Background: Maintaining functional ability is essential for healthy aging. The Five Times Chair Rise Test (5CRT) is widely used to assess lower-extremity function, yet conventional stopwatch timing provides limited insight into movement quality and compensatory strategies. Sensor-based biomechanics combined with machine learning (ML) enables detailed analysis of movement dynamics and supports digital health approaches for early detection and monitoring of functional decline. However, the clinical relevance of ML-based 5CRT movement patterns and their relationship to established functional outcomes and aging trajectories remains insufficiently understood. Objective: This study aimed (1) to classify 5CRT movement patterns using an established dynamic time warping (DTW)-based clustering workflow; (2) to examine associations between ML-based movement clusters and multidimensional indicators of strength, mobility, and functional performance across 24 months; and (3) to evaluate whether ML-based movement classification provides clinically meaningful differentiation beyond conventional stopwatch-based 5CRT timing within a digital health assessment context. Methods: In this longitudinal observational study, community-dwelling adults aged ≥70 years completed standardized functional assessments at baseline, 6 months, and 24 months, including Handgrip Strength, Stair Climb Power Test, Timed “Up & Go” Test, Short Physical Performance Battery (including 5CRT), 4-meter Gait Speed, Balance Testing, 6-minute Walking Test, and Countermovement Jump. The assessments were recorded using a force plate and depth camera to capture biomechanical time-series data. DTW and k-means clustering were applied to ground reaction force signals to identify movement patterns. Results: Among 172 participants included in the final analysis (mean age 76.9, SD 3.40 years; 96/172, 56% female), 2 distinct movement clusters were identified. Cluster 1 demonstrated faster chair rise performance and lower stabilization forces, whereas cluster 2 exhibited slower execution and increased stabilization demands. Across baseline, 6-month, and 24-month follow-up assessments, cluster 1 consistently showed higher muscle strength, greater leg power, faster mobility, higher gait speed, and longer walking distance than cluster 2 (all

Experimental Functional Analyses (FAs) are one of the most foundational practices in contemporary behavior analysis. It emerged as a more conceptual exercise, but has since come to specifically describe a practice for experimentally evaluating the conditions that give rise to and maintain the occurence of certaing (usually challenging) behavior patterns. Over the next few weeks, we'll unpack the history and science of FAs as well as some of the arguments, criticisms, and controversies therein. Tell us your thoughts and experiences with FAs! Recommendations - Abraham: The Bear (Season 5; https://www.disneyplus.com/explore/articles/the-bear-season-5) - Shane: Fiddlehead - Baby, I’ll Change (https://open.spotify.com/album/1mWHUOXoulUP3q8ReXTAkM?si=WpihrG5CTWKPByLCi6WkyQ) Holidays (7/29/2026): - Anniversary of the Army Chaplain Corps - Cheese Sacrifice Purchase Day - International Tiger Day - National Lasagna Day - National Lipstick Day - Rain Day - Hepatitis Awareness Week Links and References:  - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1901/jaba.1994.27-197?sid=nlm%3Apubmed - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1901/jaba.1985.18-111?sid=nlm%3Apubmed - https://scubed.io/blog/aba-data-collection-methods-explained-frequency-duration-and-interval-recording - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1901/jaba.1999.32-175  - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jaba.7  - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1901/jaba.2011.44-51  - https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1901/jaba.2008.41-97  - https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07263869500035621 

Background: Conventional methods of functional assessment include subjective self- or informant report, which may be biased by personal characteristics, cognitive abilities, and lack of standardization (eg, influence of idiosyncratic task demands). Traditional performance-based assessments offer some advantages over self- or informant reports but are time-consuming to administer and score. Objective: This study aims to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Virtual Kitchen Challenge—Version 2 (VKC-2), an objective, standardized, and highly efficient alternative to current functional assessments for older adults across the spectrum of cognitive aging, from preclinical to mild dementia. Methods: A total of 236 community-dwelling, diverse older adults completed a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation to classify cognitive status as healthy, mild cognitive impairment, or mild dementia, after adjustment for demographic variables (age, education, sex, and estimated IQ). Participants completed 2 everyday tasks (breakfast and lunch) in a virtual kitchen (VKC-2) using a touchscreen interface to select objects and sequence steps. Automated scoring reflected completion time and performance efficiency (eg, number of screen interactions, percentage of time spent off-screen, interactions with distractor objects). Participants also completed the VKC-2 tasks using real objects (Real Kitchen). All participants and informants for 219 participants completed questionnaires regarding everyday function. A subsample of participants (n=143) performed the VKC-2 again in a second session, 4-6 weeks after the baseline, for retest analyses. Analyses evaluated construct and convergent validity, as well as retest and internal reliability, of VKC-2 automated scores. Results: A principal component analysis showed that the primary VKC-2 automated scores captured a single dimension and could be combined into a composite score reflecting task efficiency. Construct validity was supported by analyses of covariance results showing that participants with healthy cognition obtained significantly better VKC-2 scores than participants with cognitive impairment (all Ps