There is a resolve to address the challenges faced by People globally to access assistive technology. Context specific needs assessment is required to understand the AT Personnel landscape, to shape and strengthen credentialing frameworks through competencies and certification, acknowledging both general and specific skill mix requirements. Implications for Rehabilitation Personnel in assistive technology (AT) provision should be trained using a person-centred team approach, which emphasizes appropriate skill-mix to address multiple needs within the community. Sustainability indicators should be used which allow personnel to monitor, measure and respond to needs for service design and delivery. A competence framework with associated education and training program, coupled with the development and implementation of a certification framework for AT personnel needs, will promote quality in AT personnel training globally.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is one of the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders in school-aged children, with major consequences in psychosocial and physical health. Adequate identification of this disorder is necessary to prompt effective interventions. The aims of this study were to develop the Spanish adjusted reference norms for the DCDDaily-Q and to test the correlation and agreement between the Spanish versions of the DCDDaily-Q (DCDDaily-Q-ES) and the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ-ES), two reliable instruments to assess motor performance and DCD. Clinically relevant percentiles were calculated for the DCDDaily-Q-ES using a representative sample of Spanish children aged 5 to 10 years (n = 356; M = 7.3 years, SD = 1.8; boys = 50%). Pearson’s correlation coefficient and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) were used to determine correlation and agreement between questionnaires, respectively. A moderate and significant correlation and agreement between DCDDaily-Q-ES and DCDQ-ES was found (r = 0.406; ICC = 0.381; p < 0.001). Differences in daily participation and performance were found between age groups, but not between boys and girls. Spanish age-adjusted percentiles and cutoff scores for DCDDaily-Q-ES are provided. This study offers further validation and relevant information regarding assessment of DCD and has practical implications for clinical practice and research.

Background: Presently the use of technological devices such as wearable devices has emerged. Physical activity monitoring with wearable sensors is an easy and non-intrusive approach to encourage preventive care for older adults. It may be useful to follow a continuous assessment of the risk of falling. The objective is to explore the relationship between the daily activity measured by Xiaomi Mi Band 2 and the risk of falling of older adults residing in or attending care facilities. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on three different institutions located in Galicia (autonomous community) (Spain). Results: A total of 31 older adults were included in the study, with a mean age of 84 ± 8.71 years old. The main findings obtained were that a greater number of steps and distance could be related to a lower probability of falling, of dependency in basic activities of daily living, or of mobility problems. Conclusions: The importance of focusing on daily steps, intrinsically related to the objective assessment of daily physical activity, is that it is a modifiable factor that impacts different aspects of health and quality of life.

Importance: The Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ) is the most widely used measure of difficulties with activities of daily living and academic performance in children with developmental coordination disorder, but this tool has not been adapted for use in Spain. Objective: To translate and cross-culturally adapt the DCDQ into European Spanish (DCDQ–ES) for use in assessing motor coordination in Spanish children. Design: Cross-cultural adaptation and preliminary validation study. Setting: Community and mainstream schools in Spain. Participants: A committee of five experts oversaw the cross-cultural adaptation process. A community-based convenience sample of 31 parents of children ages 5–14 yr was used to test the comprehensibility of the DCDQ–ES. Preliminary reliability was tested with 35 randomly selected parents of children ages 6–12 yr. Outcomes and Measures: The DCDQ was translated into European Spanish and cross-culturally adapted following international guidelines. Comprehensibility was assessed using cognitive debriefing interviews. The final version of the DCDQ–ES was used for the reliability analysis. Results: Cultural relevance and equivalence and idiomatic differences between the DCDQ and DCDQ–ES were evaluated. Comprehensibility analysis led to minor modifications that facilitated comprehension and interpretation. Internal consistency and homogeneity of the DCDQ–ES were good (Cronbach’s α = .857, corrected item–total correlations = .268–.692). Conclusions and Relevance: The DCDQ–ES is conceptually and semantically equivalent to DCDQ and was successfully cross-culturally adapted for the European Spanish context. Preliminary data suggest that the DCDQ–ES is a reliable measure of motor coordination in Spanish children. What This Article Adds: This study provides evidence of the cultural equivalence of the DCDQ–ES for use with Spanish children. Occupational therapists in Spain can use the DCDQ–ES to evaluate children’s motor coordination difficulties in everyday activities.

Las actitudes pueden facilitar o dificultar el proceso inclusivo en la educación superior. Los objetivos del presente estudio son determinar las actitudes del alumnado y docentes hacia la discapacidad y conocer las variables que influyen en dichas actitudes. Se ha realizado un estudio descriptivo de prevalencia realizado en la Universidade da Coruña (UDC) con docentes (n= 121) y alumnos/as (n= 345) utilizando un cuestionario validado, autoadministrado y anonimizado (CUNIDIS). Se realizó un análisis descriptivo y un ANO-VA para determinar las variables asociadas a las diferentes actitudes. Los resultados obtenidos manifiestan que los participantes creen preciso adaptar los materiales utilizados en las aulas, pero no los criterios de evaluación y cualificación. Sin embargo, indican que estas adaptaciones no se llevan a cabo realmente. La mayoría de los docentes indicaron que no están suficientemente formados para dar respuesta a las necesidades de los estudiantes con discapacidad. Se considera, por lo tanto, que los estudiantes y docentes de la UDC presentan, de manera general, unas actitudes favorables hacia la inclusión de los estudiantes con discapacidad.

Introduction:The progressive aging of the population is a socio-demographic phenomenon experienced by most countries in the world in recent decades, especially in Japan and in many European Union countries. During this process, so-called “geriatric syndromes” frequently occur. The focus of this study is the quality of life of the elderly in relation to these 3 factors: risk of falls, urinary incontinence, and insomnia.Objective:The main purpose is to determine the impact of a multifactorial intervention program implemented with institutionalized elderly people. The program is focused on the treatment of the aforementioned factors.Methods and Analysis:The study will be carried out with elderly people living in three residences for the elderly in A Coruña Province (Galicia, Spain).It is a prospective and longitudinal study, with a temporary series design of a “quasi-experimental” type that evaluates the effect of an intervention in 1 given population by doing assessments pre- and post-intervention, but there is no comparison with a control group.The intervention will be based on a multifactorial program, including the following phases: the use of wearable devices (wearable fitness trackers to register physical activity and sleep), the use of an App on a Tablet to record the participants’ occupations and activities, counseling about performance in activities of daily living, the implementation of a physical activity program, and the treatment of the pelvic floor (according to each research line). The Quality of Life (QoL) will be assessed before and after the intervention, with the use of the questionnaire EuroQol-5D-5L. Data analysis will be applied with all registered variables through a quantitative perspective.Ethics and Dissemination:The protocol has been approved by the host institution's ethics committee (Research Ethics Committee of Galicia) under the number 2017/106. Results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed journal articles and conferences. This clinical trial is registered at ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03504813.

The present study provides a basic outline of the care and support that family caregivers offer to people affected by neuromuscular diseases.To determine the presence of burden in caregivers of people with neuromuscular diseases who use a wheelchair and to establish whether the presence of burden is influenced by contextual factors, between them, the use of wheelchair.The applied design was cross-sectional and descriptive. The data were collected through a specific questionnaire, the Functional Independence Measure, the Matching Person and Technology form and the Zarit Burden Interview. The caregiver burden was analyzed in relation to different characteristics of the affected people, their wheelchairs, and factors related to the family caregivers themselves. The sample consisted of 41 caregivers, most of them (78.1%) being parents of the affected people.The burden was detected in 71.7% of caregivers. The level of dependence was not related to the presence of burden. Performing care work affected carers’ physical health (80.5%), their mood (68.3%), and reduced their leisure time (90.2%). The type of wheelchair and the frequency of its use were not related to the burden.The results suggest that caregivers perceive burden, but its intensity is not related to the seriousness of the disease of the care receiver.

Neuromuscular disorders (NMDs) are a group of heterogeneous diseases that show differences in incidence, hereditary, etiology, prognosis, or functional impairments. Wheelchair use (manual or powered) is influenced by several factors, including personal and contextual factors, and comprehensive evaluation of their impact is required in order to optimize prescription and provision of wheelchairs. The authors therefore assessed the influence of wheelchair use on the quality of life (QoL) of 60 participants with NMD using the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS). The Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and a specially developed questionnaire were used to obtain information about contextual factors and participants' activity profile of activities of the participants. The results showed that using a wheelchair has psychosocial benefits, with the main determinants of benefit being type of wheelchair (powered), non-ambulation ability, and independence in mobility. Ensuring a good match between user and assistive technology (AT; e.g., wheelchair), as well as the effectiveness of the particular device, will increase the likelihood that the user will adopt it and use it effectively in daily life. Clinical prescription of AT would be improved by making appropriate use of outcome measures.