Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Non-Verbal Resource Kit For Center Asays In Morocco, Heidi Vladyka, Christina Reyer

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Theses (2010-2015)

Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a common neurological disorder caused by injury during brain development. The impairments commonly associated with CP include motor and sensory deficits that can significantly impact all areas of occupation, especially ADL. In countries such as Morocco where the number of healthcare facilities is limited and languages vary, the burden on families to access appropriate care and education can be challenging. Center Asays in Morocco serves children with CP and requested a DVD for caregivers to provide education on proper positioning for both the child and caregiver during ADL. This project created a DVD that includes instruction …

The Use Of Everyday Technology In Occupational Therapy Practice For Clients With Acquired Brain Injury, Julia Ladner, Allison Davis

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Theses (2010-2015)

The purpose of this descriptive study was to investigate how occupational therapists use everyday technology (ET) in their evaluation and treatment of adults with acquired brain injury (ABI). Questions included (1) the type of client therapists believed most likely to benefit from using technology, (2) current patterns of technology use with clients, including type of technology and frequency of use (3) the extent to which therapists think ET was effective, and (4) the supports for and barriers against using ET in practice. A survey was completed by 40 occupational therapists who were members of the Physical Disabilities, Technology, or Home …

Training Graduate Clinicians To Implement Speech Language Pathology, Occupational Therapy And Applied Behavior Analysis Goals In Their Treatment Sessions, Courtney E. Powers

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often receive a multitude of treatment services. Among those services are speech language pathology, occupational therapy services, and applied behavior analysis. This study will focus on developing the skill sets of the three disciplines among graduate clinicians through training and coaching procedures. One graduate student from the applied behavior analysis track trained three graduate student clinicians, one from each discipline, on the individual goals of each discipline. These trainings occurred within the framework of a systematic multiple baseline design. After the mastery criterion was met through training, a bug-in-ear audio communication system was used …

Alternative Seating For Improved Learning In The Classroom, Christie Mosley, Alexia Kritsonis

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Theses (2010-2015)

Sensory approaches that are accessible and appropriate for incorporation into the classroom may be a valuable means of providing a learning environment better suited to meet the needs of today’s diverse student body. Up to an estimated 20% of general education students have sensory challenges, leading to over- or under-stimulation, which can result in difficulties with learning and behavior. Evidence-based guidance on implementing alternative seating in the classroom would benefit teachers, who are increasingly held accountable for students’ success. Sensory approaches such as alternative seating have been shown to increase attention and promote self-regulation, leading to improved classroom behavior and …

Listening To The Client: Experiences Of Occupational Therapy Services Shared By An Anishinaabe Tribal Member, Lauren Brown, Tessa Currie

School of Occupational Therapy Master's Theses (2010-2015)

The indigenous American consumer perspective is lacking within occupational therapy research. By better understanding the experiences of individuals who identify as indigenous and who have received occupational therapy, practitioners can work to create a more effective therapeutic relationship, more relevant goals, and more effective treatment. A phenomenological approach to qualitative analysis was used to explore the perspective of one indigenous woman and her experience with occupational therapy. Themes that emerged include: 1) know the individual’s background and the tribal and regional history, 2) treat the whole including family and community, and 3) use a functional, practical and individualized approach relevant …

Standardized Patients In Occupational Therapy Education, Andrea E. Battle, Jessica M. Borceguin, Joanna P. Dizon, Lai Zan Saechao

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

The use of standardized patients (SPs) in occupational therapy (OT) education has greatly increased in recent years; however, there is limited research on the perceptions of student’s clinical readiness utilizing SPs and whether or not the utilization of SPs prepare students for fieldwork. The purpose of this study was to examine the perceptions of SPs in OT education and the perceived clinical readiness of students. The use of SPs has been thoroughly researched in other healthcare related fields. It is important that the same critical attention be given to their use in our own field, which emphasizes the importance of …

A Matter Of Balance: Program Outcomes For Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Tiffany Lau, Victoria Reyes, Adrienne Angeles, Leslie Hollaway

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Aims: The purpose of this program evaluation was to determine if A Matter of Balance with volunteer lay leaders (AMOB/VLL) was effective in increasing fall self-efficacy, fall control, and fall management in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Participants included community-dwelling older adults over the age of 60 who were concerned about falls and attended at least five of the eight AMOB/VLL program sessions. Fear of falling, pretest, posttest, and 3-, 6-, and 12- month follow-up data were collected from program participants between 2012 and 2013.

Results: Participants demonstrated overall improvements in fall self-efficacy, fall control, and fall management. Qualitative analysis also …

The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (Pkta): Assessing Validity Of A Performance-Based Assessment Of Executive Function, Emily Fry, Hayley Gilligan, Liza Henty-Clark, Jennifer Weissensee

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Background and purpose. Executive function (EF) deficits is a growing area of focus in pediatric occupational therapy practice. However, there is a lack of performance-based assessments of EF in preschool-aged children. This study sought to establish preliminary criterion-related validity of the Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment (PKTA), a test of EF in preschoolers developed by Christine Berg, Ph.D., OTR/L, in which children complete a multi-step craft project.

Subjects. Fifteen typically developing preschool-aged children participated in this study.

Methods. An exploratory design was used to assess criterion-related validity of the PKTA. Participants completed the PKTA along with several established neuropsychological assessments of …

Employment Needs Of The Age 21 And Over Id Population In South Florida : An Occupational Therapy Perspective, Ingris Treminio

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A review in the literature makes it evident that employment needs of the age 21 and over ID population are not being met; the employment rate for this population continues to be less than half of the employment rate of the general population (Siperstein et al., 2013). There is evidence that occupational therapy has the potential to meet the employment needs of this population, however, practice guidelines for occupational therapists working with this population are limited. This study recruited seven participants and interviewed them using a needs assessment approach to investigate the employment needs of the age 21 and over …

Identifying The Enablers And Barriers To Community Participation Amongst Older Adults, Nicole Papageorgiou

Theses : Honours

The older adult population in Western Australia (WA) has significantly increased over the last decade and continues to grow, highlighting the importance of maintaining their health, wellbeing and independence. This may be achieved by facilitating active ageing, enabling older adults to continue to live meaningful and fulfilling lives, contribute positively to society, and lower the demand on costly health and human services. Conversely, a lack of social engagement and community participation may hinder healthy ageing and lead to social isolation, which is adversely related to the quality of life and health status of older adults. Occupational participation is critical to …

The Experiences Of Occupational Therapists Working On Interprofessional Primary Health Care Teams: A Case Study., Emma Blake Mcclellan

Online Theses and Dissertations

The aim of this research was to provide evidence on the integration of occupational therapy (OT) intervention in primary care from the perspective of OTs. Typical services provided, experience with team members, and the identified value of OT in primary health care was explored. OT possesses the expertise and skill set to address the most common chronic conditions that primary care providers treat by entry level educational preparation. OT services are based upon a holistic view of individuals creating an affective skill set to participate in and coordinate health care delivery for the client. Currently limited evidence is available to …

Enriching Occupational Therapy In Early Intervention: Using And Documenting The Evidence, Shelli Dry, Christine Myers

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Occupational therapists working in Kentucky’s Early Intervention System (First Steps) are required to use evidence-based practice within their treatment sessions. Evidence-based practice incorporates information from scientific research, the clinician’s expertise and the family’s values in an all-encompassing treatment approach. Implementing evidence-based practice into treatment sessions promotes efficiency in treatment by improving clinical outcomes in a shorter period of time. This capstone project was developed as a first step in identifying methods to promote the implementation and documentation of evidence-based practice into early intervention services. This project included developing an online continuing education course and exploring changes in occupational therapists perceptions …

Association Of Generalized Joint Hypermobility And Occurrence Of Musculoskeletal Injury In Physical And Occupational Therapy Students, Patricia Bisek, Hannah Owen, Maleeka Rozeboom, Leah Tunseth

Physical Therapy Scholarly Projects

Background: A prior research study showed that the prevalence of hypermobility was higher among Physical and Occupational Therapy students as compared to the general population. The literature shows that certain injury rates are higher among those who are hypermobile. This has led to the question of whether or not hypermobility is directly related to injury and recurrence of injury.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess Physical Therapy (PT) and Occupational Therapy (OT) students for hypermobility as well as survey previous injury history. This study analyzed the prevalence of hypermobility with types of injuries in order …

Growing Up In Ireland: Factors Impacting Sleep Patterns Of Preterm Infants, Joanne Fallon

Theses and Dissertations

GROWING UP IN IRELAND: FACTORS IMPACTING SLEEP PATTERNS OF PRETERM INFANTS

By Joanne Fallon MS, OT, PhD

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015.

Major Director: Shelly J. Lane, PhD, Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy

Preterm infants represent the largest child patient group in the European Union (EU), accounting for 5.5-11.4% of all births (European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants, 2011b). Preterm birth is defined as birth prior to 37 weeks gestation. Infants born late preterm (34-36 weeks) are considered more …

Criterion-Related Validity Of The Children's Occupational Performance Questionnaire, Kelsey Zukowski

Honors Theses and Capstones

This study examined concurrent, criterion-related validity of a new measure of occupational performance for children, the Children’s Occupational Performance Questionnaire (COP-Q). The COP-Q is completed by caregivers of children to measure performance in five areas of occupation: Activities of Daily Living, Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, Social Participation, Play/Leisure, and Education/Work. Scores from a sample of children ranging in age from birth to 18 years were correlated with scores from the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-II (VABS), a well-established assessment tool of adaptive behavior that measures similar functional areas as the COP-Q. The results indicated that the COP-Q correlates highly and …

"Bent But Not Broken": A Mixed Methods Study Of Mothering During Chemotherapy For Breast Cancer, Julie A. Baltisberger

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosis of women, with an estimated 232,670 new cases in 2014. With 89.2% of breast cancer patients surviving five years or longer, studies are needed to investigate the long-term impact of breast cancer on women and families (National Cancer Institute, 2014).

The purpose of this study was to examine, using a mixed methods approach, the impact of chemotherapy on mothering occupations for patients diagnosed with breast cancer. Thirty-one women (mean age=39.6, SD=5.79), with breast cancer of any stage, who were currently undergoing chemotherapy and had at least one child under the age of …