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Feasibility Of The Every Moment Counts Initiative At A Southern Nevada Elementary School, Amber Lee Eddy May 2023

Feasibility Of The Every Moment Counts Initiative At A Southern Nevada Elementary School, Amber Lee Eddy

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Over the past 20 years, multiple legislative acts have been passed mandating support and services for the mental health needs of children and youth in schools; however, Nevada continues to rank last for the provision of such services. Children and youth who are mentally healthy are more likely to be successful in their homes, schools, and communities (Arbesman et al., 2013). Those who have increased mental health needs are more at risk for developmental and long-term consequences that jeopardize overall health and wellness, not to mention the immense effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on children and youth. With …


An Educational Sleep Hygiene Module For Unlv Students To Promote Occupational Performance, Therese Fernandez May 2023

An Educational Sleep Hygiene Module For Unlv Students To Promote Occupational Performance, Therese Fernandez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Does participation in a sleep hygiene educational module improve perceived ability to practice habits supporting increased engagement for leisure occupations in UNLV students? Sleep hygiene refers to a set of rules or practices to promote and allow for better sleep quality. Poor sleep quality is a prevalent problem among college students due to numerous reasons, including poor sleep hygiene. Since there is a strong correlation between poor sleep quality and daily function and given that occupational therapists assist clients to function optimally in activities of daily living despite impairment, it is essential to expand this area of practice to include …


Utilizing An Interdisciplinary Approach: Education Of Early Progressive Mobility Protocol In The Icu/Acute Setting, Mary Ashley Galan-Gornal May 2023

Utilizing An Interdisciplinary Approach: Education Of Early Progressive Mobility Protocol In The Icu/Acute Setting, Mary Ashley Galan-Gornal

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, Early Progressive Mobility (EPM) was used more frequently in an interdisciplinary approach to improve patient outcomes. The aim is to create a protocol that takes an interdisciplinary approach and makes use of early progressive mobility. In the acute setting, occupational therapists are equipped to promote quality of life and independence both, during and after hospitalization, which is critical for early mobilization being beneficial for patients who are able to participate in therapy.This Doctoral Capstone project was aimed at demonstrating the value of occupational therapists in the intensive care unit (ICU)/acute setting by utilizing EPM in …


Increasing Self-Perceived Competence In Performing Independent Living Skills Among Unhoused Youth And Young Adults, Stacie M. Gomez May 2023

Increasing Self-Perceived Competence In Performing Independent Living Skills Among Unhoused Youth And Young Adults, Stacie M. Gomez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: The aim of this project is to determine if the development and implementation of an independent living skills workshop would improve the perceived competence of unhoused youth in performing independent living skills.Methods: The Casey Life Skills Short Assessment was used as a pre-test and post-test. It was found that unhoused young adults generally scored low on finding affordable housing, budgeting, banking skills, education training, and feeling a sense of pride in their lives. A four-week independent living skills program was designed and implemented, which included workshops focused on identified needs. The data was analyzed using a Paired Samples t-Test …


Creating A Web Resource On Sense Of Belonging For Underrepresented Occupational Therapy Students In Graduate Programs, Owen Uyiosa Lawani May 2023

Creating A Web Resource On Sense Of Belonging For Underrepresented Occupational Therapy Students In Graduate Programs, Owen Uyiosa Lawani

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Underrepresented students (URS) in graduate occupational therapy (OT) programs often struggle with a sense of not belonging due to a lack of representation in their cohort and curriculum. This has been evident among students who are from racial/ethnic backgrounds, first-generation college students (FGCS), and have had low-income experiences. Research has shown that a sense of belonging (SB) is important for URS' ability to cope with everyday stressors in higher education.This capstone project focused on developing a web-based resource addressing the perceived SB among URS in graduate OT programs. Data was collected from participants at the University of Nevada Las Vegas …


A Pilot Program To Inform High School Students About Allied Healthcare Professions, Nhu Mac May 2023

A Pilot Program To Inform High School Students About Allied Healthcare Professions, Nhu Mac

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The literature revealed the lack of diversity in the workforce, limited recruiting and retention methods, and lack of exposure to these professions as the contributions to the shortage and demand for the profession of occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), and speech- language pathology (SLP). As a result, the fourteen-week program to inform high school students about OT, PT, and SLP roles in the community and public health was implemented at Desert Pines High School in Clark County School District (CCSD) to see if it would influence their perceived attitudes, knowledge, beliefs, and the likelihood of pursuing these careers. Using …


Increasing Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ And Students’ Perceived Self-Confidence And Knowledge In Pelvic Floor Disorders Specifically In Stress Urinary Incontinence, Sarah L. Pond May 2023

Increasing Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ And Students’ Perceived Self-Confidence And Knowledge In Pelvic Floor Disorders Specifically In Stress Urinary Incontinence, Sarah L. Pond

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

This quality improvement project used a pre-and post-survey to explore the effectiveness of an online learning module and determine if the approach increased occupation therapy practitioners' and occupational therapy students' perceived self-confidence and knowledge in pelvic floor therapy.The course was a pre-recorded module launched on Teachable. Participants were recruited through an online flyer posted on social media and email. The online module was open for 27 days, with 130 respondents in the pre-assessment and 99 who completed the module and the post-assessment. The use of an open-ended question was used to obtain qualitative data regarding the online course. The online …


Mental Health Education Protocol For Staff Members In An Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, Charles Nicholas Salvatera May 2023

Mental Health Education Protocol For Staff Members In An Inpatient Rehabilitation Center, Charles Nicholas Salvatera

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Mental health illnesses have a significant impact on the lives of individuals and society. Despite the availability of effective treatments, many people with psychosocial issues or cognitive impairments do not receive the right care. This highlights the importance of timely care and effective help-seeking opportunities. Increased mental health literacy and supportive behaviors in the social networks of people with mental health disorders can be achieved by providing hospital staff with education on mental health disorders. It is believed that improvements in these areas increase the likelihood that people will seek effective assistance. When healthcare providers are educated about mental health …


Exploration Of Occupational Therapy Program Development Through Nih Grant Writing, Larissa Silcox May 2023

Exploration Of Occupational Therapy Program Development Through Nih Grant Writing, Larissa Silcox

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

There is a gap in current literature which describes the effects of yoga-based exercise on the physical health, mental health, and well-being among adults with Down syndrome (Ds). In addition, there is limited research available which describes the impact these effects may have on participation in everyday occupations. Individuals with Ds are living longer lives and will require evidence-based occupational therapy (OT) interventions to ensure healthy growth, development across the lifespan, and ability to participate in meaningful occupations as they age. The current project explores the process of writing a National Institutes of Health R03 grant application that includes a …


Yoga As An Occupational Therapy Intervention For Inpatient Rehabilitation, Sydney Sladek May 2023

Yoga As An Occupational Therapy Intervention For Inpatient Rehabilitation, Sydney Sladek

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this capstone project was to develop and determine if an adapted and individualized yoga-based program can support and have an impact on patients’ physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual health and improve patients’ perceptions of recovery at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Henderson. This was a project focused on quality improvement, focused on the ACOTE focus area of clinical program development in which the student developed and tested outcomes of an occupational therapy (OT) program in a clinical setting. The research design was a quality improvement design with pre and post-measures. Five patients participated in the program one …


Implementing The Use Of Lesson Plan Templates Within The Mentorship Program For Dignity Health Hand Therapists, Ronell Matthew Sueno May 2023

Implementing The Use Of Lesson Plan Templates Within The Mentorship Program For Dignity Health Hand Therapists, Ronell Matthew Sueno

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Occupational therapists (OT) have a wide range of specialties following graduation, one of which is hand therapy. This specialty requires a certain level of knowledge and clinical reasoning, especially concerning hand anatomy and physiology. It is hard to transition into hand therapy as a new occupational therapist due to extensive knowledge, additional patient-care hours, specialty certifications require, and lack of opportunity. A smoother transition into the workforce can be achieved through mentorship programs that allow for meetings with mentors to ask questions and get clarification on different treatments and diagnoses. This quality improvement project focused on gaining perspectives of hand …


Development And Usefulness Of An Advocacy Toolkit To Promote Systems-Level Advocacy Among Occupational Therapy Students In Nevada, Mary Angela Mendoza Terencio May 2023

Development And Usefulness Of An Advocacy Toolkit To Promote Systems-Level Advocacy Among Occupational Therapy Students In Nevada, Mary Angela Mendoza Terencio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Advocating at the systems level to influence legislation and regulation can protect, promote, and progress the occupational therapy profession. This quality improvement project aimed to create and evaluate an advocacy toolkit for professional students in Nevada. The toolkit was developed under the guidance of a team of advocacy experts and leaders. Twenty-five students were recruited through convenience sampling to evaluate the toolkit. Data was collected through a one-group pretest-posttest qualitative improvement design to capture changes in awareness of Nevada-specific regulatory and legislative information, attitudes toward advocacy efforts, and the toolkit’s usability. Comparisons between the pre- and post-toolkit surveys were analyzed …


Development Of A Multifactorial Virtual Fall Prevention Tool For Community Dwelling Older Women, Eduardo Gutierrez, Jacob James Nogra, Carol Sparks, Bradley Voels May 2023

Development Of A Multifactorial Virtual Fall Prevention Tool For Community Dwelling Older Women, Eduardo Gutierrez, Jacob James Nogra, Carol Sparks, Bradley Voels

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Falls are the leading causes of injury-related death in adults over the age of 65, with women sustaining more than twice the rate of fall-related fractures as men. Reduced access to in-person falls prevention programs during the COVID-19 pandemic created a need for a user-friendly guide to existing online fall prevention resources targeted at this vulnerable population. The first aim of this study was to create and make widely available a website with evidence-based resources that address a range of modifiable fall risk factors, and the second was to test its feasibility in a convenience sample of older women. The …


Association Between Rural Background And Physical Therapist Practice Location, Caitlin Parker, Jace-Anne Sharp May 2023

Association Between Rural Background And Physical Therapist Practice Location, Caitlin Parker, Jace-Anne Sharp

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Hypothesis To examine the association between physical therapists’ rural background and their decision to practice in a rural setting. We hypothesized that years of rural upbringing and size of hometown would be related to rural practice. Number of Subjects 257 physical therapists who graduated from one of two physical therapy programs in the Western United States between 2000 and 2020. Materials and Methods A survey was emailed to 19 physical therapy schools consisting of questions regarding participants’ background, demographics, and job history. We collected total number of years of practice and total years of rural practice. Length of practice varied, …


Effects Of Postural Load Perturbations On The Stroke-Impaired Spinal Circuitry, Jose Galvez, Linh Thi My Nguyen, Brandon Yee May 2023

Effects Of Postural Load Perturbations On The Stroke-Impaired Spinal Circuitry, Jose Galvez, Linh Thi My Nguyen, Brandon Yee

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Objective Transitioning from supported sitting position to standing activities requires coordinated interactions among postural muscles with appropriate reflexive responses to adapt to an increase in postural loading. Previous studies have found the failure to accommodate the challenge of increased postural loads in the stroke-impaired nervous system. In this study, we examined the H-reflex in response to different magnitudes of loads under static postural conditions, and compared the responses directly between individuals with a stroke-impaired nervous system and those with a non-neurologically impaired nervous system. We tested the hypothesis that the reflex amplitude would increase with increased load during standing in …


Effects Of A 12-Week Remote Exercise Program On Balance In Adults With Down Syndrome, Kayla Kotake, Sherwin Cadiao, Nicole Kaes, Jayston Prudencio May 2023

Effects Of A 12-Week Remote Exercise Program On Balance In Adults With Down Syndrome, Kayla Kotake, Sherwin Cadiao, Nicole Kaes, Jayston Prudencio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Hypothesis Individuals with Down syndrome (Ds) tend to have deficits in balance and postural control, which negatively affects their ability to perform physical activities safely and independently. Previous research has shown that exercise can improve balance in people with Ds, however, most studies looked at balance in children with Ds. As the average life expectancy for people with Ds has increased, there is a need for research investigating balance in adults with Ds. Also, there is a need to increase exercise opportunities (eg, remote exercise programs) for adults with Ds, as physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are prevalent among individuals …


The Effects Of Exercise Training On Gait In Adults With Down Syndrome, Anna Lois Aquino, Sandra Daugherty, Alex Palko May 2023

The Effects Of Exercise Training On Gait In Adults With Down Syndrome, Anna Lois Aquino, Sandra Daugherty, Alex Palko

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose/Hypothesis: Down syndrome (Ds) is a genetic disorder in which the individual carries an extra copy of chromosome 21 resulting in mental and physical disabilities and risk of major health conditions. A high prevalence of gait pattern dysfunction occurs in adults with Ds due to muscle hypotonia, ligamentous laxity, joint hypermobility, and altered development of musculoskeletal structure, which often lead to increased falls and fear of falling. The purpose of this study is to investigate the differences in kinematic and spatiotemporal gait parameters between adults with Ds and age-matched controls, as well as studying the effects of a 12-week Ds-specific …


Implementation Of 2d Running Gait Analysis In Orthopedic Physical Therapy Clinics, Justin Rasavage, Tristan Trumbull, Melissa Goo-Tam, Micah Wilson May 2023

Implementation Of 2d Running Gait Analysis In Orthopedic Physical Therapy Clinics, Justin Rasavage, Tristan Trumbull, Melissa Goo-Tam, Micah Wilson

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Background: Despite 2D motion analysis being deemed valid and reliable in assessing gait deviations in runners, current use of video-based motion analysis among orthopedic physical therapists is not prevalent. Purpose/Hypothesis: To investigate clinician-perceived effectiveness, adherence, and barriers of using a 2D running gait analysis protocol for patients with running-related injuries. Study Design: Survey Methods: Thirty outpatient physical therapy clinics were contacted to assess interest in participation. The participating therapists were trained on 2D running gait analysis protocol and given a running gait checklist. We used Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to assess the implementation process by collecting …


Analyzing Equity Within The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Physical Therapy Program Admissions Process, Rebecca Altman, Savanna Cathey, Michelle Dedmon May 2023

Analyzing Equity Within The University Of Nevada, Las Vegas Physical Therapy Program Admissions Process, Rebecca Altman, Savanna Cathey, Michelle Dedmon

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose The purpose of this study was to analyze the admissions process of the University of Nevada Las Vegas Physical Therapy (UNLVPT) program through the lens of racial equity. Methods A retrospective cohort of UNLVPT applicants between 2014-2019 was obtained from the physical therapy centralized admissions system and the UNLVPT admissions office. Applicant and application characteristics were compared by racial group. Results: Our sample included 2937 total applicants with 212 (7.2%) that were admitted and matriculated into the program. Applicants identified as 49% White, 24% Asian, 13% multiracial, 6% Hispanic, 2% Black, 0.2% American Indian, and 6% did not report …


An Adolescent Concussion Management Toolkit For Occupational Therapists, Coby Yoshimura May 2023

An Adolescent Concussion Management Toolkit For Occupational Therapists, Coby Yoshimura

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The aim of this project was to demonstrate the role occupational therapists may serve during concussion recovery, by integrating current research and findings into an instructional resource from an occupational therapy (OT) lens. An OT-based toolkit was created to prioritize the identification, assessment, and treatment of two realms of concussion management: functional cognition and vision. The development of a pre and post survey using a modified version of the Generalized Self-Efficacy (GSE) scale was used to determine occupational therapists’ perceived self-efficacy before and after reviewing the created OT-based toolkit. A related samples Wilcoxon signed rank-test was used to analyze pre …


Developing A Physical Therapy Initial Evaluation Screening Tool For A Multidisciplinary Clinic For Adults With Down Syndrome, Isabella Russell, Alvin Lacap, Francis Lacap May 2023

Developing A Physical Therapy Initial Evaluation Screening Tool For A Multidisciplinary Clinic For Adults With Down Syndrome, Isabella Russell, Alvin Lacap, Francis Lacap

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Purpose: Down syndrome (Ds) is a chromosomal condition that can result in intellectual disability, as well as structural or functional disorders impacting the nervous, cardiovascular, and musculoskeletal systems. As individuals with Ds age, they can have an increased number of comorbidities that impact their health. Physical therapy can play an important role in managing many of the comorbidities adults with Ds have. Therefore, there is an increased need for physical therapists to efficiently screen, evaluate and treat adults with Ds. The purpose of this work is to create an Initial Evaluation Screening Tool and Patient Intake Form for physical therapists …


The Development Of A Pilot Program Related To The Application Of High-Intensity In Occupational Therapy, Philip Lamoreaux May 2023

The Development Of A Pilot Program Related To The Application Of High-Intensity In Occupational Therapy, Philip Lamoreaux

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Among the many diagnoses affecting an individual’s ability to participate in occupation, strokes are among the most common (Tsao et al., 2022). With the decrease in mortality rates by 35.8% due to advancements in medicine (Wolf & Nilsen, 2015), there is a need to remediate, adapt, or modify the life-changing impairments associated with stroke. The most significant evidence for motor learning, which is associated with regaining function, is in relation to high-intensity training in the context of ambulation (Middleton et al., 2015; Moore et al., 2020). By utilizing the neural plastic principles of repetition, salience, task-specificity, and intensity, an individual …


An Immersive Virtual Reality Treatment Learning Module For Unlv Occupational Therapy Students, Paolo Castro May 2023

An Immersive Virtual Reality Treatment Learning Module For Unlv Occupational Therapy Students, Paolo Castro

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Virtual reality refers to the technology used to create multi-sensory, three-dimensional environments its users can interact with. Occupational therapists may find virtual reality-based therapy appealing as it allows them to access many virtual environments and tasks that would be difficult to recreate in traditional settings. Despite literature suggesting their willingness to use it in practice, there is an evidence-to-practice gap caused by low self-efficacy and knowledge of how to operate and apply it. The author created a learning module for occupational therapy students to see how it affects perceived clinical competency. The results of the learning module showed statistically significant …


Increasing Foster Parent Awareness Of An Occupation-Based Approach To Child Well-Being, Taylar Hirte May 2023

Increasing Foster Parent Awareness Of An Occupation-Based Approach To Child Well-Being, Taylar Hirte

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Foster parents are an integral part of the child welfare system. They provide temporary care to children who otherwise cannot stay in their homes. They are required to be state or county licensed and each licensing agency has their own requirements including varying hours of training. The literature indicates foster parents do not receive enough training to feel prepared and confident to care for children with increased mental health, behavioral, school-related, cognitive, and peer relationship challenges that foster children often experience (AOTA, 2017; Lotty et al., 2020; Paul-Ward et al., 2014; Smith, 2022).The purpose of the present capstone project was …


New-R Intervention For Clients With Severe Mental Illness And Obesity: Grant Writing For Implementation Funds Supporting Occupational Therapy Interventions, Kaitlyn Hoffman May 2023

New-R Intervention For Clients With Severe Mental Illness And Obesity: Grant Writing For Implementation Funds Supporting Occupational Therapy Interventions, Kaitlyn Hoffman

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Increasing numbers of people suffer from obesity and severe mental illness co-morbidly. If these conditions remain untreated, they can harm an individual's health and well-being. Unfortunately, there are very few programs currently available that target both management and improvement of these conditions simultaneously. Even so, despite the lack of programming options, it must be noted that the NEW-R program strives to reach those goals, although there hasn't been an abundance of literature supporting the effectiveness of this program. This poses a concern for occupational therapy practitioners who hope to assist their clients in managing these conditions as occupational therapy treatments …


Assistance Dog Considerations: A Lecture For Occupational Therapy Students, Kayla Kinney May 2023

Assistance Dog Considerations: A Lecture For Occupational Therapy Students, Kayla Kinney

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Assistance dogs can mitigate the effects of an individual’s disability. Occupational therapists consider the whole being when providing interventions through the individual’s meaningful occupations to improve health, well-being, and quality of life. Occupational therapists can make referrals or become a valuable team member for clients who wish to explore assistance dogs as an assistive technology option to improve physical, mental, and psychosocial considerations for increased independence in their clients. Few occupational therapy practitioners are educated about the benefits and disadvantages of the partnership between assistance dog and handler. Therefore, they are unable to adequately recommend assistance dogs for their clients, …


An Ergonomic Approach For Esport Athletes: The Potential For Less Injury And Increased Occupational Performance, Nicholas Nalic Pierides Jr. May 2023

An Ergonomic Approach For Esport Athletes: The Potential For Less Injury And Increased Occupational Performance, Nicholas Nalic Pierides Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of developing the case study was to determine the satisfaction of implementing an ergonomic protocol tailored to esport athletes in addition to tracking improvements in performance through KovaaK’s tracking trainer while reducing the risk of repetitive strain injuries. Occupational therapists are trained to assess individuals with a holistic lens while treating the deficits that prevent them from living a meaningful life. Occupational therapists advise ergonomically correct positioning for their clients to decrease the risk of injury and to optimize the person’s performance. There is a need for an ergonomic protocol tailored to esport athletes because of the increase …


The Impact Of An Ostomy Training Workshop On Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ And Students’ Confidence In Client Education On Ostomy Management, Amanda Rae Shizue Shimabukuro May 2023

The Impact Of An Ostomy Training Workshop On Occupational Therapy Practitioners’ And Students’ Confidence In Client Education On Ostomy Management, Amanda Rae Shizue Shimabukuro

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The objective of this quality improvement study was to assess if an ostomy training workshop with a hands-on component would impact the confidence of occupational therapy practitioners and students in client education on ostomy management. The hypothesis is that the training workshop would improve the confidence of occupational therapy practitioners and students in client education on ostomy management. Participants were occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, or occupational therapy students in Henderson, Nevada; North Las Vegas, Nevada; or Las Vegas, Nevada. The study utilized a time-series design with a preand post-workshop survey that included a sample size of 30. Occupational therapy …


A Kinesio Tape ® Protocol To Improve Postural Stability And Mouth Closure For Feeding And Eating In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Ariana Naomi Valdez May 2023

A Kinesio Tape ® Protocol To Improve Postural Stability And Mouth Closure For Feeding And Eating In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Ariana Naomi Valdez

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Kinesio tape ® (KT) has been used in the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy (CP) due to its ability to increase sensory input, normalize muscle tone, improve postural stability, and improve range of motion (ROM). KT can be applied and left on the skin for multiple days, allowing the tape to simulate the effects of manual therapy techniques outside of the outpatient setting. However, its use within occupational therapy (OT) to address the occupations of feeding and eating is limited, despite it being an effective treatment method when used in conjunction with traditional OT. Gaps in research limit occupational …


The Importance Of An Educational Occupation-Based Work Program For Young Adults With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, Jennifer Zielinski May 2023

The Importance Of An Educational Occupation-Based Work Program For Young Adults With Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities, Jennifer Zielinski

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Barriers to occupations and transitions to vocational opportunities can be difficult for adolescents and young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD)s to feel confident and pursue job opportunities. Some of the problems stem from the stigma related to the individual’s disability, the contexts surrounding them, and the performance of the work tasks expected. Individuals with I/DDs expressed that not having enough support in the community and the workforce creates significant obstacles to retaining a job. Occupational therapists (OT)s can play a unique role in transition and employment for individuals with an I/DD. With a focus on self-determination and successful …