Although children are frequently required to sit upright, it is often difficult to maintain this posture when performing cognitive tasks. Information about the relationship between a cognitive tasks and postural seating control is important for children to complete tasks more effectively. To determine the muscle activity and body sway of children in a seated posture while performing a cognitive task, changes in muscle activity and center of pressure (COP) were recorded while 4 th grade children performed arithmetic tasks. Electromyography was recorded from the internal oblique and lumbar multifidus muscles, and the COP was recorded using a baropodometer placed on the stool. These variables were measured during easy (EA) and difficult (DA) arithmetic tasks. EMG activity decreased during the EA and DA tasks, while the COP was displaced in the DA task. The results of the arithmetic tasks were not related to the EMG or COP changes. Attention to maintain a seated posture may be reduced when children perform cognitive tasks. Therefore, it may be better to allow children to alter their posture especially when they are performing difficult tasks. In this research, we only used arithmetic tasks as the cognitive exercise, and therefore, other types of tasks should be examined.

Preschool Activity Card Sort (PACS) is a valid measure of preschoolers’ participation and is a useful and unique tool for focusing on the extent and frequency of their participation. However, given the cultural differences between Japan and other countries, researchers should consider these differences when adapting the PACS for use with children in Japan. The purpose of this study was to select culturally suitable activity items to develop the Japanese version of PACS (PACS-JPN). A two-round survey of parents (who had typically developing children aged between 3 and 6 years) was conducted. The final version of the PACS-JPN included 98 activity items. The PACS-JPN reflects Japanese sociocultural background and allows occupational therapists to assess preschoolers’ actual participation by assessing multiple aspects of children’s community life. The psychometric properties, including the validity and reliability of the PACS-JPN should be examined in future research.

Postural stability while seated was investigated in 16 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 16 typically developed (TD) children, aged 7-8 years. The lateral and antero-posterior (A-P) deviations of the centre of pressure (COP) were serially measured during sequential, upper limb, desk-top tasks, including nine subtests. The average COP deviation was larger, especially in the lateral direction, in the group of children with ASD compared with TD children. However, the larger COP deviation in the children with ASD was not generalized across tasks. Analyses of subtests revealed that deviations were different on three and four (of eight) subtests in the lateral and A-P directions, respectively. The time needed to complete each subtest was not correlated with the lateral COP deviation but with A-P deviation during the subtest in the children with ASD. Preserved task performance with marked body sway in the children with ASD suggested that the body sway was not a functionally abnormal movement that disturbed performance but could be a compensatory movement to actually facilitate performance. A new approach with occupational therapy to support such compensatory movement of ASD children could be considered in their school life. Further studies, including those in the classroom, to clarify the relationship between daily task performance and body instability are necessary.

Children with gross motor dysfunction face various obstacles when participating in out-of-home activities; activities performed outside the home such as leisure activities and IADLs, compared with children without. Furthermore, their parents may face additional obstacles during outings with their children.There are several factors that would limit the participation of children from out-of-home activities such as gross motor dysfunction [1], maladaptive behaviours [1], family relationships [2], parent fatigue [3,4], unsuitable environments [3,[5][6][7], and attitude and behaviours of the general public [4][5][6]8]. Previous studies mostly examined the participation in out-of-home activities that were focused on leisure or school activities.In terms of environmental assessment, many accessibility checklists had been developed and applied [9][10][11]. These checklists aimed to evaluate how a community, specific place, event and activity etc. accessible for people with disabilities to generate inclusive environment. Therefore, these checklist items did not reflect their individual factors that disturb their participation.The participation in out-of-home activities is also limited for parents when they go out together with their children who have gross motor dysfunction. For example, Davis et al. (2010) indicated that some families of children with gross motor dysfunction gave up leisure activities, such as family trips, due to difficulties in finding convenient barrier-free destinations. In addition to leisure activities, parents may need to go out with their

No abstract