Education Commons^™

Occupational Therapy's Role In Mealtime Participation In Schools, Jaidee Mae Reyes, Karen Park

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

A mixed-methods research design was utilized to explore the role of occupational therapy in mealtime participation in school-based settings. Interviews and surveys were completed to understand occupational therapy practicers' perceptions, attitudes, and experiences with providing services related to mealtime. The themes that emerged from the study including (a) occupational therapy practitioners experience inhibiting and supporting contextual factors that affect their involvement in mealtime, (b) admin and occupational therapy culture and the interpretation of educational relevance can differ between each school, and (c) occupational therapy practitioners go through a decision-making process when deciding to address mealtime.