Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Occupational Deprivation In Adolescents From Low-Income And Food Insecure Homes: A Screening Tool And After School Program, Claire Eidenschink

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Adolescents who experience food insecurity are exposed to an increased risk of health disparities related to cognitive, psychosocial, and physical functioning (Cook & Frank, 2007). Each of these domains of functioning impacts occupational performance in all roles that an adolescent assumes. Of note, the role of a student is drastically impacted. Therefore, a program to address strategies for meeting basic needs within a familiar setting, such as a school, is relevant and necessary for this population. Such a program would offer an opportunity to close the gap in disparities and increase health outcomes of adolescents who experience food insecurity as …

A Vocational Training Program For High School Students With Disabilities On An Alternative Track To Graduation, Natalie Jennings, Michael Lehnerz

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Problem: According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2017), in 2016 the employment rate for persons with a disability was 17.9 percent compared to 65.3 percent for persons without a disability. The discrepancy between the employment rates can partially be contributed to a lack of high school readiness preparation as evidenced by Evert Cimera, Gonda, and Vaschak (2015) who found that the referral rates of transition-aged youth decreased from 62.3 percent in 2004 to 50.0 percent to 2013.

Purpose: The purpose of this scholarly project is to minimize the gap during the transition from high school to vocational …

The S.P.I.R.I.T. Program: Spirituality Promotion Interdependence Resiliency Inclusive Therapy, Alycia Heisler, Brianna Safranski

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Purpose: Native American children and adolescents are some of the most underserved people in the United States (Warzak, Dogan, & Godfrey, 2011). Common mental health problems this population typically experiences are depression, suicidal thoughts or ideation, traumatic experiences, substance use, and results of historical trauma (Brockie, Dana-Sarco, Wallen, Wilcox, & Campbell, 2015). They have the highest rates of these mental health problems, more than any other ethnic group (Evans-Campbell, Walters, Pearson, & Campbell, 2012). There is a need for preventative programs to be implemented with elementary school-aged Native American children and adolescents (Ohl, Mitchell, Cassidy, & Fox, 2008; Stigler, …

Occupational Therapy Practice Trends For Occupations Impacted By Puberty In Children With Asd, Sydney Larson, Kelsey Hemberger

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Introduction: Adolescents face physical, social, cognitive, and emotional changes during the developmental stage of puberty. Pubertal changes can be difficult for neurotypical adolescents to cope with, but especially for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, adolescents with ASD experience challenges with adapting to physical and emotional changes, managing new hygiene routines, abiding to social norms, and inappropriate sexual behaviors (Beddows & Brooks, 2016; Cridland, Caputi, Jones, & Magee, 2015; Cridland, Jones, Caputi, & Magee, 2014). While occupational therapy plays a role in helping adolescents with ASD, a lack of occupational therapy literature on this topic leads to unknown …

An Epidemiological Study Of Pediatric Sports And Recreational Injuries Reporting To The Emergency Room In Grand Forks, Nd, Carly Bertsch, Lucas Dolan

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

PROBLEM: The purpose of this research study is to evaluate the emergency room records from Altru Health System in Grand Forks, ND from 2011-2015 to find trends in pediatric injuries from the ages of 0-19. The justification for the study is to provide Grand Forks with information about the frequency and distribution of pediatric sports and recreational injuries. No injury surveillance system has been implemented to monitor youth injuries, but his study is a continuation of a previous 10-year study and the combining of the two time frames would result in a 15-year compilation of data. By using descriptive data …

An Occupational Therapy Perspective Of A School-Based Suicide Prevention Program With A Peer-Mentorship Emphasis, Maddie Bjornstad, Karyssa Kimery

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in adolescents today (Pisani et al., 2012; Katz et al., 2013). Zalsman et al. (2016), reported the recognition of suicide prevention as a public health priority has helped to encourage research, detection, treatment, and management of individuals at risk for suicide, however the implementation of proven, evidence-based, and cost-effective strategies are the duty of public health policy makers and healthcare providers. Occupational therapists are trained to help individuals determine what occupations are meaningful and completed in order to feel a sense of self-efficacy, therefore occupational therapy can play a critical role …

Promoting Successful Community Re-Integration For Incarcerated Juveniles: The Role Of Occupational Therapy To Enhance Quality Of Life, Madison Gerszewski, Bailey Odegaard

Occupational Therapy Capstones

The purpose of this scholarly project is to present a manual for occupational therapists working with juvenile delinquents in their transition into the community following incarceration. The intended outcome of the project is for juvenile delinquents to be independent, successful members of the community.

A literature review pertaining to juvenile delinquents was conducted and addressed recidivism, risk factors, and unmet needs. At this time, there are no practice guidelines in the United States that capture occupational therapy’s scope of practice when working with adolescents who have been involved in the criminal justice system.

A manual was developed in order to …