Health adapted for children and young people (ICF-CY) is a framework for describing and classifying health and health-related states. The aim of the present study was to review literature on neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) using ICF-CY guidelines and to highlight findings about the quality of life of children with NF1.METHOD Electronic databases were searched to identify studies involving children with NF1.Eligible studies were classified according to ICF-CY categories.RESULTS Children with NF1 have a variety of cognitive and other deficits. However, very little information is available on the impact of these deficits on their daily life.

Introduction Fine motor and graphomotor skills are essential for children’s healthy development, as well as for successful participation in everyday activities. The Gilboa functional test (GIFT) is a newly developed norm-referenced screening instrument for use with children 3–6 years old. The aim of this study was to develop and validate the GIFT as a new measure for preschool graphomotor screening. Method A community-based sample of 611 children aged 3–6 years was screened. Findings Content validity was established via a panel of experts. The GIFT demonstrated good test–retest (0.95) and inter-rater reliability (0.94), demonstrating good concurrent validity in scores which significantly correlated with the Beery-VMI (r = 0.32, P < 0.05), the Beery-MC (r = 0.33, P < 0.05), the ‘manual dexterity’ subcategory of the movement assessment battery for children (r = –0.364, P < 0.05) and the total score of the developmental coordination disorder questionnaire ’07 (DCDQ’07)/little DCDQ (r = 0.41, P < 0.01). A significant difference in total GIFT scoring was found between children from mainstream versus special education preschools (t = 3.99, P < 0.001). Conclusion The GIFT is a unique tool that measures performance skills based on preschool children’s everyday activities. It can be used by paediatric occupational therapists as a first step for early identification of children potentially at risk for graphomotor/fine motor developmental delay.

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Background People with Parkinson’s disease (PwP) may experience gait impairment and freezing of gait (FOG), a major cause of falls. External cueing, including visual (e.g., spaced lines on the floor) and auditory (e.g., rhythmic metronome beats) stimuli, are considered effective in alleviating mobility deficits and FOG. Currently, there is a need for a technology that delivers automatic, individually adjusted cues in the homes of PwP. The aims of this feasibility study were to describe the first step toward the development of a home-based technology that delivers external cues, test its effect on gait, and assess user experience. Methods Iterative system development was performed by our multidisciplinary team. The system was designed to deliver visual and auditory cues: light stripes projected on the floor and metronome beats, separately. Initial testing was performed using the feedback of five healthy elderly individuals on the cues’ clarity (clear visibility of the light stripes and the sound of metronome beats) and discomfort experienced. A pilot study was subsequently conducted in the homes of 15 PwP with daily FOG. We measured participants' walking under three conditions: baseline (with no cues), walking with light stripes, and walking to metronome beats. Outcome measures included step length and step time. User experience was also captured in semi-structured interviews. Results Repeated-measures ANOVA of gait assessment in PwP revealed that light stripes significantly improved step length (p = 0.009) and step time (p = 0.019) of PwP. No significant changes were measured in the metronome condition. PwP reported that both cueing modalities improved their gait, confidence, and stability. Most PwP did not report any discomfort in either modality and expressed a desire to have such a technology in their homes. The metronome was preferred by the majority of participants. Conclusions This feasibility study demonstrated the usability and potential effect of a novel cueing technology on gait, and represents an important first step toward the development of a technology aimed to prevent FOG by delivering individually adjusted cues automatically. A further full-scale study is needed. Trial registration This study was registered in ClinicalTrials.gov at 1/2/2022 NCT05211687.

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Purpose To examine the preliminary efficacy of Cognitive Retraining and Functional Treatment (CRAFT) combining remote computerized cognitive training (CCT) and occupation-based treatment in adults with cancer-related cognitive impairment (CRCI). Methods Three-armed randomized controlled trial including 74 individuals with CRCI, randomized into 12 weeks of either CRAFT, CCT alone, or treatment-as-usual. Assessments evaluating participation in daily life, perceived cognition, cognitive performance, quality-of-life, and treatment satisfaction were administered at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Results Significant time × group interactions in favor of the CRAFT and CCT groups were found for participation in daily life ( F 2,34 = 5.31, p = .01, eta = .238), perceived cognition ( F 2,34 = 4.897, p = .014, eta = .224), and cognitive performance on speed of processing test ( F = 5.678, p = .009, eta = .289). The CRAFT group demonstrated significantly larger clinically meaningful gains on participation in daily life (chi-square = 6.91, p = .032) and significantly higher treatment satisfaction. All treatment gains were maintained at a 3-month follow-up ( n = 32). Conclusions CCT and CRAFT were found to have a positive impact on participation and cognitive outcomes among individuals with CRCI. The CRAFT showed an additional advantage in improving self-chosen occupation-based goals suggesting that a combination of cognitive training with occupation-based intervention has a positive synergistic effect resulting in “real world” health benefits. Implications for cancer survivors A combination of cognitive training with occupation-based intervention has a positive effect resulting in clinically meaningful improvements in participation in daily life, objective cognitive performance, and subjective cognitive impairment. Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04210778, December 26, 2019, retrospectively registered. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00520-023-07611-y.

BACKGROUND Psychological resilience, one’s ability to adapt to adversity or life stressors, is hypothesized to rely on intact mechanisms of cognitive control (CC), i.e., the mental abilities that underlie our goal-directed behavior. These CC mechanisms may further help with emotion regulation during stressful periods. However, CC abilities may fluctuate, and there is no research to date on the daily fluctuations of CC and mood in relation to psychological resilience. OBJECTIVE The goal of the current study was to examine the everyday association between inhibitory control (IC), an integral part of CC, and daily mood in relation to psychological resilience in young adults in a stressful situation. METHODS Data was collected from 156 male and female soldiers in a mixed-gender unit of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Participants reported their resilience at baseline. Then, during a 2-week period, participants filled out a short momentary mood assessment and completed a short IC assessment (a Go-NoGo task; GNG) twice/day using a mobile app installed on their phones. A hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was applied to examine the association between momentary IC and mood for each participant. RESULTS A total of 1,153 assessment points (Mean [M] = 7.49, standard deviation [SD] = 2.95) were completed by participants, for an overall compliance rate of 57.6%. The HLM analysis showed that psychological resilience at baseline moderated the relationship between IC and mood, such that better IC was associated with better mood only for those with higher, but not lower, levers of self-reported psychological resilience at baseline. This association was present only for female, but not for male, participants in our sample. CONCLUSIONS To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to demonstrate that psychological resilience is manifested in the everyday association between inhibitory control and mood. Hence, these findings provide an ecological validation for the definition of resilience, as measured in young adults during a stressful life period. These results therefore lend important support to cognitive models of resilience and may have significant contribution to our understanding of resilient behavior in real life and to potential ecological interventions designed to improve resilience. CLINICALTRIAL MOH_2018-06-13_002451