Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Ensuring A Knowledgeable Geriatric Workforce: Interdisciplinary Education In Long-Term Services And Supports, Gina Tucker-Roghi

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

In this symposium, we describe five interdisciplinary educational programs to enhance the geriatric workforce in long-term services and supports (LTSS): Skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), assisted living, and home health and hospice. The interdisciplinary teams that came together to offer the programs leveraged technology to maximize access to experts in both the curriculum development process and the delivery of the educational programs for a wide range of target learners. The first program, an interdisciplinary telementoring series on dementia care for therapists in SNFs, was developed by a team of experts from occupational, physical and speech therapy. The program included asynchronous online …

Interdisciplinary Telementoring For Therapists In Snfs To Improve Dementia Care Knowledge And Skills, Gina Tucker-Roghi

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

Occupational, physical, and speech therapists possess knowledge and skills that have the potential to reduce the burden of care and improve the quality of life of skilled nursing facility (SNF) residents living with dementia. Despite this opportunity to impact the well-being of residents with dementia, many therapy practitioners lack specialized training on the management of dementia. Therapy practitioners (n=31) from 22 SNFs participated in eight weekly interdisciplinary educational sessions using the Project ECHO (Extension for Community Health Outcomes) tele-mentoring model. An interdisciplinary team of therapy experts collaborated on the development of the curriculum, which included didactic content on dementia-care best …

App-Licable Techology, Wynter Hale, Cierilyn Legaspi, Juan Garcia, Alex Zamora

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has seen an increase in prevalence in the United States presenting in 1 in 59 children. ASD presents with an array of symptoms that impact various aspects of life including but not limited to, social interaction, attention, and behavioral modulation (Voss et al., 2019). Meristem is a transitional program for individuals ages 18-28 that prepares young adults on the transition of adulthood while coping with the various symptoms of ASD. At our fieldwork site, our collective mission has been to focus on sensory and mood self-regulation to improve the individual's independence during situations. Technology can play …

Point Of View Video Modeling For Improved Self Care Among Asd Population, Liana Mae Atizado, Cassey Dela Pena, Anali Flores, Jeffrey Garcia, Timothy Zeng

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Meristem is a program designed for young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) that emphasizes teaching the necessary skills for students to live life independently with confidence. Through structured and semi-structured interviews with staff members and students, a need that was identified within this organization is to have a thorough and consistent personal hygiene regimen for their students. While Meristem is currently implementing standard personal hygiene care in their curriculum, the variability of students understanding and implementing personal hygiene education has become an obstacle within this organization. To address this need for individuals with ASD, Video Modeling (VM) can offer …

Beyond Verbal: A Low-Cost Communication Tool To Address Language Barriers In A Community-Based Setting, Nikki Atis, Raman Dhillon, Victoria Maichel, Gabe Soto, Brenda Vergara

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) are tools, technologies, and approaches used to provide ways other than speech to aid communication-related challenges (American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, n.d.). A communication board is a low-tech AAC tool seen in various formats such as printed on a poster board or digital applications on electronic devices. It consists of rows and columns of squares with simple pictures and minimally-worded labels in the preferred language.

Kitchen Stories, Terral Christopher, Nazifa Fazil, Lauren Jew, Ken Zhu

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Individuals with ASD may experience difficulties with independent living skills, such as financial management, home management and meal preparation. An occupation such as cooking typically includes methods such as task-analysis, systemic prompting, cueing, modeling, visual support and feedback, which can be challenging for the ASD population.

Kitchen Stories is a video-based, cross-media cooking platform whose mission is to “to empower people to cook a fresh meal every day.” Although cooking is an essential part of everyday life, the creators of the platform understand that many people struggle with it for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, they are confident that anyone …

Jackery Power Station: Stockton Shelter For The Homeless, Angela Vides, Abigail Equinoa, Carolyn Ly, Estephanie Huerta

Occupational Therapy Student Research

The community group, San Joaquin County Mobile Clinic, aims to improve the health outcomes of vulnerable populations by providing low-cost preventative healthcare and treatment options. This includes wound care, vaccinations, and assistance with accessing medical appointments and health insurance. However, research has shown that those without housing do not have adequate access to stable power sources to charge mobile devices to aid healthcare needs and access resources. The Jackery Power Station, which falls under the category of consumer access, priorities, and benefits over the lifespan, will attempt to address this barrier.

An estimated 2,631 individuals in San Joaquin county are …

Adaptive Seating, Julie Jones, Mckayla Wallace, Marisa Given, Nisha Rustia, George Cardenas

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Children’s sensory needs are impacting their ability to attend to their speech language pathology treatment sessions in a meaningful and effective way. There is a gap in the education for SLPs on sensory integration which limits their ability to recognize the challenges and know how to support them in a productive way.

Weighted Devices For Somatosensory Regulation, Bri Swain, Kaelyn Obryan, Lauren Magat, Nik Gargiulo, Hailey Houck

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Description: A weighted vest is a vest that typically has 10% of a person’s body weight evenly distributed around the vest (Olson et al., 2004). A weighted vest can provide sensory input that is believed to alleviate dysregulation, inattentiveness, and stereotypic behaviors (Carter et al., 2009).

Goal: Our community group is specifically targeting children with sensory processing impairments who are attending speech therapy sessions at the RiteCare clinic. Sensory behaviors exhibited by the clients are most commonly shown through dysregulation, outbursts, inattentiveness, and hyperactivity. The goal is to limit these maladaptive behaviors and increase attention span during intervention sessions. Weighted …

Insight Timer, Jocelyn Ong Najera, Joshua Mark Dano, Staphany Jimenez, Arthur Lui, Nancy Smith

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Mission Statement: To provide cost-effective avenues for tangible stress reduction and relief for low-income communities such as Wellspring.

Overview: Insight Timer is a mobile application that offers guided meditation to calm the mind, reduce anxiety, manage stress, sleep deeply, and improve happiness. While also offering calm music, courses, live events, and workshops in various languages. (Insight Network, Inc., n.d.)

Problem Statement: Individuals who face poverty experience mental challenges due to stressors caused by poverty due to insecurity and uncertainty about food, housing, and income. Low-income communities tend to have limited resources, poor housing, experience high crime rates, violence rate, and …

Social Isolation, Third Places, And Precarious Employment Circumstances: A Scoping Review, Debbie Laliberte Rudman, Rebecca M. Aldrich

Occupational Therapy Publications

No abstract provided.

Sensory Adaptive Environment To Enhance Participation In Healthcare For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Interdisciplinary Design Thinking Approach, Lady Rios-Vega, Otd, Otr/L, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L, Rachel L. Dumont, Otr/L, Dianne Treadwell-Deering, Md, Matthew Fields, Md, Roseann C. Schaaf, Phd, Otr/L, Faota

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction/Background

• Participation in healthcare for children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can be overwhelming resulting in stressful responses safety concerns.¹
• Sensory features impact healthcare participation.
• Up to 84% of individuals with ASD experience atypical sensory features of : - Hyper or hypo reactivity to sensation.²
  - Unusual sensory interests in the environment.²
  - Poor sensory integration.²
• Families may refrain from participation in medical care to prevent negative experiences, contributing to occupational deprivation.¹
• Sensory Adaptive Environments (SAE) may improve participation for autistic persons.^1,3,4

The Simulated Café: A Virtually Delivered Pre-Employment Transition Program For Students With Autism, Leah Haller, Otd, Otr/L, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction

• Fewer than half the young adults diagnosed with autism are employed (Gotham et al., 2015; Chiang, et al, 2013).
• Individuals diagnosed with autism have a higher rate of unemployment compared to those with other disabilities (Buescher et al., 2014).
• Educators of individuals diagnosed with autism stress employment as a desired and measured outcome (Schall et al. 2012).
• Parents of individuals diagnosed with autism rated employment support as the greatest service priority (Neary et al.,2015).
• Individuals diagnosed with autism are 7.36 times more likely to be in paid employment if they receive vocational services (Park & Bouk, 2018).
• In the …

Exploring Community Recreation And Leisure Of Young Adults With Autism, Alexandria Taylor, Otd, Otr/L, Eis, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction

• Adults with autism participate less in the community compared to adults with other diagnoses (e.g., intellectual disability, emo tional disturbance, and learning disabilities) (Myers et al., 2015; Orsmond et al., 2013).
• Quantitative studies have shown the benefits of participating in recreation and leisure activities for young adults with auti sm (Bishop Fitzpatrick et al., 2017; Garcia Villamisar & Dattilo, 2010; Stacey et al., 2019).
• The use of qualitative research has been recommended to offer a deeper understanding (Stacey et al., 2019).
• The lack of opportunity for young adults with autism to share their experiences and opinions can lead to …

An Interprofessional And International Collaboration To Establish The Content Validity Of The Checklist Of Nicu Caregiver Behaviors, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L, Cecilia Roan, Otd, Otr/L, Michele K. Savin, Dnp, Aprn, Nnp-Bc, Amitava Sengupta, Md, Fnnf, Dch, Micp, Mbbs, Catherine V. Piersol, Phd, Otr/L, Faota

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction

The World Health Organization estimates that 15 million babies are born pre term every year.¹ “Preterm infants have a high risk of cognitive, neuromotor, and neurosensory problems after discharge from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU).² The outcomes associated with pre term birth are influenced by early adverse experiences during critical care in a stressful NICU environment.³

Developmental care (DC) encompasses a broad array of interventions for developing infants which focus on minimizing the stress of the NICU.⁴ There are a number of approaches associated with DC The Universe of Developmental Care model describes five …

Ipads For Autism A Web Based Professional Learning Community For Teachers To Support Tablet Usage In Autism Classrooms, Emily E. Smith, Otd, Otr/L, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Background and Significance

Since its emergence in 2010 the mobile technology of the iPad has excited both parents and teachers for its potential in the classroom. The portability of networked mobile technologies has helped students of all abilities to discover, influence, and examine knowledge as well as interact with educators and other students across the world.¹ While many school students have access to iPads, simply having technology in the school environment does not ensure teachers are ready to use it to their full potential.² Teachers need sufficient professional development to align knowledge of technology, pedagogy, and learning content. …

Using Knowledge Translation Strategies To Promote Integration Of Evidence Into Practice: Faculty, Fieldwork Educator And Fieldwork Student Partnerships, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L, E. Adel Herge, Otd, Otr/L, Faota

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

The Research to Practice Gap

The gap between what is known from research and what happens at the point of care continues to be a concern across health care.^1,2 Occupational therapists have a positive attitude toward evidence based practice yet actual use of evidence to guide occupational therapy practice is low.^3,4

Neurodiversity Inclusive Practices In Higher Education: Using A Needs Assessment To Spur Change Throughout University Systems, Caitlin Rosica, Otd, Amy Carroll, Otd, Otr/L, Lady Rios-Vega, Otd, Roseann C. Schaaf, Phd

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction

• Approximately 50% of autistic people have average or above average intelligence, and growing numbers of autistic young adults attend college.¹
• Autistic students experience poor outcomes in college despite being academically well qualified. 34.9% of autistic young adults attempt college within 6 years of high school.² Of those, approximately 39% will graduate.³
• In higher education, there may be a mismatch in supports needed by autistic students versus supports provided.
• Autistic students report difficulty with sensory overload, mental health concerns, and daily living tasks.⁴
• The majority of supports for autistic students focus on academics, which is a …

Cost-Benefit Analysis Of The Cope Program For Persons Living With Dementia: Toward A Payment Model, Laura T Pizzi, Eric Jutkowitz, Katherine M Prioli, Ember Yiwei Lu, Zachary Babcock, Heather Mcabee-Sevick, Dorothy B Wakefield, Julie Robison, Sheila Molony, Catherine V. Piersol, Laura N Gitlin, Richard H Fortinsky

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

Background and objectives: There is a critical need for effective interventions to support quality of life for persons living with dementia and their caregivers. Growing evidence supports nonpharmacologic programs that provide care management, disease education, skills training, and support. This cost-benefit analysis examined whether the Care of Persons with Dementia in their Environments (COPE) program achieves cost savings when incorporated into Connecticut's home- and community-based services (HCBS), which are state- and Medicaid-funded.

Research design and methods: Findings are based on a pragmatic trial where persons living with dementia and their caregiver dyads were randomly assigned to COPE with HCBS, or …

Systematic Review Brief: Virtual Interventions That Address Motor And Balance Impairments And Skills For Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi) (12-21), Kitsum Li, Beth Fields, Adam Kinney, Olivia Condon, Emilio Villavicencio

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

Systematic Review Briefs provide a summary of the findings from systematic reviews developed in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA’s) Evidence-Based Practice Program. Each Systematic Review Brief summarizes the evidence on a theme related to a systematic review topic. This Systematic Review Brief presents findings from the theme of virtual interventions that address motor and balance impairments and skills for adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

Physical Activity Interventions That Address Motor And Balance Impairments And Skills For Adults With Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi) (2012-2021), Beth Fields, Kitsum Li, Adam Kinney, Olivia Condon, Emilio Villavicencio

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

Systematic Review Briefs provide a summary of the findings from systematic reviews developed in conjunction with the American Occupational Therapy Association’s (AOTA’s) Evidence-Based Practice Program. Each Systematic Review Brief summarizes the evidence on a theme related to a systematic review topic. The systematic review is on interventions to address motor and balance impairments to improve occupational performance for adults with TBI, the theme reported in this Systematic Review Brief is physical activity interventions.

An Integrative Review Of Clinical Outcome Assessments Used To Measure Carryover Effects Of Exoskeletons And Functional Electrical Stimulation In Spinal Cord Injury, Martha K. Childress, Olivia M. Biller, Nicole Gerhardt, Ms, Otr/L, Cbis, Namrata Grampurohit, Phd, Otr/L, Rachel Y. Kim, Otd, Otr/L, Mj Mulcahey, Phd, Otr/L

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction

• Functional electrical stimulation (FES) and exoskeletons are rehabilitation technologies that provide direct functional ability and potential carryover effects
• Carryover effects may be due to neuromuscular recovery, behavioral compensation, or a combination of both (Figure 1)
• Clinical outcome assessments (COAs) are used to measure recovery of function with and without the device on

Engaging Stakeholders As Advisors On The Design Of A Large-Scale Calibration Study Of The Spinal Cord Injury Movement Index (Sci-Mi) Item Pools, Olivia M. Biller, Otdc, Jason Biundo, Bs, Edward S.-L. Mitchell, Mba, Ernest Ofori, Mb Chb, Lmcc, Bonnie Richardson, Rachel Y. Kim, Otd, Otrl/L, Nicole Gerhardt, Ms, Otr/L, Cbis, M.J. Mulcahey, Phd, Otr/L, Fasia

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction

• People living with spinal cord injury (SCI) in North America are involved in the following as stake holders in research: identifying priorities for research; planning interventions; and implementing rehabilitation or peer-support interventions.
• The best practice is for partnerships to span the continuum of research.
• Project purpose: to collaborate with an advisory board of individuals living with SCI, to make recommendations for the methods of a large-scale calibration study of the Spinal Cord Injury Movement Index )SCI-MI).
• The SCI-MI is being developed as a SCI clinical trial outcome assessment to evaluate the construct of movement in the context of function …

Refinement & Preliminary Examination Of A Fidelity Assessment For The Spinal Cord Injury -- Movement Index (Sci-Mi), Nicole Gerhardt, Otd(C), Otr/L

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction: Assessment fidelity refers to the adherence to intended procedures and guidelines when administering an assessment (Mowbray et al., 2003; Walton et al., 2020). Clinical outcome assessments (COAs) play a crucial role in the assessment of treatment effects in clinical trials. However, there is a scarcity of fidelity assessments for COAs, which has the potential to impact the accurate evaluation of treatment effects (Richardson et al., 2016). The Spinal Cord Injury Movement Index (SCI-MI) is a performance-based COA being developed with the intent to be used in spinal cord injury (SCI) clinical trials. As the stakes in SCI clinical trials …

Notes From An Epicenter: Navigating Behavioral Clinical Trials On Autism Spectrum Disorder Amid The Covid-19 Pandemic In The Bronx, Alaina S Berruti, Roseann C Schaaf, Emily A Jones, Elizabeth Ridgway, Rachel L. Dumont, Benjamin E Leiby, Catherine Sancimino, Misung Yi, Sophie Molholm

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted nearly all facets of our daily lives, and clinical research was no exception. Here, we discuss the impact of the pandemic on our ongoing, three-arm randomized controlled trial (RCT) Sensory Integration Therapy (SIT) in Autism: Mechanisms and Effectiveness (NCT02536365), which investigates the immediate and sustained utility of SIT to strengthen functional daily-living skills and minimize the presence of maladaptive sensory behaviors in autistic children.

Main text: In this text, we detail how we navigated the unique challenges that the pandemic brought forth between the years 2020 and 2021, including the need to rapidly …

Batok: The Exploration Of Indigenous Filipino Tattooing As A Resistive Collective Occupation, Chelsea Ramirez, Karen Mccarthy, Ana Cabalquinto, Carmela Dizon, Mai Santiago

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

Batok (also known as Fatek/Burik/Tatak/Batek/Patik) is an Indigenous Filipino tattooing practice where the practitioner marks the skin by hand-tapping the ink using bone/wood implements. Previous research on tattooing from an occupational science perspective has considered European tattooing and its engagement and implication on the individual. This qualitative research explores how batok is experienced by the person and their identified community. Three Filipino participants with batok, and four family or community members were interviewed. Thematic analysis highlighted three themes recognized as Kapwa, Revealing One’s Batok, and Decolonization and Reclamation as a Cultural Practice. These themes are situated in the lens of …

Exploring The Meaningful Qualities Of Transactions In Virtual Environments For Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Gamers, Karen Mccarthy, Shasta Rice, Amanda Flores, John Miklos, Alex Nold

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

To date, most research on massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) has focused on the effects playing MMORPGs have on players’ health and wellness. The virtual environment of MMORPGs has yet to be explored as a space where meaningful occupations occur. This qualitative descriptive study examined the virtual environment using a transactional perspective to describe the qualities of gaming to which MMORPG players ascribe meaning. Participants included six MMORPG players with experience playing World of Warcraft, Runescape, or Guild Wars 2. Data were gathered using interviews, participant observation, and a focus group, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Three themes were …

Exploring Dating As An Occupation For Young Heterosexual Women In Ireland, Karen Mccarthy, Jeanne Jackson

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

Purpose – Dating is a meaningful occupation for many single people. The occupation of dating has transformed considerably in Ireland due to recent changes in Irish culture and the advent of online dating technology. The purpose of this study was to explore the complexities and intricacies of dating in an Irish context.

Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative research approach was used and data were collected using semi-structured interviews with ten heterosexual women (age 24-34) living in urban areas of Ireland. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2006).

Findings – Dating did not fully resonate with their experience, …

Occupational Therapy Newsletter, Summer 2022, Occupational Therapy Department

News, Magazines and Reports

Highlights: Letter from Department Chair and Program Director Dr. Sharon McCloskey -- 20th year program celebration slideshow -- Alumna Anastasiya Akay advocates for orphans in Ukraine -- Faculty focus on Amanda Wheeler (PhD, OTR/L) -- Dr. Sheelagh Schlegel (DrHSc, MPH, OTR/L, CHES, CAPS) facilitates patient simulations -- Dr. Lola Halperin (Ed.D., OTR/L) presents at the ConnOTA and AOTA conferences and participates in the Dean's Speaker Series -- Dr. Sharon McCloskey (Ed.D., MBA, OT/L, DipCOT, CTP) presents "Understanding the Impact of Trauma and ACE's on Learning and Participation in Schools" -- Pilot social simulation training program for occupational therapy students -- …

Bilateral Upper Extremity Motor Priming (Bump) Plus Task-Specific Training For Severe, Chronic Upper Limb Hemiparesis: Study Protocol For A Randomized Clinical Trial, Mary Ellen Stoykov, Olivia M Biller, Alexandra Wax, Erin King, Jacob M Schauer, Louis F Fogg, Daniel M Corcos

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Various priming techniques to enhance neuroplasticity have been examined in stroke rehabilitation research. Most priming techniques are costly and approved only for research. Here, we describe a priming technique that is cost-effective and has potential to significantly change clinical practice. Bilateral motor priming uses the Exsurgo priming device (Exsurgo Rehabilitation, Auckland, NZ) so that the less affected limb drives the more affected limb in bilateral symmetrical wrist flexion and extension. The aim of this study is to determine the effects of a 5-week protocol of bilateral motor priming in combination with task-specific training on motor impairment of the affected …