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Measuring Outcomes Of Occupational Therapy Facilitated In Natural Settings With Young Children, Amie Smith, Deepak Dale, Brinda Saini, Zoe Peters, Amanda Laccone

Occupational Therapy | Graduate Capstone Projects

To date, there is limited evidence to support the effectiveness of Occupational Therapy (OT) services delivered outside in nature. This study explored the benefits of OT intervention in Natural Settings (NS) for children by examining development in the areas of self-regulation, social skills, sensory processing, confidence, and motor skills. A quantitative, quasi-experimental pre-test/post-test design was used in this study. Researchers partnered with a local outpatient OT clinic that offers an 8-week outdoor program. Seven children and their parents were recruited and participated in the study. A modified version of the COPM and two BOT-2 subtests, along with a novel log …

Living With Fragile X Syndrome: Occupations As An Outcome Measure In A Clinical Trial, Theresa Chase, Ty Duong, Ana Baldinger, Kaylee Gothelf

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the use of semi-structured interviews as an outcome measure in a clinical trial for children with fragile X syndrome (FXS). A qualitative approach was used to analyze twenty-five parent interviews with children with FXS who participated in a double-blind medication trial. Each participant received either sertraline or a placebo. The aim of this research was to assess differences in occupational functioning in the sertraline group and placebo group, that may not have been detected with the use quantitative outcome measures alone. Results showed greater improvements in the sertraline group in areas of …

The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (Pkta): Assessing Validity Of A Performance-Based Assessment Of Executive Function, Emily Fry, Hayley Gilligan, Liza Henty-Clark, Jennifer Weissensee

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Background and purpose. Executive function (EF) deficits is a growing area of focus in pediatric occupational therapy practice. However, there is a lack of performance-based assessments of EF in preschool-aged children. This study sought to establish preliminary criterion-related validity of the Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (PKTA), a test of EF in preschoolers developed by Christine Berg, Ph.D., OTR/L, in which children complete a multi-step craft project.

Subjects. Fifteen typically developing preschool-aged children participated in this study.

Methods. An exploratory design was used to assess criterion-related validity of the PKTA. Participants completed the PKTA along with several established neuropsychological assessments of …