Laura Delgado-Lobete

Resumen Introducción La participación es esencial en el desarrollo y la salud, pero la evidencia muestra que los niños con Trastorno del Espectro Autista (TEA) participan menos en actividades diarias que sus pares con desarrollo típico y están más condicionados por factores ambientales. En España, la evidencia centrada en la participación en el TEA es muy limitada. Objetivos Describir la participación en el hogar, la escuela y la comunidad, así como identificar los factores ambientales que facilitan o dificultan dicha participación, en menores españoles con TEA. Métodos Estudio transversal basado en la cumplimentación de cuestionarios (demográfico, Escala de Ambiente de la Infancia y la Adolescencia – CASE, y Escala de Participación de la Infancia y la Adolescencia – CASP). Se reclutó a cuidadores principales de niños y niñas españoles, residentes en España, con TEA de entre 8 y 17 años. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo. Resultados Se incluyeron 46 niños (84.8% varones; x̃edad = 10.5 años). Las puntuaciones obtenidas fueron: CASP Total Mdn = 67.50 (RIQ = 58.44–78.29); Subsecciones: Hogar Mdn = 79.17 (RIQ = 66.66–87.50), Escuela Mdn = 75.00 (RIQ = 65.00–85.00), Vecindario y comunidad Mdn = 56.25 (RIQ = 39.58–75.00); CASE Total Mdn = 50.00 (RIQ = 42.00–61.50). Conclusión De acuerdo con el reporte parental, la participación de los niños con TEA fue mayor en el hogar, seguida de la escuela y la comunidad. El apoyo familiar y escolar favorecieron la participación, mientras que la escasez de servicios y recursos públicos, las actitudes de la sociedad y las demandas cognitivas, sensoriales y físicas del entorno actuaron como barreras.

Background/Objectives: The Adolescent and Adult Coordination Questionnaire (AAC-Q) is a brief self-report tool developed to assess daily performance difficulties related to Criterion B of Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) across adolescence and adulthood. Despite the AAC-Q’s clinical and research relevance, its psychometric properties have not yet been comprehensively evaluated. This study aimed to examine the structural, construct, and criterion validity, internal consistency, and test–retest reliability of the AAC-Q and to establish normative percentile bands for Spanish adolescents and young adults (AAC-Q-ES). Methods: A cross-sectional psychometric study was conducted in 800 typically developing participants (200 adolescents, 600 young adults). Measurement properties—including factor structure, internal consistency, test–retest reliability, construct validity, and criterion validity—were assessed following COSMIN guidelines. Percentile cut-offs were calculated for adolescents and young adults. Results: The AAC-Q-ES revealed a three-factor structure with excellent fit indices (CFI = 0.95–0.98; RMSEA = 0.060–0.067). Internal consistency was good (α = 0.76–0.83), and test–retest reliability was excellent (ICC = 0.90, p < 0.001). Criterion validity with the Adult DCD/Dyspraxia Checklist was very high in adults (r = 0.972, p < 0.001), and construct validity in adolescents was confirmed through moderate correlations with the Flamingo Balance Test (r = −0.352, p < 0.01). Age- and sex-specific percentile bands were established. Conclusions: The AAC-Q-ES is a psychometrically robust, culturally adapted, and efficient tool for assessing functional difficulties related to DCD in Spanish adolescents and young adults, facilitating both clinical and research applications.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the well-being of the general population. However, more information is needed regarding the relationship between participation-related outcomes. This study aimed to analyze the impact of the pandemic on occupational balance (OB) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) before and after social restrictions and to explore their relationship with COVID-19 diagnosis. Methods: We conducted a study among individuals diagnosed with COVID-19, assigning a healthy control group with the same sociodemographic characteristics using the EQ-5D-5L and the Occupational Balance Questionnaire (OBQ). Results: The final sample size consisted of 61 participants in the COVID-19 diagnosis group (50.8% male; mean age 34.6 ± 14.17 years) and 57 healthy participants (50.8% male; mean age 33.7 ± 13.77 years). There were no differences in the sociodemographic variables between the groups. Significant differences were found between groups both before the pandemic and 1 year after confinement measures in HRQoL and OBQ (p < 0.005). The regression model indicated significant associations (p < 0.001) between HRQoL and both current OB and COVID-19 diagnosis. However, the OBQ scores from before the pandemic did not show a significant association with HRQoL (p = 0.336). Conclusions: In conclusion, social restrictions from the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted HRQoL in our sample even 1 year after confinement, with COVID-19 diagnosis and occupational imbalance predicting worse outcomes, highlighting the need for targeted interventions not only for the current situation but also for possible future public health crises.

Neuropilates is an intervention approach that was developed as a modified version of the Pilates Method to be used for neurological rehabilitation. The main objective of this study was to analyze the effectiveness of regular physiotherapy and occupational therapy rehabilitation in comparison to a combination of traditional rehabilitation with Neuropilates in adults with post-stroke motor disabilities. This was a rater- and analyst-blinded randomized clinical trial with a three-month intervention and a one-month follow up. Participants were randomly allocated to either the experimental group (EG, receiving a combination of conventional therapy and Neuropilates; n = 15) or the control group (CG, receiving solely conventional therapy; n = 15). Once adjusted for baseline FIM scores, the results showed significant differences favoring the EG in daily functioning (FIM), static balance (FRT), right-hand manual dexterity (NHPT) and right-upper limb coordination (BBT). Satisfaction with the received treatment as measured with the CSQ-8 was significantly higher for the EG. In conclusion, the incorporation of Neuropilates, facilitated by a single experienced therapist, can be a valuable complement to conventional physical and occupational therapy. However, Neuropilates-based interventions should be supervised and tailored to each individual by a professional specifically trained in the method.

During childhood, play contributes to the physical, emotional, cognitive and social development of infants and children and may enhance future mental health. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between play performance factors and psychosocial problems in school-aged children. A total of 142 typical Spanish children aged 5 to 9 years were included. Play performance was measured with the My Child’s Play questionnaire, while the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire was used to evaluate internalizing and externalizing problems. The findings showed that personal, environmental and activity factors of play performance were associated with psychosocial problems and prosocial behavior in children. Moreover, children with high psychosocial difficulties reported significantly poorer play performance. As executive functioning during play was the factor that was most strongly associated with internalizing and externalizing psychosocial difficulties, it is possible that executive functions have a decisive role on both social cognition and self-regulation during play performance.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a developmental disorder affecting motor coordination skills, that frequently persists into adolescence and adulthood. Despite this, very few instruments exist to identify DCD in this population, and none of them are available for Spanish young adults. The purpose of this study was to cross-culturally adapt and preliminarily validate the Adolescents and Adults Coordination Questionnaire (AAC-Q) into European Spanish. The AAC-Q was translated and adapted following international recommendations, including: (a) two independent forward translations; (b) synthesis and reconciliation; (c) expert committee review; and (d) a comprehensibility test. In addition, the internal consistency and homogeneity were examined using a sample of 100 Spanish higher education students. Cultural equivalence and idiomatic differences were addressed to produce the AAC-Q-ES. Findings show that the AAC-Q-ES is a cross-culturally adapted instrument with good preliminary reliability indicators in Spanish young adults (Cronbach’s α = 0.74; corrected item-total correlations = 0.217–0.504).

Performance in basic and instrumental activities of daily living (ADL; IADL) is an essential indicator of daily functioning and health of people with intellectual disabilities (ID). The aims of this pilot study were to describe the profile of ADL and IADL performance in Spanish adults with ID, and to examine its association with functional physical skills. The Waisman Activities of Daily Living Scale for adolescents and adults with developmental disabilities (W-ADL) scale was administered to the caregivers of twenty adults with ID (mean age = 41.0, SD = 10.1; women = 75.0%). In addition, dynamic balance and maximum walking speed (MWS), lower-body strength, aerobic capacity and manual dexterity of participants were individualized assessed. The results showed that 40% of adults with ID were completely independent in ADL, but all participants reported activity limitations in at least one IADL. Dynamic balance and MWS, lower-body strength and manual dexterity showed significant and moderate-to-strong correlations with daily functioning (r = 0.495–0.814; p < 0.05). Linear regression analysis indicated that lower-body strength and manual dexterity significantly predicted activity performance in adults with ID (adjusted R² = 0.816, p = 0.004–0.016). This study highlights the need to support the performance of both ADL and IADL and to promote physical fitness in Spanish community-based care centers for adults with ID.