Date Presented 04/04/19 Executive function (EF) deficits following traumatic brain injury (TBI) negatively affect independence in daily living. The use of performance-based assessments are recommended. This cross-sectional study compared the performance of the Internet-based bill-paying task in adults with TBI to healthy adults and correlated this task to WebNeuro computerized assessment and independence in daily living. The bill-paying task has construct and initial criterion validity to assess EF deficits after TBI. Primary Author and Speaker: Yael Nadler Tzadok Additional Authors and Speakers: Rotem Eliav Contributing Authors: Sigal Portnoy, Debbie Rand

OBJECTIVE. The dart-throwing motion (DTM) is a multiplane wrist motion that is needed for many daily occupations. Mobilization along the DTM plane may be essential for rehabilitation after wrist injury, but DTM angles are reported for the dominant hand alone, so their relevance to injury in the nondominant hand cannot be surmised. The aim of this study was to quantify the DTM plane angles for both hands during different activities of daily living (ADLs). METHOD. Forty-three healthy participants wore a twin-axis electrogoniometer during ADLs. RESULTS. No significant differences were found between the DTM plane angles of the dominant (20°–45°) and nondominant (15°–40°) hands. These angles varied by task and across participants. CONCLUSION. The DTM plane is a functional motion used by both hands during ADLs. Because the DTM plane angle differs among hands, tasks, and individual clients, wrist rehabilitation involving the DTM plane should not be limited to a singular DTM plane angle.

OBJECTIVE. We compared performance level and muscle activity patterns during shape copying and tracing in two positions, while sitting at a desk and while standing in front of a wall, between typically developing (TD) preschool children and children with mild disabilities (MD). METHOD. Twenty-two TD children (8 boys, 14 girls; mean [M] age = 5.2 yr, standard deviation [SD] = 0.1) and 13 children with MD (9 boys, 4 girls; M age = 4.9 yr, SD = 0.5) participated in this study. RESULTS. The children performed faster and smoother movements when copying shapes on the vertical surface, with no reduction of accuracy, than on the horizontal surface. Children with MD exerted their upper trapezius while performing the short tasks on the vertical surface compared with their muscle activity on the horizontal surface. CONCLUSION. Incorporating short copying or drawing tasks on a vertical surface may increase the control of proximal muscles and ease graphomotor performance in children with MD.

OBJECTIVE. The Executive Function Performance Test (EFPT) is a reliable and valid performance-based tool to assess executive functions (EFs). This study’s objective was to develop and verify two Internet-based tasks for the EFPT. METHOD. A cross-sectional study assessed the alternate-form reliability of the Internet-based bill-paying and telephone-use tasks in healthy adults and people with subacute stroke (Study 1). It also sought to establish the tasks’ criterion reliability for assessing EF deficits by correlating performance with that on the Trail Making Test in five groups: healthy young adults, healthy older adults, people with subacute stroke, people with chronic stroke, and young adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Study 2). RESULTS. The alternative-form reliability and initial construct validity for the Internet-based bill-paying task were verified. Criterion validity was established for both tasks. CONCLUSION. The Internet-based tasks are comparable to the original EFPT tasks and can be used for assessment of EF deficits.

Date Presented 4/17/2015 The lateral range of the center of pressure of a child playing a virtual reality game with another child was significantly wider compared to playing alone (n = 20). The results may indicate the benefit of pairing children during balance treatment sessions while also incorporating social interaction.