used to assess motor performance. Cognitive function was assessed by the Lowenstein Occupational Therapy Cognitive Assessment. The Ayres Southern California Sensory Integration Tests were used to assess visual perception, kinaesthesia and graphesthesia. Results. Statistically significant differences were found between the two groups in sensory-perceptual-motor and cognitive function and handwriting skill (p < 0.05). There were also significant correlations between handwriting parameters and upper-extremity speed and dexterity, proprioception, bilateral coordination, visual and spatial perception and, visual-motor organisation in children with cerebral palsy (p < 0.05). Conclusions. The results showed that left-hemiplegic children with cerebral palsy whose right sides were dominant were significantly less competent at handwriting than their right-dominant, healthy peers. It was found that the impairment in proprioception seen in the non-hemiplegic side in children with cerebral palsy, and also the impairment in bilateral coordination, speed and dexterity of the upper extremities, visual and spatial perception, visual-motor organization, and tactile-sensory impairments negatively affected their handwriting skills. In the treatment approaches for children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy, comprehensive sensory-perceptual-motor assessments that involve both extremities must be performed in detail at the earliest possible stage, in order to minimize the existing problems with early-treatment policies. Developing the sensory-perceptual-motor and cognitive function of hemiplegic children would thus be possible, and they would be able to develop handwriting skill as a tool for their academic lives as healthy peers.