Investigation of cognitive functions in children with bone tumours and lymphoma in treatment process.

BACKGROUND: Neurocognitive sequelae are among the most debilitating effects of cancer observed in children. Yet we know very little about the impact on neurocognitive functioning, especially cancer types that develop outside the central nervous system. This study aimed to assess and compare the cognitive functions (CoF) of children with bone tumours and lymphoma in the treatment process. METHODS: The CoF of children with bone tumours (n = 44), lymphoma (n = 42) and their non-cancer peers (n = 55) were assessed with Dynamic Occupational Therapy Assessment for Children. The CoF of children with cancer were compared with their non-cancer peers. Then, children with bone tumours and lymphoma were compared in binary. RESULTS: One-hundred forty-one children aged 6-12 years with a mean age of 9.4 (SD = 1.5) were included in this study. The orientation and visuomotor construction functions of children with bone tumours and orientation, praxis and visuomotor construction functions of children with lymphoma performed worse than their non-cancer peers (pk < 0.001). While orientation, spatial perception, visuomotor construction and thinking operations functions of children with bone tumours and lymphoma were similar (pk > 0.016), praxis functions of children with lymphoma were found to be worse than children with bone tumours (pk < 0.016). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings show that children with bone tumours and lymphoma in the process of treatment are at risk for impairment of their CoF. The findings highlight the importance of assessing CoF in children with bone tumours and lymphoma and considering specific differences between groups. It is essential to assess CoF and develop early intervention plans in these children.

Evaluation of psychometric properties of Turkish version of assessment of work performance among adults with mild intellectual disabilities.

BACKGROUND: Assessment of work performance (AWP) is a test for assessing work performance and can be utilised in matching person-work and applying effective interventions. It was aimed to adjust and to evaluate the validity and reliability of AWP in Turkish with individuals with mild intellectual disability (ID). METHODS: The study was conducted with 243 individuals with mild ID. Of the 243 participants, data gathered from 105 individuals was used to conduct exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and remaining data (138 individuals) was used to conduct confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency, construct validity, test-retest reliability, criterion-related validity and inter-rater reliability were analyzed. RESULTS: The AWP showed average to good reliability for individuals with mild ID. The construct validity and internal consistency of the AWP were confirmed with satisfying results; test-retest reliability (ICC >0.92) and inter-rater reliability (ICC >0.90) were excellent for all domains. The EFA resulted three factors, explaining 66.46% variance; and CFA resulted average fit. CONCLUSION: AWP is valid and reliable for evaluating the working performances of individuals with mild ID.

Effects of vocational rehabilitation group intervention on motivation and occupational self-awareness in individuals with intellectual disabilities: A single blind, randomised control study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of a vocational rehabilitation group intervention on motivation and occupational self-competence in individuals with intellectual disability. METHODS: A single-blind, randomised controlled study design was used. The intervention group (IG) received the group-based intervention alongside the individualised vocational rehabilitation (IVR) and the control group (CG) continued receiving only the IVR for 8 weeks. In order to assess motivation and occupational self-competence, Objective Achievement Motivation Test (OLMT) and Occupational Self-Assessment (OSA) were used. RESULTS: Forty-nine individuals were enrolled to the study and randomised into IG (n = 24) and CG (n = 25). Two groups were similar at baseline in terms of demographic qualities, OLMT and OSA scores (p > 0.05). After the intervention, the IG showed significant improvements in all assessments (p < 0.05), however the CG showed improvements only in OLMT sub-tests (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The group-based intervention program was effective in increasing occupational self-competence and motivation.