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D Reddihough

Publications and source records attributed to D Reddihough.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Development of a condition-specific measure of quality of life for children with cerebral palsy: empirical thematic data reported by parents and children.

BACKGROUND: Although there is increasing recognition that quality of life (QOL) and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are important outcome variables in clinical trials for children with cerebral palsy, there are substantial limitations in existing measures of QOL. This study identify themes of QOL for children with cerebral palsy and their parents to guide the development of a new condition-specific QOL scale. METHODS: A qualitative study of parent and child views on QOL composition was conducted, using a grounded theory framework. Families participated in semistructured interviews on QOL until thematic saturation was reached (n = 28 families). RESULTS: Overall, 13 themes emerged from the interviews: physical health, body pain and discomfort, daily living tasks, participation in regular physical and social activities, emotional well-being and self-esteem, interaction with the community, communication, family health, supportive physical environment, future QOL, provision of, and access to services, financial stability, and social well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Research with parents and children with cerebral palsy, representative of severity across the disease spectrum and socio-economic status, reinforced and expanded on the traditional themes that have underpinned QOL measurement development. This has implications not only for the development of a new QOL scale for children with cerebral palsy, but also for clinical interventions and community care management.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed2001

Reliability of the Melbourne assessment of unilateral upper limb function.

This study examines the reliability of the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function: a quantitative test of quality of movement in children with neurological impairment. The assessment was administered to 20 children aged from 5 to 16 years (mean age 9 years 10 months, SD 2 years 10 months) who had various types and degrees of cerebral palsy (CP). The performances of the 20 children during assessment were videotaped for subsequent scoring by 15 occupational therapists. Scores were analyzed for internal consistency of test items, inter- and intrarater reliability of scorings of the same videotapes, and test-retest reliability using repeat videotaping. Results revealed very high internal consistency of test items (alpha=0.96), moderate to high agreement both within and between raters for all test items (intraclass correlations of at least 0.7) apart from item 16 (hand to mouth and down), and high interrater reliability (0.95) and intrarater reliability (0.97) for total test scores. Test-retest results revealed moderate to high intrarater reliability for item totals (mean of 0.83 and 0.79) for each rater and high reliability for test totals (0.98 and 0.97). These findings indicate that the Melbourne Assessment of Unilateral Upper Limb Function is a reliable tool for measuring the quality of unilateral upper-limb movement in children with CP.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Genetic factors in athetoid cerebral palsy.

Within the cerebral palsy syndromes, athetosis is most commonly causally associated with serious perinatal complications. Genetic factors are thought to play a lesser role, although the risk of recurrence in siblings has been suggested to be as high as 10%. We have conducted a clinical study of 22 subjects with a diagnosis of athetoid cerebral palsy and a review of the literature aiming to identify instances of familial recurrence of athetoid cerebral palsy. The birth history, family history, and previous investigations of subjects with athetoid cerebral palsy were studied and subjects were clinically examined for evidence of an underlying genetic etiology. Factors suggesting a genetic cause were specifically sought, such as advanced paternal age, progression of symptoms, and associated congenital abnormalities. No subjects in the study group had similarly affected relatives, and additional features suggesting a genetic cause were not observed. A literature search identified 16 instances of familial recurrence of athetoid cerebral palsy. Familial cases were typically associated with significant spasticity, microcephaly, intellectual disability, seizures, and a lack of history of birth asphyxia, and most could be explained by either autosomal-recessive or X-linked-recessive inheritance. The genetic contribution to athetoid cerebral palsy is small, with an overall risk of recurrence in siblings of about 1%. This risk is lower than previously suggested in the literature.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Magnetic resonance imaging findings in cerebral palsy.

OBJECTIVE: To review all cases of cerebral palsy (CP) that had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over a defined period of time. METHODOLOGY: The MRI brain scans of 42 children (12 premature, 30 full-term) with CP were studied. The scans were performed at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne, between January 1995 and June 1996. RESULTS: Abnormalities were found in 39 of the 42 scans. Five children had cortical malformations and three children had white matter hypoplasia, indicating insults during the second trimester of pregnancy. Twenty-one children had hypoxic-ischaemic lesions (eight premature, 13 full-term) with patterns of periventricular leucomalacia, subcortical lesions or cortical infarction indicating insults perinatally or in the third trimester. Only 10 children had scans that could not be categorized into these groups. CONCLUSIONS: In this study sample of children with CP, MRI was useful in revealing underlying brain abnormalities, most of which were due to events in the third trimester or the perinatal period.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2000

Leigh disease caused by the mitochondrial DNA G14459A mutation in unrelated families.

Leigh disease can be caused by defects of both nuclear and mitochondrially encoded genes. One mitochondrial DNA mutation, G14459A, has been associated with both respiratory chain complex I deficiency and Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy, with or without dystonia. Here, we report the occurrence of this mutation in 3 complex I-deficient patients from 2 separate pedigrees who presented with Leigh disease, with no evidence or family history of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy or dystonia.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Hypothermia in children with severe neurological disabilities.

Four severely disabled children who developed hypothermia during acute illness are described. A central defect in thermoregulation in the hypothalamus is likely, based on clinical observation and limited investigations, as well as similarities to sporadic cases reported in the literature. Disturbance of temperature regulation appears to be a rare complication of major brain injury in children, without necessarily occurring in association with pituitary dysfunction. It is of clinical importance because subnormal temperature may indicate severe sepsis.

Body Temperature Regulation↗
PubMed1992

The role of a saliva control clinic in the management of drooling.

This paper describes a saliva control clinic which has been established at the Royal Children's Hospital, Melbourne. A team involving two speech pathologists, a paediatrician, a plastic surgeon and a dentist has assessed and managed 68 young people over a period of 2 years. Treatment options have included behavioural programmes, trial of oral appliances, medication and surgery. This multidisciplinary approach has been useful in developing assessment techniques and formulating recommendations.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Conductive education.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Activities of Daily Living↗
PubMed1991

Comparison of subjective and objective measures of movement performance of children with cerebral palsy.

The outcome of an eight-week period of additional occupational therapy, aimed at improving fine motor skills, was assessed by accelerometry and a rating scale based on the Erhardt Developmental Prehension Assessment. 10 children with cerebral palsy received their regular occupational therapy, while a similar group had an additional 30-minute session each day. No difference was found between groups at the end of the study. The difficulties of designing this type of project are discussed and the assessment methods described.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed1990

Objective test of the quality of motor function of children with cerebral palsy: preliminary study.

An objective test of motor function would enable better evaluation of various treatment programmes for children with cerebral palsy. The use of tri-axial accelerometry was investigated in 36 children with cerebral palsy and in 53 children without disabilities. Variables discriminated well between able-bodied and disabled children, and there was a high level of retest reliability. The technique requires further development, but shows promise of providing the ability to gather objective data about the quality of motor function.

Cerebral Palsy↗
PubMed1990

Use of benzhexol hydrochloride to control drooling of children with cerebral palsy.

The use of benzhexol hydrochloride to control drooling was evaluated in a group of 20 children with cerebral palsy. Drooling was measured before treatment and then repeatedly until an optimal dosage of benzhexol hydrochloride was attained. 17 of the 20 children showed an improvement in drooling, and side-effects were minimal. This type of medication appears to be useful in the treatment of drooling.

Cerebral Palsy↗