The Relationship Between Perceptual Impairment and Self-Care Status in a Sample of Elderly Persons

Mediating effect of sequential memory on the relationship between visual-motor integration and self-care performance in young children with autism spectrum disorder

Objective

Visual perception is a skill that contributes to the performance of self-care and important development tasks in early childhood. The relationship between self-care and visual perception is especially significant for young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), who have been described as visual learners. However, this relationship is not clearly understood among young children with ASD. We investigated the role of motor-free visual perception on the relationship between self-care and visual-motor integration in young children with ASD.

Methods

A sample of 66 children with ASD aged 48 to 83 months were recruited. Measurements included the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills, the Developmental Test of Visual Perception—Third Edition, and Test of Visual-Perceptual Skills—Third Edition.

Results

The results indicated that self-care performance had significant positive correlations with visual-motor integration, visual discrimination, visual memory, visual spatial relationships, and visual sequential memory. Of these, visual sequential memory and visual spatial relationships were the main factors related to self-care performance. Sequential memory was a mediator of the relationship between visual-motor integration and self-care performance.

Conclusion

This study establishes a deeper understanding of self-care and motor-free visual perception among young children with ASD. Understanding the relationship between visual perception and self-care in young children with ASD may aid professionals in providing self-care interventions for this population.

Relationship Between the Performance of Self-Care and Visual Perception Among Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Typical Developing Children

Studies investigating the performance of self-care and visual perception in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are limited. The relationship between self-care performance and visual perception ability in young children with ASD is not yet clearly understood. Here, self-care performance was evaluated by the caregivers and therapists of children with ASD. The differences in self-care performance and visual perception ability were investigated in 66 children with ASD and 66 typically developing (TD) children between the ages of 48-83 months. The relationships between self-care and visual perception were tested in both two groups. The Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS) and the Chinese version of the Pediatric Evaluation of Disability Inventory (PEDI-C) were used to assess the children's self-care performance. The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-Third Edition (TVPS-3) and the Developmental Test of Visual Perception-Third Edition (DTVP-3) were used to evaluate visual perception ability. Young children with ASD obtained significantly lower scores for self-care performance (AMPS and PEDI-C) and visual perception ability (TVPS-3 and DTVP) compared with TD children. Additionally, positive correlations were found between self-care performance and visual perception ability in young children with ASD. The results provide a valuable contribution to our understanding about self-care and visual perception performance of young children with ASD. The findings of this research highlight the need for pediatric practitioners to include self-care and visual-motor integration evaluations for young children with ASD. LAY SUMMARY: Young children with ASD obtained significantly lower scores for self-care performance and visual perception ability compared with TD children. Positive correlations were found between self-care performance and visual perception ability in young children with ASD. The results provide a valuable contribution to our understanding about self-care and visual perception performance of young children with ASD.

The incidence of visual perceptual impairment in patients with severe traumatic brain injury

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES

To investigate the incidence of visual perceptual impairments in a sample of patients with traumatic brain injury (TBI) using the Occupational Therapy Adult Perceptual Screening Test (OT-APST), compare incidence rates to a normative sample and explore the relationship between the presence of visual perceptual impairment and the severity of cognitive and functional impairment following TBI.

RESEARCH DESIGN

Cohort study using a convenience sample of patients with TBI and a normative sample.

METHODS AND PROCEDURES

Thirty-one patients with severe TBI and 195 healthy people were compared on the OT-APST and measures of cognition and function.

MAIN OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

The most common impairments in the TBI sample were unilateral neglect (45.2%) and impairments of body scheme (25.8%) and constructional skills (25.8%). Significantly higher incidences of agnosia, apraxia, unilateral neglect and impairments in body scheme and constructional skills were found in the TBI sample compared to the normative sample. No significant relationship was found between the presence of visual perceptual impairments and the level of cognitive and functional impairment after TBI.

CONCLUSIONS

Visual perceptual changes are evident in patients with severe TBI when compared to a normative sample. Routine use of a screening tool such as the OT-APST may help identify visual perceptual impairments in these patients and the need for more detailed assessment.

Erhalt und Förderung der Selbstständigkeit bei Pflegeheimbewohnern

Auch bei bereits eingetretener Pflegebedürftigkeit sind Maßnahmen der Rehabilitation zur Vermeidung eines Fortschreitens der Erkrankung oder der Verschlimmerung einer Behinderung zu gewähren. Zeitlich begrenzte stationäre wie ambulante Rehabilitationsmaßnahmen nach SGB V sind bei Pflegeheimbewohnern jedoch oftmals nicht sinnvoll, zumal eine nachhaltige Wirkung meist nicht erzielt werden kann. Für Pflegeheimbewohner sind langfristig angelegte rehabilitative Maßnahmen vor dem Hintergrund einer aktivierenden Pflege angebracht. Das Forschungsprojekt “Rehabilitation im Altenpflegeheim” untersucht die Anwendbarkeit und Effektivität eines auf Grundlage bestehender Rehabilitations- und Aktivierungsmaßnahmen beruhenden rehabilitativen Interventionsansatzes bei einer Pflegeheimklientel. In diesem Übersichtsartikel werden vor dem Hintergrund der theoretischen Grundlagen einer aktivierend-rehabilitativen Pflege, die als Basis aller interventionistischer Bemühungen in der stationären Altenhilfe angesehen werden kann, existierende therapeutisch-rehabilitative Ansätze für Pflegeheimbewohner dargestellt und anhand der vorliegenden Literatur diskutiert.