Digital Commons Network^™

Pediatric Oncology: Parent Education Handbook, Lindsey Anderson, Lacey Harrington

Occupational Therapy Capstones

In America, approximately 12,400 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer each year (Harris, 2004). The number of newly diagnosed children is on a steady increase. With this steady increase it is important to ensure that parents of the child diagnosed with cancer have resources about cancer and the treatment process as well as support. A review of current literature, research, and resources was conducted in order to locate the gaps within pediatric oncology. The literature helped identify areas of concern related to pediatric oncology. The areas identified consist of the parents having minimal knowledge while under emotional stress when …

Occupational Therapy Feeding And Eating Manual For Parents Of Children With Oral Motor Deficits, Jessica Kovacevich, Genevieve Ziegler

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Having a child with feeding and eating difficulties can be a very stressful event for parents, and the process of occupational therapy assessment and treatment may also be stressful and confusing for the parents. Most parents are not familiar with feeding and eating difficulties in children, and many parents do not know where to find the information that they need to learn about their child’s diagnosis. After an initial review of literature, it was found that parents of children with special needs have few resources for eating and feeding strategies and approaches for oral motor deficits. It was also found …

Tendon Injury Rehabilitation: A Manual Of Algorithm Protocols For Therapists, Joni Armstrong

Occupational Therapy Capstones

In the field of hand therapy there are a variety of protocols for treatment of patients with tendon injury. Review other literature indicates that most of these protocols have a good anatomical and physiological basis, which then requires the application of clinical experience to decide which protocols to use when treating patients with hand injury. Experienced hand therapists tend to make observations and adapt protocols accordingly to provide patients with good therapy treatment and therefore achieve excellent treatment outcomes. However, therapists that do not see hand patients on a regular basis and do not have a consult base will tend …

The Wings Of Change: Occupational Therapy Activities For Women Of Domestic Violence, Lainie Donahue, Dianna Steen

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Literature indicates that the current services provided to women of domestic violence typically include emergency housing, crisis counseling, and short-term legal and financial assistance (Gorde, Helfrich, & Finlayson, 2004). While these resources provide necessary immediate support to the victim, she may often feel powerless to make long-term changes. If adequate long-term resources and support are not available to the victim, the victim is more likely to return to an abusive situation.

The review of literature focuses on obtaining a deeper understanding of the needs that exist for women subsequent to leaving an abusive relationship, and how to prevent the risk …

An Occupational Therapy Parent Education Handbook: Parenting In The Nicu, Olivia Donald, Angie Laakso

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Parents often feel overwhelmed by their premature infant's fragile medical state and intimidated by the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) environment. The birth of a premature infant is a stressful event for parents because they are coping with their newborn facing life threatening immaturity and its possible consequences, such as handicap or even death. Due to the premature infant's fragile medical state parents often feel their infant does not belong to them but rather to the healthcare staff.

A parent's lack of involvement in their infant's care is a major source of stress, feelings of dis empowerment and a lack …

The Use Of A Sensory Integration Program For Children With Behavioral And Attention Deficits, Janel Evanson, Brenna Pitsch

Occupational Therapy Capstones

One of the challenges facing occupational therapy practitioners today is incorporating treatment approaches into psychosocial and school environments that address the needs of children who have difficulties maintaining an optimal level of arousal, who have a decreased attention span, who are non-engaged and have maladaptive behaviors and impulsivity, and who may have anger management difficulties. These characteristics may coexist with the diagnosis of a sensory integrative dysfunction. As a result, the authors anticipate an increasing demand for the implementation of sensory integration programming in a psychosocial or school setting. An extensive literature review was completed to gain a full understanding …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In The Secondary Prevention Of Transient Ischemic Attacks, Alan Hodenfield, Amy Shulstad

Occupational Therapy Capstones

A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a condition in which an individual experiences an "episode of temporary and focal neurological dysfunction of rapid onset, caused by cerebral circulatory failure and lasting no more than 24 hours" (Shah, Cooper & Lyons, 1992, p. 358-359). Even though a TIA is temporary and leaves no permanent effects, it's far from an irrelevant event. About one in three people who have a TIA eventually have a stroke, with about half occurring during the year after the TIA (Mayo, 2006). A TIA can serve as both a warning and an opportunity: a warning of an …

Occupational Therapy Assistant Mental Health Case-Based Learning Activities, Cassie Hilts

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Occupational Therapy Assistants (OTA) need to be skilled in clinical reasoning and able to apply principles, theories and approaches to functional problems (Neistadt, 1998; Royeen,1995; VanLeit, Crowe and Waterman, 2001). Occupational therapy assistant educational standards require that students be able to apply models of occupational performance and theories of occupation (Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education, 2008). Research has shown that learners actively engaged in the learning process have increased satisfaction with their education (Robinson, 1994) and perform better on exams (Lord, 1997; Wilden, Crowther, Gubanich and Cannon, 2002). Scaffa and Wooster (2004) found self directed learning can significantly facilitate …

Cardiac Rehabilitation Education Module For Entry-Level Occupational Therapists, Bonnie Hoff

Occupational Therapy Capstones

According to the American Heart Association (2007) statistics, it is estimated that 79,400.000 American adults have one or more types of cardiovascular disease, or one in every three people. It is estimated that 37,500.000 are over the age of 65 years. (AHA, 2007). Heart disease and stroke are the first and third leading cause of death for both men and women in America and accounts for 40% for all deaths, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2005). Approximately one individual will die from heart disease every thirty-three seconds (CDC, 2005).

According to the CDC (2005), a …

Caregiver Activity Guide To Promote Occupational Function In Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease, Lacey Konickson

Occupational Therapy Capstones

No abstract provided.

Life After War: An Occupational Therapy Resource Guide For Returning Soldiers With Prosthetics, Monica Lemoine, Andrea Longtin

Occupational Therapy Capstones

There are a growing number of U.S. military soldiers medically discharged due to injuries sustained while on active duty. A number of these injuries result in limb amputation. The purpose of this scholarly project was to develop an evidence-based resource guide for a population of soldiers returning from war having an amputation and utilizing a prosthetic.

An extensive literature review was conducted in order to develop the occupational therapy role for this population. Three main areas of concern were identified: 1) a lack of information related to prosthetic use during instrumental activities of daily living, 2) limited information regarding reintegration …

Handwriting From A-Z, Connie Lillejord

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Prevalence for the number of students with poor handwriting skills has been estimated to range from 12% to 21 % depending on grade, selection criteria, and instruments used (Graham & Weintraub, 1996; Hamstra-BIetz & Blote, 1993; Smits-Engelsman & Van Galen, 1997). During late elementary and middle school years there is an increasing demand for efficient work output, particularly in written requirements. Greater numbers of required reports, math assignments, and writing assignments tap into a child's capacity to develop ideas quickly and put them down on paper (Levine, Oberklaid, & Meltzer, 1981). Children who have not developed automatic, fluent handwriting will …

Get Involved: A Program For Kindergarten Students, Parents, & Teachers To Promote The Development Of Motor Skills For Daily School Occupations, Sarah Neall

Occupational Therapy Capstones

In the educational setting today, children are asked to acquire advanced academic skills at a faster pace and earlier age. Children entering the first years of school exhibit variances in their physical maturity levels, which affects both fine and gross motor skills and their performance in daily school occupations. Frequently, young children are unable to keep up with their kindergarten curriculum. Currently, the programs available to work on motor development in kindergarten age students focus solely on pre-writing skills and handwriting instruction. These programs lack information on motor skill development, home program activities, and specific occupations that kindergarten students are …

From Adulterous Gametes To Heterologous Nation: Tracing The Boundaries Of Reproduction In Italy, Milena Marchesi

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This article traces discursive and political attempts to discipline the reproduction of the Italian nation by analyzing the approval of a controversial law disciplining access to new reproductive technologies (NRTs) in 2004. The restriction of new reproductive technologies in Italy reflects a contemporary re-negotiation of gender ideologies and a renewed ascendance of the Vatican in Italian politics and society. Although abortion remains legal in Italy, the NRT legislation recognizes the embryo as a subject while in political discourse demographic alarmism slides into warnings of social disintegration. The debate over the threat posed by technologically assisted reproduction to Italian families and …

American Diagnostic Radiology Moves Offshore: Surfing The Internet Wave To Worldwide Access And Quality Perspectives: American Diagnostic Radiology Moves Offshore: Where Is The Internet Wave Taking This Field, Eric M. Nyberg, Charles F. Lanzieri

Journal of Law and Health

International reading of medical imaging studies, or offshore teleradiology, has been a successful, though limited, practice benefiting patients and physicians for over a decade. Domestic and international market forces will continue to expand the demand for teleradiology as an important complement to United States based diagnostic radiology, though a full exodus of diagnostic reading to offshore sites is unlikely and inappropriate. Considerable obstacles remain to taking the teleradiology market to scale; however, barriers related to licensure, liability, quality assurance, and reimbursement will likely yield to market forces to be resolved in recognition of the significant benefits teleradiology offers to consumers …

Federally Mandated Informed Consent: Has Government Gone Too Far, Linda P. Mckenzie

Journal of Law and Health

Laws mandating disclosure of particular information are known as informed consent laws. They exist primarily in the area of reproductive health and most often apply to women seeking abortion. This article discusses the legal and ethical issues that arise when lawmakers decide what patients must be told before they can access certain medical procedures. Part II examines some of the ethical implications of informed consent laws. Physicians have a duty to obtain a patient's informed consent before acting. Part III discusses legal concerns raised by informed consent laws. These include the First Amendment free speech rights of physicians and patients' …

The First Amendment And Diet Industry Advertising: How Puffery In Weight-Loss Advertisements Has Gone Too Far, Jennifer E. Gross

Journal of Law and Health

Stricter government regulations regarding commercial speech that promotes weight-loss or diet products should be considered for three reasons. First, studies have shown that diet industry advertising often makes weight loss claims that are scientifically impossible. Second, consumers have suffered adverse health effects as a result of trying weight-loss programs or diet products. Third, current FTC regulations are not curbing the problem. Part II of this note outlines the history of commercial speech and its protections under the First Amendment, along with the history of the rapidly expanding diet industry and its regulatory framework. Part II examines the three arguments in …

Experience, Purpose, Pedagogy, And Theory: Ritual Activities In The Classroom, Mark I. Wallace

Religion Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Income Inequality And The Probability Of Violent Revolt, Noah Cecil

Honors Papers

This paper examines the effect of income inequality on the impetus of an organized dissident group to initiate a "revolt" in an attempt to wrest power from the government regionally or countrywide. After suggesting alterations and extensions of a mathematical framework developed by Blomberg, Hess, and Weerapana (2004) income inequality, economic growth, urbanization, and political rights data from 102 countries from 1972-1999 are used to determine their respective influences on the likelihood of a revolt being initiated in a given year. Income inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient is found to be statistically significant in determining the likelihood of …

Tradition, Modernization And Public Health Policy: Combating Hiv/Aids In Senegal, Hannah Godlove

Honors Papers

This thesis explores how traditional beliefs and institutions have been used in a nationwide campaign against the spread of HIV / AIDS in the case· of Senegal. Relying on the works of Max Weber, Edward Shils, and Erving Goffinan, the theoretical chapter of the thesis develops the concepts of traditionalism, modernization, rationalization, and social stigma. This theoretical framework is applied to the case of Senegal in order to support the idea that the tradition of Sufi Islam played an important role in the nationwide campaigns against AIDS. However, I argue that a successful national policy against HIV / AIDS must …

On The Relation Between Pay And Performance: Presidents Of Liberal Arts Colleges, Imran Lalani

Honors Papers

This paper uses panel data on the salaries and benefits of liberal arts college presidents during the period 2001-02 to 2003-04 to understand what presidents are rewarded for. We try and develop a basic framework in which to understand the president's role in the institution, and attempt to explain what some claim is a combination of high wages and relatively weak pay for performance.

The rising income inequality in America has been the subject of much heated debate in the recent past. 'Excessive' executive pay has been a recurrent theme during 2007 so far, with the Senate gearing up to …

Premium Risk And Healthcare Policy, Matthew Coffina

Honors Papers

In this paper, I analyze four alternative policies that address "premium risk": the risk that health insurance premiums will increase if an individual acquires a chronic condition. They are: premium risk insurance, community rating, anti-discrimination laws for large firms, and government subsidies. I show that community rating and anti-discrimination laws provide incomplete protection, and have the potential to create welfare-reducing distortions in incentives, while subsidies can be designed that mimic the efficiency of premium risk insurance. While the economic concepts behind these conclusions are well-documented and well-understood, I believe my own model adds value in the form of simplicity and …

An "Adequate" Education Needs An "Adequate" Approach To School Funding, Atanu Das

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

From The Steelworkers' Trilogy To The Kentucky River Trifecta: Will The Nlrb's Definition Of Independent Judgment Trickle Down To Public Employee Labor Relations Law?, Jacqueline Clisham

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

The Ailing Middle Class, Sarah Cohen

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

The Adolescent Health Care Safety Act: A New Approach To Parental Notice, Michelle Kaplan

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Walmart's Discrimination Woes, Jeffrey Sussman

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Spotlight On Public Interest Attorneys, Janelle Skaloud

Public Interest Law Reporter

No abstract provided.

Shifting Paradigms: From Relapse Prevention To Wellness, Robert E. Longo Lpc, Ncc

Public Interest Law Reporter

Today's youth present greater challenges than during any other time in recent history. The author proposes that "sex offending by youth is a symptom of a greater problem." Young people with sexual behavior problems and sexual aggression behaviors must be looked at from a holistic/ecological perspective as they may be subject to co-morbid diagnosis, traumatic histories that may have neuro-biological impact on the brain and brain development, and learning deficits and disabilities among other concerns. This article will briefly outline the current thinking about assessing youth with sexual behavior problems and youth who are sexually aggressive from both a sexual …