Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

The Effects Of Applied Grip Force, Frequency And Duration On Ratings Of Perceived Exertion, Jessica Lynne Gall

Theses and Dissertations

This study investigates the interactions of various combinations of frequency and duration that result in the same duty cycle at a given applied grip force (measured in % maximum voluntary contraction (MVC)) to determine their relative effect on perceived exertion. Eight female subjects (median age 20.5 years) performed 27 randomized trials containing combinations of dynamic grips, performing each combination twice. Each session contained three 25 minute trials, with a minimum of 12 minutes of rest between trials. The design used a 3x3x3 factorial protocol: i) 3 grip forces (10%, 25%, 40%) ii) 3 duty cycles (25%, 50%, 75%) iii) 3 …

Upper Extremity Kinematic And Kinetic Comparison Of Anterior Versus Posterior Walkers During Functional Activities In Children With Cerebral Palsy, Chris Burckardt

Theses and Dissertations

Introduction: Investigating the differences in upper extremity (UE) joint biomechanics between anterior and posterior walkers has been explored in limited contexts, even though research has shown that prolonged use of walking aids can lead to UE joint weakening or musculoskeletal injuries. Recent studies have investigated some of these differences in children with spastic diplegic cerebral palsy (CP) during gait; however, no research has been conducted that compare these UE joint biomechanical differences during functional activities or activities of daily living (ADLs). The aim of this study is to use motion analysis to compare kinematic and kinetic differences between anterior and …

Determining Accessibility For Ios Applications: Piloting A Checklist For Practitioners, Katelyn White

Theses and Dissertations

Background: Mobile technologies have infiltrated every part of daily life, including the school system. While these technologies are highly customizable, there are 6.4 million children with disabilities who may not be able to utilize these devices because of their lack of accessibility. The iOS Application Accessibility Checklist (iA2C) is a “first of its kind” tool, used to determine if an iOS app is accessible for users with a variety of disabilities.

Hypothesis: When using the iA2C, novice users with little experience in accessible design will determine apps to have a statistically similar number of accessibility features as experts, assessing the …

Improving Mental Health Literacy: A Single-Subject Design Experiment Examining The Effects Of Text Messaging On Adolescent Mental Health Literacy, Emma Coffman

Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study is to determine the feasibility of delivering a text-based mental health literacy intervention for adolescent children who have family members with mental illness. The effectiveness of the text message intervention was measured using a single subject, multiple baseline study design. Each participant received three text messages per week for a total of 6 weeks, containing information regarding mental illness, managing crisis, resources, stigma, and assertiveness. The subjects were evaluated using qualitative and quantitative measures at multiple periods throughout the study. Assessments utilized include: Schizophrenia Vignette quiz developed by Jorm et. al. (1997), Perceived Stress Scale-14(PSS-14) …

Print Awareness: A Comparison Between Print And Electronic Assessments In Typically Developing Preschool Children, Peter Kao

Theses and Dissertations

This study compared print and electronic formats of the Concepts About Print (CAP) assessment in typically developing preschool children. The researchers were interested in comparing print awareness skills using two different reading modalities. Independent variables were mode of presentation and age, dependent variables were the CAP scores. To account for a learning curve, two different versions of the CAP assessment were used and counterbalanced. Modes of presentation was also counterbalanced. Examiners achieved a 98.24% agreement (K = 0.964) across 40% of all assessments.

A significant correlation (r =.919) was found between the scores on the CAP and scores on the …

The Effects Of Color In Recognition Of Images In Multiple-Choice Displays By People With And Without Aphasia, Kristin Michelle Zenz

Theses and Dissertations

Language assessments for people with aphasia often rely on the use of images. Images are presented together with a verbal stimulus and participants are asked to choose the image that corresponds to the verbal stimulus. It is assumed that if a person chooses an incorrect image, he or she has language comprehension deficits. However, other non-linguistic factors can influence image recognition processes, such as stimulus characteristics and verbal or motoric response requirements associated with target selection. Color has been shown to facilitate image recognition in language-normal individuals and in people with aphasia. However, traditional tasks to assess the influence of …

Comparison Of Conversation And Narrative Language Abilities In Children With Autism: Diagnostic And Therapeutic Considerations, Corissa Kroenke

Theses and Dissertations

Many children with autism experience significant difficulty with comprehension and expression of spoken language. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) require sensitive assessments to describe the unique profiles of individual clients with autism so that appropriate treatments can be prescribed. Language sample analysis is a current best-practice for describing language profiles in children with language difficulties, though there is a limited literature describing clinical best-practices for children with autism. The purpose of this study was to analyze the difference in conversation and narrative language abilities in children with autism. Language ability was also analyzed in comparison to age-matched typically developing peers. This goal …

Development And Testing Of An Occupational Therapy Intervention To Promote Medication Adherence, Jaclyn K. Schwartz

Theses and Dissertations

Many persons with chronic health conditions fail to take their medications as prescribed, resulting in declines in health and function. Unfortunately, current interventions for medication nonadherence are not very effective. Medication adherence is a daily activity, which many occupational therapists believe would be responsive to occupational therapy intervention. Unfortunately, few resources support occupational therapists in this role. The purpose of this dissertation is to create the foundational work for occupational therapy medication adherence interventions. In this dissertation, I accomplish five objectives. First, I identify the role of occupational therapy practitioners in the medication adherence field. Second, I create a manualized …