pleted 90.3% of the required sessions. There were significant improve- ments in stimulated quadriceps strength (P.001), distal femur BMD (P=.05), and triglyceride levels (P=.04), but no change in stimulated hamstrings strength (P=.46), BMD of the hip (P=.21) or proximal tibia (P=.17), Vo 2 peak (P=.07), total cholesterol levels (P=.39), high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels (P=.08), or low- density lipoprotein cholesterol levels (P=.34). Conclusions: Children in this study showed musculoskeletal and cardiovascular improve- ments following a 6-month program of FES cycling. While nonsig- nificant, there were also clinical improvements in Vo 2 peak (P=.07) and HDL cholesterol levels (P=.08), which are commonly reported as benefits of exercise. With an increased number of subjects, these values may become significant. The finding of increased distal femur BMD without an increase in hip BMD is consistent with literature on adults with SCI following FES cycling. Key Words: Rehabilitation; Spinal cord injuries. Article 4 Functional Recovery and Mobility Device Use Within a General Rehabilitation Population. Susan Coulson (Lawson Health Re- search Institute, London, ON), Jeffrey Jutai, Louise Demers, Frank DeRuyter, Marcus Fuhrer, Wendy Coster. Disclosure: Supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (grant no. H133A010401) through the Con- sortium for Assistive Technology Outcomes Research. Objectives: To examine the extent to which measures of functional recovery are related to mobility assistive technology device (ATD) use in a general rehabilitation population. Design: Longitudinal cohort study of ATD utilization and rehabilitation outcomes. Setting: Acute inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, home care, and outpatient clinics in the Boston area. Participants: 234 patients diagnosed with stroke, lower-limb orthopedic, or medically complex conditions, who were re- ceiving rehabilitation services. At the baseline assessment, 146 were users of mobility ATDs and 88 were not. Intervention: ATDs for mobility (ie, canes, walkers, wheelchairs). Main Outcome Measures: Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey, physical functioning subscale; the 3 preliminary community short forms comprising the Activity Measure for Post-Acute Care; and ATD use. Results: A series of binary logistic regressions examining mobility ATD use with measures of functional recovery, including mobility capacity, and age were performed. Measures of mo- bility capacity were consistently and reliably associated with device use, multiple device use, and primary device used. Conclusions: Mobility ATD use within a general rehabilitation population is reliably predicted by measures of mobility capacity. These findings support the effective mod- eling of ATD prescription-outcome relationships in rehabilitation. Key Words: Assistive technology; Rehabilitation. Article 5 Predicting Assistive Technology Device Continuance and Aban- donment. Jeffrey Jutai (Lawson Health Research Institute and University of Western Ontario, London, ON), Sherry Coulson, Marcus Fuhrer, Louise Demers, Frank DeRuyter. Disclosure: Supported by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (grant nos. H133A010401, H133A060062) through the Consortium for Assistive Technology Outcomes Research. Objective: To examine whether scores on the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale (PIADS) could reliably distinguish between groups of subjects who subsequently continued to use or abandoned an assistive technology device (ATD). Design: Longitudinal cohort study of rehabilitation outcomes and device use. Setting: Acute inpatient rehabilitation, skilled nursing facilities, home care, and outpatient clinics in Boston. Participants: Adults (N=137) receiving services for stroke, lower-extremity orthopedic, or complex medical conditions. Of these, 54% were men. Mean age at baseline was 65.6715.93 years (range, 19 –91y). Interventions: ATDs for mobility (canes, walkers, wheelchairs). Main Outcome Measures: Continued ATD use and abandonment following device procurement. Results: Multivariate analyses examined device use at 6, 12, and 24 months as a function of PIADS subscale scores (competence, adaptability, self-esteem) from the previous assessment (baseline, 6mo, 12mo). Competence subscale scores reliably distinguished continuers and abandoners at 6 months. At 24 months, adaptability subscale scores distinguished the 2 groups. In each case, device abandoners were more likely than continuers to have lower PIADS scores. Conclusions: In the shorter-term, abandonment was reliably associated with a relatively low perceived functional benefit from ATDs, but in the longer-term, with lower perceived impact of devices on participation. Key Words: Assistive devices; Rehabilitation. Article 6 Functional Recovery in the Geriatric Population Following Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury: Analysis of the Third National Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study Database. Julio C. Furlan (Toronto Western Research Institute, Toronto, ON), Michael B. Bracken, Michael G. Fehlings. Disclosure: None declared. Objective: To examine the influence of age at time of injury on functional recovery after acute traumatic spinal cord injury (SCI). Design: Retrospective cohort study. Setting: North American SCI centers. Participants: All patients who were enrolled in the Third National Acute Spinal Cord Injury Study trial were included. Inter- ventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measure: FIM instrument scores. The patient cohort was divided into elderly (age 65y) and younger individuals. Data were analyzed using univariate and multi- variate regression analyses. Results: There were 423 men and 76 women, with a mean age of 35.7 years (range, 14 –92y). They received 24-hour methylprednisolone, 48-hour methylprednisolone, or 48-hour tirilazad mesylate. Both the younger (n=455) and elderly groups (n=44) were comparable in ethnicity, weight, Glasgow Coma Scale score, and drug protocol, but differed significantly regarding sex, injury cause, severity, and level of SCI. While older age correlated significantly with lower FIM scores at 6 weeks post-SCI (P=.025), there were no significant correlations between age and FIM scores at 6 months (P=.289) and at 1 year post-SCI (P=.61) in the unadjusted models and after controlling for major potential confounders. Conclu- sions: Age did not correlate significantly with functional recovery in the chronic stage post-SCI. Our results reinforce the need for individ- ualizing treatment protocols for elderly patients with SCI who have the potential for functional recovery. Key Words: Rehabilitation; Spinal cord injuries. Article 7 Filling the National Institutes of Health’s Toolbox: Defining Priorities and Selecting Measures for a Uniform Assessment Battery of Neuro- logic and Behavioral Function. Susan Magassi (Evanston Northwest- ern Healthcare, Evanston, IL), David Tulsky, David Victorson, Richard Gershon, Cindy Nowinski, Molly Wagster. Disclosure: None declared. Objective: To determine the critical assessment characteristics, functional domains, and performance-based measures to include in the National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) Toolbox, a uniform assessment battery being developed under the aegis of the NIH’s Blueprint for Neuroscience Research for use in clinical trials and cohort studies. Design: Online surveys, in-depth interviews, and systematic evidence- based literature review. Setting: More than 15 collaborating academic E2 CONGRESS ANNUAL CONFERENCE ABSTRACTS Arch Phys Med Rehabil Vol 89, October 2008