Occupational Therapy News and Research

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Navigated brain stimulation system may help improve motor function for people recovering from stroke

Researchers at Shepherd Center are studying whether stimulating the brain before rehabilitation could yield greater gains in motor function for people recovering from stroke.

5 Jun 2014

George Washington University launches advanced practice OTD degree program

The George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS) is pleased to announce an advanced practice Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) degree program for practicing occupational therapists.

30 May 2014

Researcher finds relationship between motor skill deficiencies and severity of autism

An Oregon State University researcher has found a relationship between motor skill deficiencies and the severity of the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder in very young children.

25 Apr 2014

Harvard Review of Psychiatry provides updates on ASD research

Recent years have seen exciting progress in key areas of research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD): from possible genetic causes, to effective treatments for common symptoms and clinical problems, to promoting success for young people with ASD entering college. Updates on these and other advances in ASD research are presented in the March special issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry.

10 Mar 2014

MGH Institute of Health Professions proposes to add new MPAS program

MGH Institute of Health Professions plans to add a Master of Physician Assistant Studies (MPAS) program to its menu of health professions degrees beginning in May 2015.

27 Jan 2014

SCL Health System and Univita Health jointly acquire All Care Home Health

SCL Health System, along with its joint venture partner, Univita Health, announced today the acquisition of Denver-based All Care Home Health LLC. Terms were not disclosed.

23 Jan 2014

Robot-assisted therapy shows increased mobility after paresis

The survivors of a stroke often struggle with persistent loss of function of the central nervous system. Around the world strokes are one of the most frequent causes of paresis.

17 Jan 2014

Mazor Robotics gets orders for two Renaissance systems

Mazor Robotics Ltd., the developer of Renaissance, an innovative surgical guidance system and its complementary products, announced today orders of two Renaissance systems in late December, ending the 2013 fourth quarter with a total of seven system sales. In the U.S., the system was ordered by Littleton Adventist Hospital (Littleton, CO) and the second system was ordered internationally by Bestech, the Company's distributor in Israel, for installation in a hospital in Haifa, Israel.

2 Jan 2014

New program to help older adults live healthier, more independent lives

University Hospitals (UH) Bedford Medical Center, a campus of UH Regional Hospitals, has launched a new program to help older adults live healthier, more independent lives.

19 Dec 2013

Occupational therapy can benefit children with autism

In one of the first randomized control trials studying an intervention for sensory problems in children with autism, researchers found that occupational therapy using the principles of sensory integration (OT-SI) provided better outcomes on parent-identified goals than standard care, according to results published November 10th in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

26 Nov 2013

Expert offers tips for families to avoid sensory processing disorders during holiday travels

While holiday travels can be stressful for any family, the season presents greater challenges for families of children with sensory processing disorders. Varleisha Gibbs OTD, OTR/L, director of doctoral projects and assistant professor of occupational therapy at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, said attempting to coordinate a child's sensory, dietary, and energy needs while traveling can make a holiday getaway seem like a full-time job.

26 Nov 2013

Study compares prevalence, impact of chronic pain amongst different ethnic groups in Tower Hamlets

A new study in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, funded by medical research charity Arthritis Research UK, may help improve GPs’ understanding of chronic musculoskeletal pain amongst different ethnic groups and develop better strategies for self-management as a result

20 Nov 2013

State highlights: Calif. fines three insurers for denying therapy; Colo.'s Denver Health to shed jobs; Ambulance Co. agrees to pay feds $3M over fraud allegations

California officials said three of the state's largest health insurers illegally denied speech and occupational therapy to patients, and regulators fined one of the companies, Health Net Inc., $300,000 for repeated violations. The state Department of Managed Health Care said Monday that it ordered Health Net, Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield of California to stop denying medically necessary therapy in cases of developmental disabilities, autism and other medical conditions.

20 Nov 2013

First Edition: November 19, 2013

Today's headlines include news that Obama administration officials were warned about the possibility of website difficulties months ago by an outside consulting firm.

19 Nov 2013

Kaiser Permanente to open doors to brand new specialty center in Lone Tree, Colorado

After years of planning, construction and preparation, Kaiser Permanente will open the doors to a brand new specialty center in Lone Tree on December 2nd. This is the largest construction project and the most significant addition to the health plan's brick-and-mortar presence in Colorado in nearly a decade.

15 Nov 2013

Occupational therapist receives $1M grant to develop virtual world programs that help amputees improve skills

Some people use alternate virtual world programs like Second Life- to escape reality, but one researcher is examining whether these same virtual worlds that are used to stimulate the imagination could help amputees develop the skills needed to navigate the real world.

11 Nov 2013

Study shows that brains process pain of villains more than pain of people we like

Counterintuitive findings from a new USC study show that the part of the brain that is associated with empathizing with the pain of others is activated more strongly by watching the suffering of hateful people as opposed to likable people.

17 Oct 2013

Driver Rehabilitation program evaluates whether patient can safely drive car or not

Loyola University Health System has begun a Driver Rehabilitation program that provides a comprehensive evaluation on whether a patient can safely drive a car.

11 Oct 2013

New Tailored Activity Program to ease troublesome symptoms of dementia

A transformation in the treatment of patients with dementia is quietly taking place at the Lakeside Medical Unit at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. There, as part of a collaboration with researchers at the Hopkins School of Nursing (JHUSON), clinicians are putting into practice a protocol that can ease the most troublesome symptoms of dementia, not through drugs but with behavior therapy.

12 Sep 2013

Identifying changes in handwriting could lead to early diagnosis of Parkinson's

Today's primary tool for diagnosing Parkinson's disease is the diagnostic ability of the physician, who can generally identify the clinical symptoms only when the disease is at a relatively advanced stage. A new joint study by researchers at the University of Haifa and Rambam Hospital that compared the handwriting of 40 sick and healthy subjects suggests an innovative and noninvasive method of diagnosing Parkinson's at a fairly early stage.

10 Sep 2013