Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Intimacy Following Cerebral Vascular Accident, Hannah Caitlyn Guschel, Sarah Hendrickson

Graduate Student Scholarship

In the United States, a cerebral vascular accident (CVA) is a leading cause of death and a significant contributor to severe disabilities for adults (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022a). Two areas of post-stroke deficits and changes that are not frequently addressed in treatments are sexual activity dysfunctions and challenges with intimacy after stroke. Occupational therapy practitioners have the education, training, and practice areas within our framework to address issues relating to sexuality and provide education on the matter. Sexuality should be addressed, like all other activities of daily living, thorough and assiduous. This study was a cross-sectional design …

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Developmental Programming At Early Childhood Education And Childcare Centers: A Qualitative Study, Alexis N. Foehrkolb, Jenna Lenhart, Hayley Woods, Madison Wetzel, Breanna Adkins, Sueann R. Woods

Graduate Student Scholarship

This research study aimed to discover what strategies of developmental programming are integrated into early childhood curriculum, whether occupational therapy had a role in the formation of the guidelines, and the importance of early intervention on child development. A case study with ethnographic methods was used, including observations and interviews, to gain an understanding of how sociocultural phenomena affect rural childcare centers in Morgantown, West Virginia. Data was collected and coded into 14 themes, and then analyzed by student researchers. Results from interview data found that daycare teachers are given the choice to follow provided lesson plans or individualize their …

Feeding Deficits Contributing To Picky Eating, Olivia Paige Allen, Brianna Paige Pestrosky, Caitlyn Shaffer

Graduate Student Scholarship

Children are often known as picky eaters but many aspects contribute to feeding that one may not be aware of. These factors include sensory, oral motor, behavioral, neuromuscular, social skills, developmental readiness, and functional feeding skills. This study analyzes the aspects of feeding that contribute to picky eating and examines why some aspects may contribute more than others. The study will be conducted through the use of observation and standardized occupational therapy assessments while looking at children ages 2-10 years old. The goal of the study is to increase the knowledge of picky eating by relating it to the various …

Collegiate Student-Athlete Mental Health In West Virginia: An Occupational Perspective, Natalie P. Gates, Bailey A. Riggs, Drew D. Altizer

Graduate Student Scholarship

Collegiate athletes must take on multiple roles while they are attending a college or university, which can negatively impact their mental health. These student-athletes must not only follow the role demands and expectations of an athlete but also of a college student, all while emerging into adulthood in the college environment. This can be overwhelming for many collegiate athletes, and they often find it difficult to balance all their responsibilities to live a satisfactory life. Therefore, a role for occupational therapy exists in this realm. A quantitative study design using survey methods was chosen in hopes of identifying and describing …

Occupational Therapy Students’ Perceptions Of Their Experience In A Role-Emerging Level Ii Fieldwork Within Higher Education Student Services, Marie-Christine Potvin, Alexis Morales, Erin West, Mika Kalimi, Jeanne M Coviello

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Role-emerging settings - those where occupational therapy (OT) services have not traditionally been provided - are common sites for practice placements of entry-level occupational therapy students. A growing body of literature has attempted to determine the value and drawbacks of such practice placements on the professional preparedness of OT students with mixed findings. Benefits have been identified, including increased cultural understanding, advocacy, creativity, initiative, and problem-solving skills. However, OT students have been reported to perceive such placement as limiting their professional growth and preparedness to practice compared to traditional placements.

METHODS: A phenomenological study was conducted seeking the perceptions …

Frailty Assessment In Prospective Lvad Candidates: An International Survey, Malachy Clancy, Phd, Otr/L, Bcpr, Sarah Schroeder, Phd, Acpn-Bc, Msn, Rn, Aacc, Yu Wu, Dnp, Agacnp

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Introduction

• The concept of frailty, initially developed in geriatrics, has recently been applied to individuals with heart failure (HF) and is recognized as an essential measure for prognostication of health status and predicting health outcomes
• Frailty remains highly prevalent, ranging between 56-79% in those undergoing left ventricular assist device (LVAD) evaluation¹ and is associated with poor postoperative outcomes.²
• Since little is known about frailty assessment and instruments used, this study aimed to evaluate institutional assessment processes of frailty during evaluation and the implications of frailty in LVAD eligibility.

Playful Progress: A Parent's Guide To Growth And Development, Gabriella N. Lawrey

Honors Theses

This thesis presents a creative project aimed at empowering parents to recognize developmental achievements, as well as address potential developmental delays in their children. Grounded in the principles of child development, this project focuses on creating age-appropriate activities that facilitate the identification of developmental milestones. By utilizing foundational resources in the field of child development, this toolkit of engaging activities has been curated to support parental understanding and observation. The primary objective of this applied knowledge project is to better equip parents with the vocabulary and tools to facilitate their child’s development. Throughout these activities, parents are encouraged to engage …

Age-Related Changes In The Neural Gating Of Respiratory Sensations In Humans, Wen-Pin Chang, Kai-Jie Liang, Chia-Hsiung Cheng, Chia-Yih Liu, Andreas Von Leupoldt, Pei-Ying S. Chan

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: Neural gating of respiratory sensations (NGRS) characterises the brain's ability to filter out repetitive respiratory sensory stimuli. This mechanism plays a crucial role in the neural processing of respiratory stimuli. However, whether ageing affects NGRS in healthy adults is still unclear. Therefore, we aimed to measure the effect of age on NGRS as well as the corresponding S1 and S2 components of the respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs).

Methods: Three age groups of healthy adults participated in this study: a young group (YG; age 20-39 years), a middle-aged group (MG; age 40-59 years) and an old group (OG; age ≥60 …

Covid-19 Pandemic’S Effect On Occupational Therapy Students’ Time-Use And Occupational Engagement On Returning To In-Person Learning, Jhannell Hannah D. Ocampo, Susan Macdermott, Karen Mccarthy

Occupational Therapy | Faculty Scholarship

The COVID-19 pandemic emotionally and physically impacted students in occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant programs. College students lost autonomy and access to meaningful occupations and environments. As students returned to campus, they struggled to navigate and adapt to in-person occupations and how they use their time. This study uses a mixed method descriptive research design to understand how the pandemic affected occupational therapy students' time-use and occupational engagement during the transition to in-person learning. Seventy-three students completed an online survey, while 12 of those students additionally participated in a follow-up time-use diary and interview. Eighty-three percent of the participants …

Toying With Adapted Toys, Joshua King

WWU Honors College Senior Projects

My project is a design for an adapted toy that occupational therapists (OT) can use when working with kids. OTs are people who help others to be able to do daily tasks that they need to do to live their lives. This can look like helping a person who has been injured or has a disability to accomplish tasks like getting dressed or feeding themselves. It can also involve helping school children to improve their writing or to use assistive technology. My project started out as an idea from my mom who is an OT and was using a coffee …

Interprofessional Perspectives On School-Wide Mental Health Interventions For Enhancing Resilience In Adolescents, Danielle Costanzo, Ms, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction: There is a significant crisis in adolescent mental health (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2021; Radhakrishnan et al., 2022) that have been compounded by traumatic experiences experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, 2022) and widespread fear of violence in schools (Silver et al., 2021). The crisis and resulting vulnerability has led to a dire need to focus on overcoming mental health challenges and moving forward in the face of adversity, which calls for a focus on resilience to promote overall life outcomes (Fenwick-Smith et al., 2019; Ijadi-Maghsoodi et al., 2022; Steiner et al., 2019). …

Evaluating Hope: A Trauma-Informed Sensory Training For Early Childhood Educators, Andrea Houtras, Otd, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences create challenges in sensory integration (Perry, 2006) impacting preschoolers’ participation and occupational performance (May-Benson, 2016). Professional development in trauma-informed sensory training is essential to support early childhood educators working with this population (Loomis, 2018; Perry, 2006).

Objectives: To develop a trauma-informed sensory training and evaluate its validity and usefulness for early childhood educators.

Methods: We used a modified Delphi method to evaluate the training’s adherence to Ayres Sensory Integration® and trauma-informed care principles of practice and usefulness for early childhood educators. A convenience sample of three expert groups reviewed the training and completed surveys to …

New Jersey’S Web-Based Parent-Engaged Developmental Monitoring Information: Mapping And Critical Appraisal, Danielle Catalano, Ms, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Caregivers use web-based information to make decisions about their children’s health and development. Due to the state’s high prevalence of developmental delays, New Jersey has developed numerous web-based early childhood initiatives to promote parent engagement. However, the quality of those resources is unknown. This critical appraisal evaluated the quality, readability, and accessibility of New Jersey’s commonly used web-based information on parent-engaged developmental monitoring in children aged 0-3. A systematic web search yielded 112 results. Thirty-six webpages were reviewed by three independent reviewers using four standardized assessment tools. Reviewers found that most information was written at a twelfth-grade reading level, two …

Delirium Education For Family Caregivers Of Patients In The Intensive Care Unit: A Pilot Study, Amanda Wheeler, Elise Bloch, Sarah Blaylock, James Root, Kateriza Ibanez, Newman Newman, Jose Diarte, Louis P. Voigt

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Objectives

Delirium, an acute change in mental state, seen in hospitalized older adults is a growing public health concern with implications for both patients and caregivers; however, there is minimal research on educating caregivers about delirium. Utilizing family caregivers to assist with delirium management in acute care settings demonstrates improved health outcomes supporting the need for patient and family centered care. The primary aims of the study were to determine feasibility of implementing a delirium education video for caregivers of patients in an adult oncology intensive care unit and compare delirium knowledge to caregivers in a control group.

Methods

A …

Effects Of Interactive Video Games (Nintendo Wii™) On Older Adults With Cognitive Impairment, Krista Antonio, Sarah Kelly, Kayla Livingston, Bailey Stewart

Occupational Therapy Student Research

The population being served includes the clients at Triple R adult day program in Sacramento, CA. These clients are older adults and all present with a form of memory loss. Currently, health management, specifically physical activity, and social participation are affected in the program as there are limitations to exercise routines that are appropriate for the clients as well as lack of engagement from all clients. We believe that all of the residents are affected by this issue at the facility and would benefit from the use of technology to enhance these areas of needs in the specific occupations. Within …

Tactus Therapy: Mobile At For Aphasia, Francis Gonzales, Robert Swayze, David Vong

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Pacific Speech, Hearing and Language Center

• Adults with communicative impairments and disorders (language, hearing, speech).
• Aphasia apps focus on communication by improving vocabulary, memory, reasoning, attention, differentiation, and organization of concepts, presented as pictures, text, or audio (Galletta & Barrett, 2014).
• Aphasia can affect populations such as those who have autism, TMI, stroke, and encephalitis (Galletta & Barrett, 2014).

Closing Gap In Digital Divide Of The Vulnerable Women In The Community Via Assistive Technology: The Chromebook, Deanne Nguyen, Brian Rogers, Hazel Yang

Occupational Therapy Student Research

• Aims to address the gap in digital division by providing low-income individuals with essential computer skills.
• These individuals are currently facing health challenges due to economic constraints, limited access to healthcare services, and overall lack of familiarity in digital literacy.
• At Wellspring Women’s Center, nearly 200 individuals are affected by this issue.
• The Chromebook could be delivered in a flexible model such as in-person workshops, online tutorials, and 1:1 mentoring.
• This approach ensures accessibility and empowerment of the participants to develop essential digital literacy skills to promote independence in their own health management.
• The Chromebook can open gates to enhancing …

Meristem (Monday): Checklists, Maribel Gutierrez, Josephine Hernandez, Benjamin Magallon, Margerie Vinoya

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Occupational therapy (OT) students from the University of the Pacific assessed needs in various classrooms at Meristem, a college program for individuals in the neurodivergent population to expand life skills of independence. OT students identified the use of checklists, a low-cost assistive device in creating structure of expected tasks in the classroom. The goal of the checklist is to reduce dependency on instructors for reminders and prompts, and promote resilience, autonomy, and enhanced participation in the classroom. The checklist can be personalized for each instructor to fit the needs of their classroom expectations.

Supporting Mental Health Of Wellspring Women’S Center, Lio Inumerable, Sophia Kohgadai, Christie Ledezma, Taylor Sanders

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Wellspring Women’s Center located in Sacramento, CA

• Serves vulnerable women and their children.
• Safe space for community gathering and various basic needs including:
  • Nutritious meals
  • Safety net items
  • Children’s area for learning
  • Women’s Wellness Program
    • Counseling
    • Case management
    • Advocacy
    • Art therapy

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Assistive Technology: Video Modeling, Abigail Waisner, Molly Mcdavid, Haley Morris, Luis Perez

Occupational Therapy Student Research

Population and Site:

• Meristem is an educational program serving young adults who have autism or other neurodiversity (Who we are, 2023).The program promotes vocational and independent living skills through classes, community experiences, and dorm life that address physical, social, and cognitive skills. Students living in dorms are given additional opportunities to develop independent living skills such as cooking, cleaning, organization, community mobility, and social participation.

• Our goal as a group was toidentify ways to support students in the acquisition of independent living skills. The ideal assistive technology for this population would be a technology that is easily accessible,portable, …

Cracking The Code: The Systematic Development Of A Matrix To Increase Credible And Dependable Coding Of Qualitative Data, Greta Gray, Ms, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

A systematic, credible, and dependable coding matrix was developed to deductively code the qualitative data from the Clinician’s Perceptions of Infusing Coaching into their Occupational Therapy Practice study (CPIC). A coding matrix is used to organize qualitative data into meaningful units of text to be interpreted by the researchers. Codes for this project were deductively organized under categories from Roger’s Diffusion of Innovation Theory (RDIT), a framework that identifies how a new idea is adopted in practice. Five preliminary coders, with one leading the process, participated in the development of the coding matrix to reduce the risk of bias influencing …

Life Balance, Stress, And Occupational Burnout In Occupational Therapy Assistant Students: An Exploratory Study, Olivia W. Hammond, Mba, Otr/L, Cht

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

The United States healthcare worker burnout crisis demands immediate attention. College is critical for preparing occupational therapy assistant students (OTA) to address life balance, stress, and burnout as they transition into the workforce. However, little is known about these factors in this population. In this doctoral presentation, the primary author presents her doctoral project, which explored OTA students' life balance and its association with their perceived stress and occupational burnout across employment status, residential status, years of study, and age. A cross-sectional Qualtrics e-survey was distributed to OTA students ages 18 and older, including a demographic survey, Life Balance Inventory …

Examining The Latent Structure And Correlates Of Sensory Reactivity In Autism: A Multi-Site Integrative Data Analysis By The Autism Sensory Research Consortium, Zachary J. Williams, Roseann Schaaf, Karla K. Ausderau, Grace T. Baranek, D. Jonah Barrett, Carissa J. Cascio, Rachel L. Dumont, Ekomobong E. Eyoh, Michelle D. Failla, Jacob I. Feldman, Jennifer H. Foss-Feig, Heather L. Green, Shulamite A. Green, Jason L. He, Elizabeth A. Kaplan-Kahn, Bahar Keçeli-Kaysılı, Keren Maclennan, Zoe Mailloux, Elysa J. Marco, Lisa E. Mash, Elizabeth P. Mckernan, Sophie Molholm, Stewart H. Mostofsky, Nicolaas A.J. Puts, Caroline E. Robertson, Natalie Russo, Nicole Shea, John Sideris, James S. Sutcliffe, Teresa Tavassoli, Mark T. Wallace, Ericka L. Wodka, Tiffany G. Woynaroski

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: Differences in responding to sensory stimuli, including sensory hyperreactivity (HYPER), hyporeactivity (HYPO), and sensory seeking (SEEK) have been observed in autistic individuals across sensory modalities, but few studies have examined the structure of these "supra-modal" traits in the autistic population.

METHODS: Leveraging a combined sample of 3868 autistic youth drawn from 12 distinct data sources (ages 3-18 years and representing the full range of cognitive ability), the current study used modern psychometric and meta-analytic techniques to interrogate the latent structure and correlates of caregiver-reported HYPER, HYPO, and SEEK within and across sensory modalities. Bifactor statistical indices were used to …

Examining Rehabilitation Referral Patterns For Breast Cancer Patients With Mastectomy: A Retrospective Descriptive Chart Review, Jessie Perchaluk, Ms, Otr/L, Cht

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction: Advances in health care for those with breast cancer (BC), have led to people living longer lives, however many continue to have difficulty completing daily activities (Hwang et al., 2015; Keesing et al., 2018; Lovelace et al., 2019; Stout et al., 2015; Stubblefield, ). Research explains that physical rehabilitation is beneficial for people with BC, however is not always being recommended (Cheville et al., 2008; Hwang et al., 2015; Pergoletti, 2014; Rafn et al., 2020; Stout et al., 2016; Stout et al., 2015).

Objectives: This study looked at rehabilitation referral patterns and trends for women diagnosed with BC who …

Exploration Of Ayres Sensory Integration® In School-Based Practice: A Clinician’S Perspective, Maria Cerase, Otd, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction: While Ayres Sensory Integration^® is an evidenced-based intervention for autism with potential application in school settings (Whiting et al., 2023; Steinbrenner et al., 2020; May-Benson et al., 2014), school-based occupational therapists perceive challenges in its implementation.

Objectives: To explore the current factors, including facilitators and barriers, identified by school-based occupational therapists impacting the use of ASI intervention in school-based practice.

Methods: Cross-sectional descriptive study using survey methodology from a national sample of school-based occupational therapists.

Results: Descriptive statistics calculated for frequency and percentages of reported responses. Top perceived barriers to ASI implementation in the …

School Participation Of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder And Food Selectivity, Courtney Desol, Ms, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are five times more likely to have feeding challenges than neurotypical peers (Sharp et al., 2013). Of these feeding challenges, food selectivity is among the most prevalent (Leader et al., 2020) and is defined as food refusal or limited food repertoire (Bandini et al., 2017). Food selectivity has been correlated with nutrition inadequacies (Bandini et al., 2010; Sharp et al., 2013) and poor diet quality (Johnson et al., 2014) in children with ASD. Additionally, correlations exist with sensory processing difficulties (Leader et al., 2020; Suarez et al., 2014), internalizing and externalizing behaviors (Johnson …

A Home Safety Program For Low-Income Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Using Meals On Wheels Volunteers, Erin Jeffords, Ms, Otr/L

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Low-income older adults who reside in the community have fewer opportunities to access services and limited resources to obtain equipment that would enhance safety in their living environment. Through their “army” of volunteers, Meals on Wheels agencies have long been the eyes of the community to identify older adults who are socially isolated and disabled (Thomas et al., 2018). The purpose of this project was to evaluate the (1) delivery of the Midlands Modifiers Home Safety Program and (2) training program for the Meals on Wheels volunteers who will administer the home safety screen. The Midlands Modifiers Home Safety Program …

Impact Of Strokes: The Burden Of Care, Post-Cva Fatigue & Caregiver Role Strain, Tanya G. Schlemmer

Nursing Faculty Publications and Presentations

Strokes and cerebral vascular accidents (CVAs) and related disease events are an unfortunate circumstance that inflicts individuals around the world and impacts people every day as individuals and their caregivers. The consequences of these strokes or CVA events are life-changing for all those involved. As a result of long-term disability related to strokes, the caregiver may undergo many emotional, psychological, and physical factors that impact their daily lives. There is a relatively short period of time to react to the necessary change and as a result there may be differences in coping associated with these unexpected health circumstances. Many stoke …

Evaluating Non-Pharmacological Approaches To Nursing Home Dementia Care: A Protocol, Natalie E Leland, Victoria Shier, Catherine V. Piersol, Cara Lekovitch, Jenny Martínez, Yuna H Bae-Shaaw, Neeraj Sood, Claire Day, Paul Cass, Dominique Como, Carin Wong, Felicia Chew

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the daily challenges nursing home (NH) staff face caring for the residents living with Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias (

METHODS: This clustered randomized trial will compare

CONCLUSION: This trial will be the first-ever evaluation of team- and problem-based approaches to ADRD care across multiple NHs and geographic regions. Results can provide health system leaders and policymakers with evidence on how to optimize ADRD training for staff in an effort to enhance ADRD care delivery.

Early Manual Lymphatic Drainage With Secondary Edema, Tiana Bridges Mot/S, Carly Fallin Mot/S, Emma Hilliard Mot/S, Olivia Holmes Mot/S, Kathryn Mullins Mot/S, Jonathan Richardson Mot/S, Cassie Warlick Mot/S

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

Implementation of an early manual lymphatic drainage program on post-op head/neck patients to decrease secondary edema.