Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Usm’S Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling (Clrc) Social Media Outreach, Heather Roberts

Thinking Matters Symposium Archive

For the service-learning practicum capstone, I assisted Dr. Charles Bernaccio and Tiffany Reagan on the media outreach (LinkedIn page) for the Clinical Rehabilitation Counseling (CLRC) master’s program here at the University of Southern Maine.

The mission of the USM Rehabilitation Counseling (RC) specialty program is to promote quality rehabilitation services to persons with disabilities by:

(1) preparing qualified rehabilitation professionals;

(2) providing services to rehabilitation professionals and organizations; and

(3) sponsoring rehabilitation-related research and training.

Descriptive Report Of The Impact Of Fatigue And Current Management Strategies In Cerebral Palsy., Laura K Brunton

Physical Therapy Publications

Purpose: Describe the impact of fatigue and self-management practices for adolescents and young adults with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: Survey of 124 people with CP with the Fatigue Impact and Severity Self-Assessment (FISSA).

Results: People in GMFCS Level I experienced little impact of fatigue with high proportions of this group disagreeing to statements about fatigue impacting their general activities, mobility and social activities. People in GMFCS Levels II-V reported impact of fatigue on activities. Differences between groups were evident in questions related to fatigue interference with length of time for physical activity and with motivations to participate in social …

Melodies, Memories, And Meaning: The Use Of Music Therapy For Persons With Dementia, Emily A. Carl

Selected Honors Theses

Dementia is a growing public health issue, as there are 24.3 million people currently diagnosed worldwide. Being that there is no cure, non-pharmacological interventions are important to optimize quality of life for this population. Music therapy is a nonpharmacological intervention with fine usability for dementia patients. This thesis will examine the positive effects of music therapy on the behavioral symptoms, mood management, self-esteem, language skills, cognition, and reminiscence for the individual with dementia based on existing literature and will provide practice recommendations for the clinical use of music therapy and research. A short literature review will focus on the field …

Trx® Suspension Training In Improving Single Leg Strength And Confidence In A Female Soccer Player Post Acl Reconstruction, Allison Evron, David Kempfert

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe the combination of TRX® suspension training with a functional lower extremity rehabilitation program in an ACLR patient whose lacking dynamic knee control and lower extremity strength and endurance.

Scapular Mobilization Combined With Thoracic Manipulation For Treating Subacromial Impingement Syndrome In An Elderly Female: A Case Report, Tyler Alford, David Kempfert

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

Purpose: To describe the treatment of a patient with Subacromial Impingement Syndrome (SAIS) pathology utilizing a combination of manual therapy techniques at the scapulothoracic joint and the upper thoracic spine along with more traditional scapular stabilization exercises.

Myofascial Manipulation To Alleviate Forearm And Hand Weakness And Numbness In A Female Competitive Rock Climber, Ben Kern, Evan M. Pucillo

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe the effectiveness of myofascial manipulation along with therapeutic exercise on a patient with weakness, numbness, and tingling in the distal upper extremities in order to return to competitive rock climbing.

Can You Dig? Returning To Volleyball After Arthroscopic Medial Plica Excision, Kelsy Wheeler, Lisa Chase

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe the rehabilitation and return-to-sport process following arthroscopic medial plica excision for a patient who had previously undergone unsuccessful conservative management for anterior knee pain.

Ease Into It. Effects Of Mobilization With Movement Utilizing Patients Body Weight, Casey Brown, Matthew L. Daugherty

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to utilize mobilization with movement (MWM) to restore knee flexion in a patient with delayed quadriceps tendon repair.

The Effectiveness Of Physical Therapy Interventions For A Six-Year-Old Boy With Monosomy 18p, Grace Lewis, Catherine M. Andrea

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to explain the utilization and effectiveness of physical therapy interventions for improving gross motor abilities in a six-year-old boy diagnosed with Monosomy 18p.

When All Else Fails: Management Of An Irreparable Rotator Cuff With Capsular Reconstruction And Physical Therapy Targeting Accommodative Musculature, Savannah Faulk, Douglas Steele

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe the rehabilitative outcomes on a superior capsular reconstruction surgery following the re-injury of a surgically repaired rotator cuff (RTC) and glenoid labrum that was deemed irreparable.

Walkin’ On Air: Alter-G Gait Training In A Male With Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia, Kimberly Richardson, Evan M. Pucillo

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to determine the effectiveness of LBPPS treadmill training, using the Alter-G, to improve the spatiotemporal parameters of gait for a patient with HSP.

Reforming Range Of Motion: The Use Of The Pilates Reformer In A Female With Postoperative Adhesive Capsulitis, Lanzi A. Young, Larry J. Mengelkoch

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe the rehabilitation outcomes of a 62-year-old female with post operative adhesive capsulitis using Pilates-based intervention in conjunction with standard Physical Therapy.

To Transplant Or Not To Transplant? The Successful Treatment Of A Lateral Meniscus Transplant, Jaime Rubin, Matthew L. Daugherty

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report was to demonstrate how physical therapists can successfully manage a young patient who received the rare lateral meniscal transplant procedure.

An Orthopedic Solution To A Neurological Problem -Core Stabilization Post Stroke: A Case Report, James E. Smith, Lindsay Perry

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to report the outcomes of combining manual therapy techniques for spinal mobility and stability with traditional neurological approaches to stroke rehabilitation.

Non-Organic Motor Disorder: Combatting The Effects Of Stress On Functional Mobility, Kelsi Taylor, Lindsay Perry

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of the case report was to show how neurological symptoms can be effectively treated with task-specific interventions and the role of stress in symptom presentation in patients with somatoform disorders.

Relieve Pain And Continue To Train! Dry Needling Intervention For Foot Tendinopathies, Aubrey Kuester, Lisa Chase

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe a multimodal physical therapy intervention of dry-needling, manual therapy and low-dye anti-pronation taping for a female marathon runner with bilateral plantar fasciitis, Achilles and peroneal tendinopathies.

Physical Therapy Management Of A Patient With Hypermobile Type Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome For Treatment Of Cervicogenic Headaches: A Case Report, Cody A. Leeworthy, Jeffrey A. Rot

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report was to demonstrate the management of a patient diagnosed with hEDS for treatment of Cervicogenic headaches with the use of the CCFT protocol.

Walk It Like You Talk It, Like A Champ With Some Amp, Sam Chukwuma, Anne H. Boddy

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to measure the effectiveness of amplified movement therapy to improve functional balance and gait in a post-stroke patient.

Monkey See, Monkey Do! Utilization Of Yoga Intervention For A Child With Non-Verbal Autism, Elaina Prevatte, Catherine M. Andrea

St. Augustine, Spring 2018

The purpose of this case report is to describe the effects of yoga intervention with traditional physical therapy on motor performance and visual attention in a young girl with non-verbal ASD.

Thinking And Acting "Outside The Box", Erin E. Schwier, Jennie Digrado, Christine Mary Childers

San Marcos, Summer 2018

Role play and simulation are both powerful teaching tools that have been used in nursing and physician education for many years. Role playing offers a cheaper alternative than simulation and allows the individuals playing the roles to experience the patient’s perspective. The University of St. Augustine in California is one of the few PT programs to teach PT students the Allen Cognitive levels, and the importance of cognition when planning and developing interventions. With the aging of the baby boomers, more therapists will be working with the aging population, and it is critical that the concept of cognitive challenges is …

How Occupational Therapy Can Help Children With Dyslexia In The Classroom Environment, Erin Wright

MOT Student Capstones

Objectives: Occupational therapists focus on increasing the occupational performance of individuals, especially students in the school system. Reading is a major occupation of a student's life. Since there is evidence that reading disorders, such as dyslexia, involve the visual system, occupational therapists can help support these students in the school system by improving their visual perceptual and ocular motor skills. The focus of this paper and project is to provide teachers and staff members in a Lower School information on the correlation between the lack of visual skills and dyslexia. Methods: Conduct a presurvey of teacher feedback on their levels …

Exploration And Education Of Occupation-Based Interventions Of Meal Preparation In Skilled Nursing Facilities For Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Lauren L. Bridgers

MOT Student Capstones

The objectives of this project were to educate and promote client-centered, meaningful occupation based interventions in the skilled nursing facility setting in order to increase independence and safety with meal preparation required for independent living for the adult population. This project explored the evidence-based knowledge and current implementation of occupation-based meal preparation tasks of current occupational therapy practitioners through a pre-questionnaire. Based on the occupational therapy practitioners' pre-questionnaire results, an educational training was provided via telehealth to restate the distinct value of occupation-based meal preparation. A post-questionnaire was obtained to reassess the knowledge and current implementation of occupation-based meal preparation …

Mindfulness As A Tool To Decrease Stress In Parents Of Children With Special Needs, Ashley N. Garwood

MOT Student Capstones

The occupational role for a parent and/or caregiver of a child with special needs can be a stressful role. These individuals often assume the responsibilities of many different professions, with little time for their own health and wellness. This project aimed to investigate the use of mindfulness as a stress management tool for such parents and caregivers. The objectives of this project were to provide parents and caregivers of children with special needs a simple and realistic tool to decrease perceived stress, and to improve their overall role satisfaction. Attendants were provided with two educational training sessions in order to …

Caring For Caregivers Of Children With A Traumatic Brain Injury: Support Group, Caroline T. Boyd

MOT Student Capstones

This Capstone project discusses a piloted support group for Eastern North Carolina at Vidant Medical Center for caregivers of children with a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Through collaboration with Vidant Medical Center interprofessionals, my fieldwork supervisor, and literature reviews of scholarly articles I designed outcome objectives and an itinerary for four piloted support group sessions. Support group topics included health maintenance, stress management, leisure exploration, parenting children with a TBI, and learning self-care management skills. Pre-and post-questionnaires were created and provided to participants. These questionnaires included questions concerning level of understanding of TBI, knowledge of community resources, level of stress, …

Occupatioanl Therapy In A Rural Public-School System: Exploring The Needs Of Elementary Schools Regarding Written Expression, Kaitlyn A. James

MOT Student Capstones

This capstone focused on the topic of written expression in a rural public school system setting, Edgecombe County Public Schools (ECPS). After investigating the needs of teachers in ECPS specifically and researching the evidence behind writing programs and current best practices, the end goal of this capstone was to make a formal recommendation for a writing program to the involved stakeholders in ECPS. Literature examined for this project included research from scholarly journals, presentations, evidenced-based databases, and credible web-based and academic resources. Gaining feedback from the teachers provided insight that specifically targeted areas of daily instruction while providing additional perspective …

A Model Of Employment Supports For Job Seekers With Intellectual Disabilities, Alberto Migliore, Kelly Nye-Lengerman, Oliver Lyons, Jennifer Bose, John Butterworth, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

Interviews with 16 employment consultants-triangulated with job seekers, family members, and supervisors-revealed a model of employment supports aligned with the elements described in the literature, although with an added emphasis on (a) building trust as a key element starting from day one; (b) a circular process converging on the job match; (c) and flexible intensity of supports. The model can be used for improving clarity in communication with employment consultants about effective employment support practices for assisting job seekers with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Rrtc On Advancing Employment Composite Indicator Research, Frank A. Smith, Thinkwork! At The Institute For Community Inclusion At Umass Boston

ThinkWork! Publications

What?
Analysis to describe the relationship between state employment system characteristics and employment outcomes for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD).

Why?
To better understand higher-performing state employment systems.

How?
Researchers included individual indicators from 2013 for each state from its IDD and vocational rehabilitation (VR) agencies. We also used American Community Survey data that looked at employment outcomes and education for individuals with cognitive disability between the ages of 22 to 30, i.e. individuals who recently aged out of eligibility for services under IDEA. The resulting composite indicator (CI) represents overall state employment system performance.

Integration Of A Sensory Driven Model For Hand Grasp Function In 3d Printed Prostheses, Austin T. Hetherington

Senior Theses

My Honors Thesis was completed through the Biomedical Engineering senior design project I worked on. Our project took a mechanically operated 3D printed prosthetic hand and automated the process by which it makes a grasp. The purpose of this project was to provide an affordable, automatic prosthetic hand to those either capable and incapable of wrist flexion. The current 3D printed prosthetic models require users to bend their wrist to initiate a simple grasp. However, our design took an alternative approach by using an EMG sensor placed on the ventral side of the forearm to record muscle activity, which, upon …

Development Of An Evidence-Based Strength Training Program For Individuals With Dementia Participating In Adult Day Services, Jaclyn Franz

Honors Theses

Falling and loss of mobility present serious risks for elderly adults, especially those with cognitive impairments such as dementia. These risks are shown to be significantly reduced when elderly adults participate in exercises focusing on strength and balance of sufficient intensity. Despite these potential benefits, many adult day programs do not incorporate exercise in a systematic and progressive fashion to achieve desirable improvements in function.

The purpose of this project was to develop an evidence-based exercise program, later titled Simply Strong, for reducing fall risk and improving mobility in elderly adults with dementia participating in Goodwill Easter Seals adult day …

Improvements In Cultural Competence In Athletic Training And Rehabilitative Science Students Through Classroom Activities, Jason M. Denton, Shandra Esparza, David S. Fike, Jaime González

Physical Therapy Faculty Publications

Cultural competence is a "Foundational Behavior of Clinical Practice (CAATE, 2016)" for Athletic Training education. The objective of this study was to determine whether classroom activities are effective for improving cultural competence in undergraduate athletic training students. Twenty-seven participants completed an Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals-Student Version pre-test to establish a baseline level of cultural competence and completed a post-test after participating in the classroom activities. The mean score increased from 60.44 to 67.78 after participation in classroom activities exceeding the minimal detectable change of the tool and demonstrating significant improvement in cultural competence.