Digital Commons Network^™

Promoting Full Participation For Students Involved In Young Life Capernaum, Hannah Simmons

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project focused on creating educational tools and resources for students, leaders, and coaches involved in Nashville Young Life Capernaum. Young Life Capernaum is a longstanding organization that is built on serving young people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The goal was not to change what they are doing but to supply practical skills and knowledge on topics such as self-regulation, behavior management, accommodations, and appropriate language use to increase participation and inclusivity of all stakeholders involved. The results were guidebooks, specifically made for Capernaum leaders, coaches, and students, that attempt to encompass common questions and frequently needed …

Recent Advances In The Role Of Rehabilitative Therapies For Parkinson’S Disease: A Literature Review, Bazza Sohail, Muhammad Affan Iqbal, Aisha Razzaq, Abdul Wasay Nafe, Robina Malik

Journal of Mind and Medical Sciences

Regardless of medical therapies and surgical interventions for Parkinson’s disease, patients develop progressive disability. The role of therapies is to maximize functional ability and minimize secondary complications through movement rehabilitation within a context of education and support for the whole person. The overall aim is to optimize independence, safety and wellbeing, thereby enhancing quality of life. Trials have shown that physiotherapy has short-term benefits in Parkinson’s disease. However, which physiotherapy intervention are most effective remains unclear. This article provides a guidance framework rather than a ’recipe’ for treatment. This review shows that a wide range of rehabilitative therapy interventions to …

Effect Of Using A Daily Bladder Diary To Decrease Frequency Of Nocturnal Enuresis In Children, Julianne Vesely

MOT Student Capstones

Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are skilled in identifying meaningful and purposeful activities to use and facilitate a client's independence in working towards their goals. A goal in which OT practitioners can work with pediatric clients towards is increasing bladder continence, especially at night. Children who have difficulty with bladder incontinence at night, also called nocturnal enuresis (NE), may demonstrate poor social skills and social participation, and decreased sensory registration. Occupational therapy practitioners can work with clients to increase independence towards bladder continence through focused intervention on sensory integration, social skills training, and the use of a daily bladder input/output diary …

The Effectiveness Of Using A Community-Based Yoga Program To Increase Feelings Of Inclusion In Adults With Intellectual Disabilities, Cynthia Schmidt

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

No abstract provided.

Mental Health Education For Acute Cardiac Patients, Allison Blackburn

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

No abstract provided.

Exploration Of Inclusivity And Accessibility Of Play Spaces And Miracle League Facilities, Anna Dyduch

OTD Capstone Projects

Throughout this capstone project, Anna Dyduch partnered with Miracle League facilities throughout North America to individually assess 300+ facilities for inclusivity standards based on updated best practice standards. Miracle League is an inclusive baseball program for children and adults with disabilities to promote community engagement and play. The focus of the project was to gauge inclusivity of all facilities to provide a database of how each facility scores; this will promote the highest standard of inclusivity for all upcoming Miracle League facilities to be built. Additional project activities included assessing local playgrounds and play spaces for ADA standard accessibility and …

Using The Kawa Model To Improve Teachers’ Social-Emotional Health, Amy Crosby

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

No abstract provided.

Implementing Occupational Therapy Principles Into A Lower Elementary Private School In Middle Tennessee, Alexandra Shea Katzman

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through partnership with Middle Tennessee Christian School in Murfreesboro, TN. The focus of this project was development, implementation, and advocacy regarding pivotal occupational therapy principals in a school that does not offer school OT services. The goal of this project was implementation of the Zones of Regulation curriculum into Kindergarten - 2nd grade classrooms as well as development of a fine motor skills resource guide for teachers and parents. Zones of Regulation training sessions consisted of identifying emotions, categorizing these emotions into Zones, and discussing regulation tools that drive self regulation. Fine motor resource …

Inclusive Unmounted Lesson Curriculum Development At Saddle Up!, Emily A. Wagstaff

OTD Capstone Projects

This capstone project was completed through a partnership with Saddle Up! in Franklin, TN. Saddle Up! provides adaptive riding lessons, therapy services, and equine-assisted learning opportunities for children with disabilities. The focus of this project was to develop an unmounted lesson curriculum that is adaptable for the wide variety of participants served by the organization. Other project activities included conducting movement assessments of equines to determine eligibility for therapy services, completing requirements for the PATH International Certified Therapeutic Riding Instructor (CTRI) certification, and providing staff with education and resources to assist children with various performance deficits.

Mental Health And Mindfulness: A Homeroom Curriculum At Benton Hall Academy, Kasey A. Rohleder

OTD Capstone Projects

This capstone project was completed through a partnership with Benton Hall Academy in Nashville, TN. This academy is a school for children who learn differently and works to help students be successful in their education and transition into the workplace or higher learning opportunities. This project focuses on improving the mental health of lower and middle school students through a 27 week homeroom curriculum teaching about mindfulness, social skills, attention, and emotional regulation. Current literature and materials, students needs, and stakeholder input was utilized to create and implement the project in the lower and middle school homeroom classrooms.

Positive Behavioral Supports And Sensory Experiences At Benton Hall Academy, Ania Spann

OTD Capstone Projects

This project was completed in partnership with Benton Hall Academy, a private institution located in Nashville, TN that provides a compassionate learning environment with individualized learning opportunities for children that learn differently. The focus of this capstone project was to enhance sensory experiences and implement positive behavioral intervention and supports. This was accomplished through providing an in-service presentation, providing resources, continuous communication with faculty and staff, and interaction with students.

Analysis Of Firefighters’ Psychological Trauma And Interrupted Domains, Alyssa Garcia, Pamela Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, Kristian Llaca

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Firefighters are at a high risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression (Teoh et al., 2019), suicidality, substance abuse (Bing-Canar et al., 2019), and burnout (Teoh et al., 2019). Firefighters are regularly exposed to traumatic events on calls which results in their decreased mental health; and associated decreased participation in meaningful occupations, routines, and roles (Edgelow & Cramm, 2020; Edgelow et al., 2021; Wittwer et al., 2021). This project contains both research and a program. The purpose of this research was to understand how firefighter demographics interact with interrupted occupations, routines, and roles and at what frequency when faced with …

Jailhouse Religion: A Study On The Perceived Effects Of Religious Prison Rehabilitation That Affects Recidivism, William George Bumphus Iii

Doctoral Dissertations and Projects

This study focused on the relationship between Christian programming to prisoners and their lives when released into society. During this study, several men from The Jesus House ministry location were observed and interviewed on the lives they now lead after getting saved or finding Christ while in prison and being released to a faith-based aftercare facility. This study examined the mission and vision leaders of this ministry believed while interviewing participants and staff about their personal stories, and why they chose to help ex-offenders reintegrate into society. Furthermore, this study investigated the current rehabilitation programming to see where Christian programming …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Relapse Prevention Within Substance Abuse Recovery, Kristy L. Riffe

MOT Student Capstones

The devastating rate of relapse continues to impact the roles, occupational participation, and occupational performance of individuals in recovery. The purpose of this capstone project was to positively impact local substance abuse recovery programs by increasing their knowledge and understanding of occupational therapy's (OT) role in relapse prevention within substance abuse recovery using an evidence-based educational in-service presentation. The educational in-service described OT, the common reasons for relapse, evidence-based statistics related to relapse, the effects that substance use has on occupational performance and participation, evidence-based OT interventions, and the benefits of OT in relapse prevention to improve the knowledge and …

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Promote Body Positivity In Middle School Aged Youth, Janis Galindez, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Middle school aged children are in a vulnerable developmental period that pose challenges toward maintaining a positive body image. Consequently, body image can be a mental health concern that can lead to a decrease in occupational performance in education, leisure, and social participation.

School settings currently do not have the appropriate resources or mental health initiatives to address occupational performance problems related to body image with middle school aged youth. However, occupational therapists (OTs) have the potential to provide mental health services to address body image in school and community settings that promote skills needed for meaningful participation in education, …

Adaptive Sports Equipment: A Resource For Clinicians, Coaches, & Athletes, Allison Chown

Student Capstone Papers

Background: About 61 million adults who live in the United States (US) have a disability, which equates to about one in four adults in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Unfortunately, only one out of every ten people who need assistive technology (AT) have access to the proper equipment, with lack of awareness of the devices being one of the causes (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). It has been noted in literature that a lack of awareness exists amongst clinicians, coaches, & athletes regarding available adaptive equipment (AE) to support participation in adaptive sports ([AS] Bergem, …

Occupational Therapists’ Role In Educating Caregivers On Pediatric Sensory Interventions Guided By Neurodiversity Principles, Deanna Bourgeois

Student Capstone Papers

Background: Neurodivergent children often experience differences in sensory processing and self-regulation. Traditional sensory-based interventions are frequently used by occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) and caregivers to address dysregulation. However, sensory-based interventions, while often strengths-based, are not always neurodiversity-affirming.

Problem: There are minimal educational resources available to both OTP and caregivers that promote neurodiversity-affirming sensory interventions to support neurodivergent children.

Methods: The purpose of this project was to create self-paced educational modules to teach neurodiversity-affirming sensory interventions that promote children's self-regulation. To achieve this goal, the student investigator developed virtual educational modules and piloted them with OTP, occupational therapy …

An Occupational Therapy Approach To Play For Pediatric Cancer Patients, Michelle Erika Dytan, Karen Park

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Play as an occupation has been long identified as a primary aspect of a child’s life (Moore & Lynch, 2017). Play provides children with ways to explore the world while learning skills to improve critical thinking, creativity, and positive self-esteem, and simply to have fun (Guirguis, 2018; Yanof, 2019). Children with cancer face barriers that limit their ability to engage in play, with negative consequences to their social, cognitive, and emotional development (Nijhof et al., 2018). There is an evident gap in a lack of play opportunities in community-based settings, which may limit a child’s personal development, social skills, and …

Student Physical Therapists’ Perceptions Of A Novel, Small-Group Presentation Method In The United States: A Cohort Study, Bhavana Raja, Leslie Bayers, Lott Hill, Alicia Rabena-Amen

Health Professions Education

Purpose: The purpose of this project is to explore perceptions of student physical therapists of a new, small-group presentation model called Presentation-Station-Rotation (PSR). Our hypothesis is that the PSR format will be a more effective, interactive, and stimulating mode of delivery than large group presentations. Method: Thirty-six first year student physical therapists were divided into groups of three students to give a presentation about their clinical experience. Presenters rotated to two other groups to present for three repetitions; listeners heard six different presentations. Thematic analysis was conducted on the questionnaire completed by the students regarding their experiences of the PSR …

Faculty Perceptions Of Health Professional Students’ Hybrid-Online Learning Strategies: A Multi-Center Qualitative Study, Evan M. Pucillo, Gabriela Perez, Leiselle Pilgrim

Health Professions Education

Purpose. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the utilization of hybrid-online and fully-online instruction in health professional education. Physical (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) programs have become increasingly reliant upon this mode of instruction. Therefore, it is important to understand advising strategies for this educational environment. Faculty advisors may endorse specific learning strategies over others. However, advising strategies of faculty are not well represented in the scientific literature. Methods. A qualitative phenomenological design used a six-item, open-ended questionnaire to purposefully survey faculty members teaching and advising students in hybrid-online PT and OT graduate programs during COVID-19. Dedoose® v.9.4 qualitative software (Los Angeles, …

Adaptive Sports Equipment: A Resource For Clinicians, Coaches, & Athletes, Allison Chown, Steven M. Gerardi, Christopher Ebner

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

About 61 million adults who live in the United States (US) have a disability, which equates to about one in four adults in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Unfortunately, only one out of every ten people who need assistive technology (AT) have access to the proper equipment, with lack of awareness of the devices being one of the causes (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). It has been noted in literature that a lack of awareness exists amongst clinicians, coaches, & athletes regarding available adaptive equipment (AE) to support participation in adaptive sports ([AS] Bergem, 2020). …

Community Support Post-Hospitalization: A Practitioner Resource, Della Dupre

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

No abstract provided.

Developing Resources To Promote Increased Program Activity And Independence For Individuals In A Residential Reentry Program, Kaylee Jorgensen

OTD Capstone Projects

The purpose of this capstone project is to partner with Dismas House to develop sustainable resources to increase independence and participation of residents during their time at Dismas House. Dismas House provides a 90-day re-entry program that serves men who are reentering the community after being incarcerated. Dismas House has the goal to support these individuals as they navigate their transition back into the community from being incarcerated and help them overcome barriers they may face in doing so. Dismas House has “Four Pillars of Programming,” which include basic needs, health and well-being, life skills, and legal support which were …

Animal-Assisted Green Care Farming For Patients With Traumatic Brain Injury, Alex Sargsyan

Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference

Animal-Assisted Green Care Farming for Patients with Traumatic Brain Injury

Purpose

To examine the effects of Animal Assisted Therapies with Farm Animals (AATF) with domesticated ducks on depression and anxiety.

Aim

The proposed study will use single-group time series design and collect survey data to explore the changes in anxiety and depression in patients exposed to AATF. The study will be guided by the Self-Efficacy Theory. The study will involve 30 patients with TBI living in The Crumley House Rehabilitation Center in Limestone, TN.

Hypothesis. Engaging in AATF with domesticated ducks will be associated with decrease in anxiety and depression. …

Professional Development Lgbtq+ Program For Faculty, Staff And Clinicians: Reported Month Post-Program Impact, Audrey L. Zapletal, Otd, Ms, Otr/L, Cla, Karla A. Bell, Pt, Dpt, Phd(C)

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Background

LGBTQ+ community experiences health care and health disparities; some reasons include:

• barriers in care,
• negative attitudes,
• lack of awareness by healthcare providers.

Studies have found healthcare professionals are not adequately trained in LGBTQ+ care

Mindfulness At Work Virtual Mindfulness Program For Occupational Therapy Practitioners Experiencing Burnout: A Pilot Study, Sue Persia, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Background

Job burnout is high among occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs)^1,2. Burnout impacts practitioner well-being and patient outcomes³. Mindfulness is an evidencebased approach to decreasing burnout, but the time burden for traditional mindfulness programs is high for professionals experiencing burnout⁴. Mindfulness at Work is a brief, virtual program during which OTPs embed learned mindfulness strategies during their workday.

An Exploration Of The Experience Of Leisure Among Adults Who Immigrated To The United States From Latin American Countries, Violeta Chavez Serrano, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga, Karen Mccarthy

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Kaplan (1975) defined leisure as a self determined activity that is pleasant and allows for personal growth. Although the diversity among the population in the United States has continued to increase over the past years (United States Census Bureau, 2019) the amount of leisure research related to race and ethnicity is relatively limited. According to Floyd et al., (2008) only 4.5% of published articles highlighted the impact of race and ethnicity on leisure. Exploring how personal context influences occupational engagement, by examining a specific group's experience engaging in an occupation can help further develop the understanding of how personal factors …

Database Of Video Games And Their Therapeutic Properties, Tyler Brinkman

Student Capstone Papers

There are reported to be 2.96 billion video game players in the world as of 2021 and this number is expected to grow to 3.32 billion by the year 2024. Of that total, 215.5 million video game players live in the United States with a reported average age of 33 years old. Thousands of commercial video games are released every year. There is evidence to support video game technology use as therapeutic media however it predominately utilizes outdated technology or technology designed for a specific purpose also called “serious games.” The problem is that OT practitioners are unaware of the …

The Role Of Machine Learning In Improved Functionality Of Lower Limb Prostheses, Joaquin Dominguez, Richard Kim, Robert Slater

SMU Data Science Review

Lower-limb amputations can cause a plethora of obstacles that lead to a lower quality of life. Implementing machine learning techniques means advanced prosthetics can contribute to facilitating the lives of those that live with lower-limb amputations. Using the publicly available HuGaDB data set, the current study investigates several classification models (random forest, neural network, and Vowpal Wabbit) to predict the locomotive intentions of individuals using lower-limb prostheses. The results of this study show that the neural network model yielded the highest accuracy, comparable precision, and recall scores to the other models. However, the Vowpal Wabbit model's advantage in speed may …

Correlation Between Quadriceps And Hamstring Isokinetic Strength To Ball Velocity During A Soccer Kick, Maggie L. Plouff, Miah L. Busse, Mikayla J. Pieper, Brady Ferguson, Aaron M. Baker

Research & Creative Achievement Day

When kicking a soccer ball, large forces are generated by the quadriceps and hamstring muscles that extend and flex the knee. The angular acceleration[GJR1] at this joint and the torques produced are[GJR2] related.

PURPOSE: The goal of this pilot study was to explore the relationship between isokinetic strength[GJR3] of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles to velocity of a kicked soccer ball and determine if isokinetic testing of quadriceps and hamstring strength can predict soccer ball velocity during a kick.

Methods: Four female NCAA Division II soccer athletes completed maximal effort knee flexion and extension at three isokinetic speeds, 60°/second, …