I Would Like to Do It Very Much! Leisure Participation Patterns and Determinants of Brazilian Children and Adolescents With Physical Disabilities.

PURPOSE: To describe the patterns, preferences, and predictors of participation in leisure activities of children and young people with physical disabilities from Brazil. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study that included 50 children/young people with physical disabilities from the southeast of Brazil. The children were assessed using the Children's Assessment of Participation and Enjoyment and Preferences for Activities. RESULTS: Children/young people participated in an average of 38% of the activities, with a greater number and frequency of informal, recreational, social, and self-improvement activities. The average frequency of participation in the activities was twice in the previous 4 months. The enjoyment in the participated activities was high. There was a greater preference for recreational, social, and physical activities. Age and functional classification were predictors of participation. CONCLUSION: This study of children with disabilities from the southeast of Brazil supports studies in other low- and middle-income countries, demonstrating low diversity and intensity of participation in leisure activities, but with high levels of enjoyment.

Hand Function in Muscular Dystrophies.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Performance of Upper Limb (PUL) and Jebsen-Taylor Test (JTT) to assess and monitor upper limb function progression in patients with muscular dystrophy. Thirty patients diagnosed with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, limb-girdle muscular dystrophy, Becker muscular dystrophy, myotonic dystrophy Type 1, and fascioscapulohumeral dystrophy were submitted to the shoulder, elbow, and wrist domains of PUL, and to JTT subtests. Spearman tests investigated the relationships between PUL and JTT total scores and domains. Correlations were classified as strong ( r ≥ 0.70), moderate (0.40 ≤ r < 0.70), or weak ( r ≤ 0.40). There were strong correlations between the PUL and JTT total scores ( r = -0.706). Although JTT measures time and PUL provides kinesiologic scores, these measures were related. Therefore, muscle synergies, which control the compensatory movements and motor functions involving mainly shoulder, elbow, wrist, and finger movements, are related to timed performance in patients with muscular dystrophies.