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Children
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Advancing Physical Rehabilitation for Children and Adolescents
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Advancing Physical Rehabilitation for Children and Adolescents

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Pediatric Orthopedics & Sports Medicine".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2026) | Viewed by 1478

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Naomi Gefen
*
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ALYN Hospital, Jerusalem 91090, Israel
Interests: occupational therapy; assistive technology; telerehabilitation; powered mobility
* PhD
Dr. Sharon Eylon

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
ALYN Hospital, Jerusalem 91090, Israel
Interests: pediatric orthopedics; rehabilitation

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pediatric physical rehabilitation has evolved significantly over recent decades, reflecting growing awareness of the need for developmentally appropriate, function-oriented, and participatory approaches. Once centered primarily in inpatient settings, rehabilitation has now expanded to encompass outpatient, home-based, and community-integrated programs, enabling a continuum of care that supports long-term functional outcomes and participation in daily life. For children and adolescents with orthopedic disorders—whether congenital, traumatic, or neuromuscular—rehabilitation plays a crucial role in promoting mobility, reducing secondary complications, and enhancing quality of life.

We welcome the submission of original research, systematic reviews, and clinical reports that analyze rehabilitation outcomes in children through direct patient testing or intervention. Submissions should focus on patient evaluation data or interventions targeting musculoskeletal function, neurodevelopmental outcomes, or participation in physical activities. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, inpatient rehabilitation protocols, outpatient and home-based exercise programs, clinical applications, interdisciplinary care models, and participatory approaches emphasizing the child and the family's role in therapy planning and goal setting, ensuring that protocols and programs are supported by direct evidence from patient assessments or interventions.

Submissions should be closely related to clinical diagnosis, treatment, prognosis, and other aspects of health and disease in children and adolescents. By gathering cutting-edge work in this field, this Special Issue aims to inform and inspire clinicians, researchers, and policy-makers working to optimize rehabilitation for pediatric populations with orthopedic and movement disorders.

Dr. Naomi Gefen
Dr. Sharon Eylon
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • pediatric rehabilitation
  • inpatient
  • outpatient
  • home-based exercise
  • participation
  • assistive technology
  • pediatric orthopedic pathologies
  • patient-reported outcome measures
  • long-term follow-up

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 428 KB  
Article
Prognostic Factors of Dysphagia and Recovery Following Pediatric Acquired Brain Injury
by Suhad Bishara, Oshrat Sella Weiss, Saja Hejla-Assi, Tmira Nachum and Sharon Shaklai
Children 2026, 13(2), 301; https://doi.org/10.3390/children13020301 - 21 Feb 2026
Viewed by 336
Abstract
Objectives: Dysphagia is a major complication of acquired brain injury (ABI) in children; however, its trajectory and prognostic indicators remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to identify predictors of dysphagia and its recovery following pediatric ABI. Methods: This retrospective study included all children [...] Read more.
Objectives: Dysphagia is a major complication of acquired brain injury (ABI) in children; however, its trajectory and prognostic indicators remain insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to identify predictors of dysphagia and its recovery following pediatric ABI. Methods: This retrospective study included all children admitted with ABI to tertiary pediatric rehabilitation center between 2014 and 2017. Data were collected from electronic medical records. Results: One hundred children aged 2:00–17:11 years were included; 61% had dysphagia at admission. Participants with dysphagia received speech–language pathology (SLP) treatment, with a recovery rate of 78.68%. Treatment duration was significantly shorter among children who recovered (36 days) compared with those who did not (136 days; p < 0.001). Dysphagia at admission was associated with mechanical ventilation, duration of unconsciousness, duration of acute hospitalization, CNS tumor etiology, cranial nerve impairment (V, IX, X, XII), voice and speech impairments, and cognitive and behavioral impairments. Logistic regression showed that reduced consciousness, cranial nerve impairment, voice disorders, and CNS tumors explained 70.6% of dysphagia likelihood. Non-recovery was associated with unconsciousness, enteral feeding, hypoglossal injury, and dysphagia severity at admission. Level of consciousness at admission explained 33.7% of recovery likelihood. Conclusions: Dysphagia was highly prevalent among children with ABI. Recovery rates following SLP treatment were high and were associated with level of consciousness at admission to rehabilitation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Physical Rehabilitation for Children and Adolescents)
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11 pages, 635 KB  
Article
Surgical Versus Non-Surgical Treatment of Patients with Myopathic Scoliosis: Clinical, Radiological and Functional Outcomes
by Alexandra Satanovsky, Rana Hanna, Patrice L. Weiss, Amihai Rigbi, Josh E. Schroeder and Sharon Eylon
Children 2025, 12(11), 1562; https://doi.org/10.3390/children12111562 - 17 Nov 2025
Viewed by 666
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Myopathies are acquired or genetic muscle diseases causing weakness and wasting, leading to poor posture, impaired coordination, reduced daily function, and scoliosis. The objective of this ambispective study was to compare clinical, radiological, and functional outcomes of patients with myopathic scoliosis treated [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Myopathies are acquired or genetic muscle diseases causing weakness and wasting, leading to poor posture, impaired coordination, reduced daily function, and scoliosis. The objective of this ambispective study was to compare clinical, radiological, and functional outcomes of patients with myopathic scoliosis treated surgically or non-surgically. Methods: We identified 118 patients (55% male) with myopathy and scoliosis from ALYN Rehabilitation Hospital’s database (1990–2022). Mean age at first visit was 5.45 ± 5.27 years. Seventeen (14%) underwent scoliosis surgery; others were managed non-surgically. Due to unbalanced group sizes, comparative group analyses used propensity score matching (15 surgical, 30 non-surgical patients). Retrospective data included demographics, medical history, respiratory and mobility status, Cobb angle (CA), pelvic obliquity (PO), and surgical details when applicable. Prospective telephone interviews were conducted including SRS-22r Quality of Life (QoL), WHO-QoL, and Functional Independence Measure for Children (WeeFIM). Results: Longitudinal analysis showed significant or near-significant worsening over time in CA (p = 0.03) and PO (p = 0.08), regardless of treatment type but no significant difference between surgical and non-surgical groups in progression rates. Interview data, for 7 surgical and 6 non-surgical patients, revealed that surgical patients reported higher overall QoL, FIM, and SRS-22r self-image scores, but lower scores for SRS-22r pain, general function, and activity levels. Conclusions: Existing research and this study suggest that despite surgical risks, scoliosis correction in neuromuscular conditions generally leads to improved QoL. Findings highlight the complexity of surgical decision-making for myopathic scoliosis, where medical risks must be weighed against potential long-term functional and QoL outcomes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancing Physical Rehabilitation for Children and Adolescents)
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