Introduction: Play is foundational to learning and well-being, and prepares children for functional participation later in life. Playfulness forms a critical aspect to play, and describes a general disposition to play. There is currently no reported research study on playfulness levels for children with HIV/AIDS. The play needs of this population are therefore not adequately understood. The play-informed caregiver implemented home-based intervention (PICIHBI) was developed by pediatric occupational therapists as part of occupation-centred occupational therapy practice. PICIHBI appears to have potential for promoting play and development in children with HIV/AIDS who have been on Highly Active Anti-Retroviral Treatment (HAART) since early childhood. The current study forms part of a larger project investigating the effects of a play-informed caregiver implemented home-based intervention on participation outcomes for HIV positive children on HAART and living in families with low socio-economic status (SES). Objectives: This study aimed to establish a playfulness profile for HIV positive children on HAART as well as compare differences in playfulness between children with HIV on HAART since early childhood attending traditional one-on-one occupational therapy, and those attending PICIHBI.

The goal of this research was to determine if Integral Stimulation (IS), a treatment used for children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS), resulted in improvements in functional communication outcomes. In previous research, success or progress in CAS treatment focuses on articulatory precision, but this research aimed to look at progress from a more functional standpoint within the context of the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF). The WHO ICF breaks down functioning, and in this case communicative functioning, into components that interact in a nonlinear fashion. These components are “body functions and structures”, “activities”, and “participation”. By looking at measures across these domains, we are able to obtain a more holistic view of the impact of treatment. The research was completed via a retrospective analysis of data obtained from the families of two children with CAS. As part of a study on the effectiveness of IS treatment, the families completed two indirect measures of communicative function —namely the Focus on Outcomes of Communication Under Six (FOCUS-34) and the Intelligibility in Context Scale (ICS). The goal of these questionnaires is to assess communication in the child’s daily interactions with family members, teachers, and peers by using a Likert scale to quantify various aspects of their communication skills. The questionnaires were completed twice before treatment was implemented and one more time at the conclusion of treatment. The results of the study suggest that broad changes in functional communication outcomes were observed but were not reliably attributable to treatment. However, there is evidence that in a deeper analysis, IS treatment may result in measurable improvements within specific WHO ICF domains. The pattern of changes was not clearly predictable from changes in speech accuracy, indicating that functional improvements cannot be assumed from accuracy measures and instead must be measured separately. The results indicate that further research is needed in determining these domain-specific functional outcome measures for CAS treatment. / Communication Sciences

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically diagnosed during childhood. The primary symptoms of ASD include language impairments and deficits in social skills, which can negatively affect the overall quality of life. Traditional treatment for ASD includes medication, applied behavior analysis, physical therapy, and occupational therapy; however, these treatments may have unwanted side effects and fail to address the psychosocial challenges that may result from ASD symptoms. There has been increasing interest in alternative forms of therapy, such as creative art therapies; however, the types of creative art that have been used during therapy and their benefits are not well-established. This literature review examined the effects of creative art therapy interventions on psychosocial and behavioral outcomes in youth with ASD. A total of nine studies met the inclusion criteria. The majority of studies examined music or drama therapy, and all of the studies showed improvements in social skills outcomes. While more research is needed, there is promising evidence in the literature that creative art therapies can be effective in improving symptoms and helping promote positive behaviors.

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Background Children attending South African low quintile schools are faced with various barriers to learning which impacts academic performance, with handwriting being an aspect with which they experience difficulty. Provision of on-site occupational therapy services to address handwriting at such schools is limited by human resource constraints. To address this, final year occupational therapy students attending University of Cape Town placed in a low quintile school were tasked to collaborate with Grade R educators to train them to implement a classroom-based fine motor programme. Aim This study describes the educators' experiences of the factors impacting on the implementation of a fine motor programme in a low quintile school. Methodology A qualitative, descriptive study was conducted to explore their experiences relating to the programme, which is an emerging area of research in the South African context. Using sampling, three Grade R educators were purposively trained in implementing a fine motor skills programme. They participated in two focus groups to describe their experiences of the training and the implementation of the programme. Data was audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Inductive approach to analysis led to the generation of themes and categories focussing on their experiences, of the hindrances and factors supporting the implementation. Ethical principles were upheld throughout the research process. Findings and Discussion The theme “Them and us” was highlighted throughout the discussion as there was a divide between the educators and the students. The lack of communication and role clarification resulted in both the educators and students missing out on opportunities for collaboration and teamwork, and in turn the learners lost out on intervention albeit on a population basis that could impact learning and development. The process, fraught with challenges, resulted in a difficult partnership and a programme which was not implemented and subsequently not sustained. Conclusion The South African Educational Policy encourages therapists working in schools to integrate their services into the classrooms as well as the homes of learners by means of contextual interventions implemented in partnership with educators and parents. Lack of understanding of how to invest in the initiation of partnerships and consistent attention to grasping roles and responsibilities is a vital component of the collaborative partnership. Power dynamics within the relationship, commitment and spontaneous communication are aspects that stakeholders need to be conscious of to bring about change for positive occupational engagement of learners.