This research describes difficulties encountered by Australian children with ABI in participating in community-based activities with their same aged peers. This study adds to the current literature describing patterns of participation of United States children who have sustained brain injuries, and provides useful information for Australian therapists to consider when addressing children's return to school and engagement with their peers following brain injury.

Students can achieve equivalent learning outcomes in a 40 hour simulated placement to those achieved in a 40 hour traditional placement. These findings provide assurance to students, educators and professional accreditation bodies that simulation can be embedded in occupational therapy education with good effect.

BackgroundFunctional hand splinting is a common therapeutic intervention for children with neurological conditions. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance (CO-OP) approach over and above conventional functional hand splinting, and in combination with splinting, for children with cerebral palsy or brain injury.MethodsA multisite, assessor-blinded, parallel, randomized controlled trial was conducted in Australia. Participants (n = 45) were randomly allocated to one of three groups; (1) splint only (n = 15); (2) CO-OP only (n = 15); (3) CO-OP + splint (n = 15). Inclusion: age 4–15 years; diagnosis of cerebral palsy or brain injury; Manual Ability Classification System I–IV; hand function goals; sufficient language, cognitive and behavioral ability. Primary outcome measures were the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) and Goal Attainment Scale (GAS). Treatment duration for all groups was 2 weeks. CO-OP was provided in a group format, 1 h per day for 10 consecutive weekdays, with parents actively involved in the group. Hand splints were wrist cock-up splints that were worn during task practice. Three individual goals were set and all participants were encouraged to complete a daily home program of practicing goals for 1 h. Analyses were conducted on an intention to treat basis.ResultsThe COPM showed that all three groups improved from baseline to immediately post-treatment. GAS showed a statistically significant difference immediately post-intervention between the splint only and CO-OP only groups p = 0.034), and the splint only and CO-OP + splint group (p = 0.047) favoring CO-OP after controlling for baseline.ConclusionsThe CO-OP Approach™ appeared to enhance goal achievement over and above a functional hand splint alone. There was no added benefit of using hand splints in conjunction with CO-OP, compared to CO-OP alone. Hand splints were not well tolerated in this population. Practice of functional goals, through CO-OP or practice at home, leads to goal achievement for children with cerebral palsy or brain injury.Trial registrationRegistered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12613000690752) on 24/06/2013.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1186/s12887-018-1213-9) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Leisure participation is important for well-being and has been attributed to improved quality of life for autistic individuals. Rigorous studies exploring the leisure participation of autistic adults are sparse. This study aimed to compare the type of leisure activity and frequency of participation between autistic adults and neurotypical adults as well as compare and identify factors associated with their leisure satisfaction. Data for 145 autistic and 104 neurotypical adults were obtained from time point one of the Australian Longitudinal Study of Adults with Autism. The primary outcome measure used was the Leisure Satisfaction Scale. Autistic adults were less satisfied with their leisure overall (mean = 3.29, standard deviation = 0.75) compared with neurotypical adults (mean = 3.69, standard deviation = 0.55). Multiple linear regression revealed being younger and reporting less depressive symptoms were significantly associated with higher leisure satisfaction in autistic but not neurotypical adults. Engagement in solitary leisure activities was comparable across participants, but socialising in person was predominated by neurotypical adults. Leisure activity preferences of autistic adults' and the frequency of their leisure participation are important factors for clinicians to understand when working with this population and tailoring well-being interventions.