Training the brain to reduce pain could be a promising approach for treating phantom limb pain and complex regional pain syndrome, according to an internationally known neuroscience researcher speaking today at the American Pain Society's Annual Scientific Meeting, www.ampainsoc.org.G. Lorimer Moseley, PhD, professor of clinical neurosciences at University of South Australia and Neuroscience Research Australia, and head of the Body in Mind research team, www.bodyinmind.org, told the plenary session ...

A new prospective study of six-month-old infants at high genetic risk for autism identified weak head and neck control as a red flag for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and language and/or social developmental delays. Researchers at the Kennedy Krieger Institute concluded that a simple "pull-to-sit" task could be added to existing developmental screenings at pediatric well visits to improve early detection of developmental delays."Research aimed at improving early detection of autism has largely ...

Do you do home modifications as part of your OT or OTA practice?  If so, you are invited to complete a survey to help inform the profession about current practice.  The survey is collaboration between AOTA and OT at Duquesne University (c/o Patricia Crist, crist@duq.edu or Karen Smith, ksmith@aota.org). Please use the following link to complete the survey before May 31, 2012:https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/YGZSMK3

A Kansas State University graduate student is creating a schoolyard that can become a therapeutic landscape for children with autism.Chelsey King, master's student in landscape architecture, St. Peters, Mo., is working with Katie Kingery-Page, assistant professor of landscape architecture, to envision a place where elementary school children with autism could feel comfortable and included."My main goal was to provide different opportunities for children with autism to be able to interact in their ...

At Ease USA (http://www.ateaseusa.org/), a Nebraska organization dedicated to providing confidential post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) care for military families, has launched a clinical trial of a promising new therapeutic intervention at Creighton University.The Creighton University study is the first trial in the United States, and one of only two trials in the world, testing the effectiveness of Attention Bias Modification Therapy (ABMT) for PTSD. It is a straightforward, noninvasive, computerized ...

Entries are being accepted through June 25, 2012 for the 17th Annual Bryn Mawr Rehab Hospital Art Ability Exhibit and Sale. Art Ability is a unique program that celebrates the work of artists with disabilities and culminates with an international juried exhibition and sale featuring art and fine crafts. Artists from around the world who suffer physical, cognitive, visual and hearing disabilities are welcome to submit their work to be included in the annual event. All of the work accepted for this ...

The Detroit Institute for Children (The DIC), Michigan's only independent non-profit pediatric rehabilitation agency, announced it raised more than $280,000 as a match to the Art Van Million Dollar Charity Challenge this year. The money will be used to support the on-going rehabilitative services that The DIC provides for children with conditions such as cerebral palsy, neuromuscular diseases, developmental delays, autism spectrum disorders, genetic syndromes, and traumatic injuries.Thanks to the $50,000 ...

Chronic pain management is a major and growing challenge for our global healthcare system, and training healthcare professionals to effectively care for those suffering from chronic pain is a central element in tackling that challenge. McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, Canada has recently announced a new online graduate-certificate program for healthcare professionals designed to enhance their ability to assess and treat chronic pain conditions.The new interdisciplinary certificate, created in ...

Port Chester Nursing and Rehabilitation Centre is pleased to announce their new Neuro-Rehabilitation Recovery Program, designed for individuals diagnosed with stroke, spinal cord injury, ALS, Parkinson's Disease, Cerebral Palsy and dementia. Under the supervision of a board-certified neurologist, the Neuro-Rehabilitation Recovery Program at Port Chester is provided up to seven days a week and includes physical, occupational and speech therapies. In addition, patients are offered neurodevelopmental ...

Misericordia University student researchers recently had their findings about the reliability of the Americans with Disabilities Act-Compliance Assessment Toolkit (ADA-CAT) presented at the California State University, Northridge Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego, CA.Developed by Denis Anson, MS, OTR, director of research and development for the Assistive Technology Research Institute at Misericordia University, the ADA-CAT is a screening tool that ...

Jefferson Elder Care (JEC) received a Pew Fund Grant for $150,000 to provide dementia services to families in the Delaware Valley. "With these funds, we can work with a large number of underserved elders and their caregivers," shares Catherine V. Piersol, MS, OTR/L, JEC Clinical Director. "Our goal always has been to help improve the daily lives of both people with dementia and their caregivers, and these funds will assist in bridging the gap between each family's needs and their ability to access ...

Less than four years after opening the Garbose Family Special Delivery Unit, the world's first birth facility exclusively for mothers carrying babies with known birth defects, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) celebrates 1,000 deliveries. All babies delivered in the Special Delivery Unit are prenatally diagnosed with birth defects, such as spina bifida or congenital heart disease, and will either undergo fetal surgery to treat the condition before birth or need immediate ...

Infants and toddlers who have been treated for cancer tend to reach certain developmental milestones later than do their healthy peers, say researchers at the National Institutes of Health and in Italy.The findings show that delays may occur early in the course of treatment and suggest that young children with cancer might benefit from such early interventions as physical or language therapy.Compared to children who had not had cancer, children treated for cancer before age 4 progressed more slowly in ...

The Department of Occupational Therapy at Jefferson School of Health Professions, Thomas Jefferson University, is ranked #6 in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report's "America's Best Graduate Schools for 2012." This is a jump from #13 in 2008, the last time Occupational Therapy programs were ranked."This ranking places us among a group of very elite occupational therapy programs across the country," says Janice Burke, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy and ...

Overweight and obese adults who used an electronic diary program on a personal digital assistant did better at staying on diet and physical activity programs, researchers reported at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention/Nutrition, Physical Activity and Metabolism 2012 Scientific Sessions.People using the device, which provided tailored dietary and exercise feedback messages, were more successful in adhering to five treatment factors for weight loss: -- attending group sessions; -- ...