Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39961025›Full record

ArticlePhysical therapy2025

Sitting Together and Reaching to Play Physical Therapy Affects Dyadic Emotional Availability in Children With Neuromotor Delay and Their Families.

Rebecca M Molinini, Corri Stuyvenburg, Natalie A Koziol, Regina T Harbourne, Lin-Ya Hsu, Michele A Lobo, Sandra L Willett, James A Bovaird, Virginia W Chu, Sarah K Price and 2 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Physical therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

12 authors.

Rebecca M MolininiPartnership for People with Disabilities, School of Education, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8456-6460
Corri StuyvenburgDivision of Physical Therapy, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Medical School, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55455, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-4127-4684
Natalie A KoziolNebraska Center for Research on Children, Youth, Families & Schools, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3275-1776
Regina T HarbournePhysical Therapy Department, Rangos School of Health Sciences, Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, PA 15282, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8099-4145
Lin-Ya HsuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98104, United States.ORCID 0000-0002-8801-4241
Michele A LoboBiomechanics and Movement Science Program and Physical Therapy Department, University of Delaware, Newark, DE 19716, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2892-7687
Sandra L WillettPhysical Therapy Program, Department of Kinesiology, Colorado Mesa University, Grand Junction, CO 81501, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2760-4237
James A BovairdDepartment of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-8941-9796
Virginia W ChuDepartment of Occupational Therapy, College of Health Professions, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-9420-2284
Sarah K PriceEpiscopal Diocese of Virginia, Richmond, VA 23220, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-2343-5181
Mary S ShallDepartment of Physical Therapy, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA 23298, United States.ORCID 0000-0001-5224-8006
Stacey C DusingDivision of Biokinesiology and Physical Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.ORCID 0000-0003-3847-3893

Funding

Exploring Emotional Availability During Parent-Child Interaction in Children with Developmental DelaysF31HD104411 · NICHD · VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY · PI MOLININI, REBECCA · 2021 to 2022
$86k
Early Intervention and Early Learning in Special Education R324A150103Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human DevelopmentInstitute of Education SciencesNational Center for Special Education ResearchNICHD NIH HHS F31 HD104411NIH HHS F31HD104411US Department of Education
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveEmotional availability (EA) describes caregiver-child emotional attunement and is critical to fostering adaptive development. Although early physical therapist interventions adopt a family centered approach, the impact of interventions on families is often not quantified. This study compares EA in dyads receiving usual care-early intervention (UC-EI) versus sitting together and reaching to play (START-Play) in addition to UC-EI.

methodsData were drawn from 106 children with neuromotor delay who were 7 to 16 months old at baseline (mean = 10.5 months) and from their caregiver (91% were mothers). The EA Scale, Fourth Edition, was scored from 5-min videotaped interactions collected at baseline and at 3, 6, and 12 months after baseline. Piecewise multilevel modeling controlling for baseline age and motor delay estimated short- and long-term effects between treatment groups. Additionally, within-group change over time was analyzed to understand if groups differed in direction of EA trajectories. Analyses were run aggregated across all participants and stratified by baseline severity of motor delay or caregiver reported education.

resultsWhen comparing EA between groups, there were significant positive short- and long-term effects of START-Play on adult EA (gs > 0.38), sensitivity (gs > 0.26), structuring (gs > 0.43), and nonintrusiveness (gs > 0.36). For dyads with mild or significant motor delay or whose parent reported less than a bachelor's degree at baseline, positive effects of START-Play were observed.

conclusionResults support important clinical implications for the positive effect of START-Play on EA. Similar child-level treatment effects highlight that the key difference between START-Play and UC-EI may lie in the way intervention affects caregivers. START-Play may be more beneficial to dyads with higher versus lower risks to EA. IMPACT: Early physical therapist interventions can have a significant impact on parents, children, and the parent-child relationship. Measuring the effect of these interventions on the relationship is critical to optimizing the delivery of family centered care.

Indexed as

CaregiversDevelopmental DisabilitiesEmotionsPhysical Therapy ModalitiesPlay and PlaythingsSitting PositionAdultFemaleHumansInfantMaleCerebral PalsyDevelopmental DisabilitiesEarly InterventionEmotional AvailabilityMaternal-Child HealthParent-Infant Relationship

Identifiers

PMID39961025
PMCPMC11878780

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.