Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Parkinson's Disease: Gaining Hope And Help, Chloe Lantz

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is currently affecting roughly one million individuals in the United States alone, with about 60,000 more being diagnosed with the disease every year (Parkinson’s Foundation, n.d.). Alarming statistics, as well as a personal connection and interest, led to the development of this project. A couple who I respect greatly is currently living with the husband’s diagnosis of PD. The way that Parkinson’s has quickly deteriorated his body has not visibly stopped the love and support they have for one another. They fight every day against a disease and the functional decline that accompanies it, but report being …

Exploring The Impact Of Performance-Related Injuries In Collegiate Instrumental Musicians And Occupational Engagement, Jillian Alexandra Nichols

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The art of instrumental music is an expression not solely composed of the creative study of acoustics and frequencies, but also includes the science of particular body mechanics which allow musicians to participate in this most sensational experience (Guptill, 2011). To be a musician requires a creative heart, a curious brain, and also very often calloused fingers and mightily strong fine motor muscles. Instrumental musicians have been coined as “fine motor athletes,” due to the intense impact this occupation has on the body (Roos et al., 2021). Musicians practice countless hours to perfect their craft, often taxing the delicate tendons, …

Benefits Of Equine Therapy Within Occupational Therapy, Olyvia Serillo

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The main goal of occupational therapy is to help the patient gain confidence in their ability to function and perform life skills outside of their therapist (Abu Tariah et al, 2020, p.1). By incorporating horses during therapy sessions, it can assist in strengthening the therapist/patient relationship and provide more productive therapy sessions, which would ultimately improve the patient’s ability to learn, grow, and to continue functioning once therapy is completed. The use of equine therapy in occupational therapy is beneficial to patients diagnosed with different types of neurological and psychological disorders.

Increasing Accessibility Of A Children's Summer Camp, Jenna Curtiss

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The Americans with Disabilities Act was initially passed in 1990 with an aim of creating accessible public spaces for all individuals with disabilities and impairments. Since that time, research on accessibility for children with physical impairments has largely been focused on access to homes and schools. It is clear that a lack of accessibility impacts children with physical impairments in other environments by reducing social participation and interaction with peers. There is minimal research on accessibility of children’s extracurricular spaces, such as summer camps, despite studies showing the importance of children with physical impairments participating in social extracurricular activities. This …

Positive Effects Of Dance On The Older Adult Population: A Scoping Review, Christina Mercincavage

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Background: Dancing is an activity that can be performed at any stage throughout a person’s lifespan. As a person grows older, physical activity and exercise become more important as muscle mass decreases and bones become more brittle. These bodily changes may impact an older individual’s ability to participate in physical activities and exercises they once were able to do. Dance is an occupation that offers a fun opportunity to increase a person’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional health. Methods: A scoping review examined the current research on the benefits of dance programs and classes for older adults and compared the …

Barriers To Parenting With Multiple Sclerosis: Development Of A Resource Guide, Sydney Leete

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

In the United States, 6.2% of the parent population is comprised of individuals with disability, which equates to 4.1 million parents (Lampe et al., 2019; Pituch et al., 2020). Parenting, a meaningful role for millions of individuals, can increase life satisfaction and happiness, however, people with physical disabilities face harsh barriers preventing them from successfully participating in this role (Farber, 2000; Lampe, et al., 2019; National Council on Disability [NCD], 2012; Pituch et al., 2020)

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is the most common demyelinating disorder of the central nervous system and affects almost one million individuals in the United States today …

Dissecting Personhood In Models Of Occupational Therapy, Emma Romeo

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Dispersed among the Earth, individuals find identity in thousands of cultures and societal organizations (Mthembu & Duncan, 2021). Many of these cultures, although each unique in their own way, fall into two distinct categories of values (Hofstede, 1991). Individualistic cultures and collectivist cultures pervade the countries in a variety of forms; however, they all share similar values within these two categories (Triandis, 1993). Individualist cultures operate under the notion of self-interest with the goal of independence (Hofstede, 1991). Collectivist cultures believe that one functions as a member of the group with the goal of harmony and relationship (Mthembu & Duncan, …

Swot Analysis Of Entrepreneurial Occupational Therapy In Community-Based Practice, Hannah Smith

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

The literature suggests that community practice in occupational therapy (OT) is a beneficial and cost-effective way to expand occupational therapy services past traditional practice into emerging practice areas that meet the direct needs of the clients. Through entrepreneurship in the field, occupational therapists can expand the scope of occupational therapy practice. The purpose of this scholarship project is to increase widespread understanding of the benefits, feasibility, and challenges of entrepreneurially establishing community-based occupational therapy practice. Four occupational therapists who practice occupational therapy in a community-based setting whose practice is also entrepreneurial in nature were interviewed, and their responses were assimilated …

Playgrounds Should Be A Place For All Children, Emily Pellicano

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Play is one of the most important occupations of children, both because it supports development of children’s skills and because it provides meaningful experiences for play participants. Playgrounds provide a valuable community setting where children can play together, but the opportunity for children with disabilities to equally experience the benefits of playground play depends largely on a playground’s degree of accessibility, usability, and inclusivity. While there is research on the differences in play among children with different abilities and evidence-based guidance on how to make playground play more accessible, usable, and inclusive for children of all abilities, the extent to …

How Community-Based Nutrition Education Impacts Health Disparities Among Black American Adolescents: A Scoping Review, Kelly Joy Armstrong

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Purpose: There has been increasing concern about the level of health and food literacy among Black adolescents. Food literacy and nutrition interventions have been studied in an effort to improve health outcomes among this population. This study aimed to explore which interventions found success in increasing fruit and vegetable (FV) intake which included culturally relevant education material. Method: Five databases were searched using terms related to racial ethnicity, diet and age. Thirteen articles met inclusion criteria of including majority minority participants and the majority citing community based interventions focusing on dietary change including FV intake. Results: This scoping review revealed …

Exploring Employment Experiences From The Perspectives Of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Cross-Case Analysis, Hannah Dinsmore, Colleen Mcgovern

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Autism Spectrum Disorder, commonly referred to as ASD or autism, is a neurological disorder defined in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5th edition. Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction across multiple contexts, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities are included in the diagnostic criteria (DSM-5). Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) face disproportionately high levels of unemployment and underemployment (Khalifa et al., 2020). Engagement in work is a meaningful occupation that helps shape one’s identity and is a vital part of an individual’s wellbeing (Hedley et al., 2018). One’s participation in work often …

Exploring The Use Of Occupational Therapy Telehealth Services In Early Intervention During Covid-19, Aiyana Tietze-Di Toro

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the use of telehealth has increased significantly, including for occupational therapy (OT) services provided in the early intervention (EI) setting. While preliminary research evaluates the effectiveness and benefits of telehealth services in early intervention occupational therapy (EI OT), few studies compare telehealth to traditional in-person services. The purpose of this research study is to understand experiences with telehealth for EI OT services during COVID-19 as compared to experiences with previous in-person services from the perspective of OTs and parents. Using a qualitative case study design, interviews were conducted with one EI OT practitioner and two of …

Interoception Awareness And Intuitive Eating, Meghan Glaspey

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

College is a time where students are required to nourish themselves independently. Weight loss and weight maintenance can be difficult for many, as students are more likely to turn to external methods to lose weight, which are not successful and sustainable long term. Students may be more likely to turn to external mechanisms to lose weight because the have poor interoception awareness, which is the ability to make meaning and sense of hunger and fullness cues. This study aims to discover if interoception awareness is a requirement for intuitive eating, which is an eating approach that uses the body as …

Occupational Therapists’ Perspectives On Working In Mental Health Roles, Holly Phillips

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Occupational therapists working in mental health settings face a multitude of challenges to practice, including role blurring, generic roles, lack of support, and a lack of community, yet continue to pursue these positions. The current literature primarily highlights these barriers and discusses the under utilization of occupational therapists in mental health. Despite these challenges, occupational therapists are still holding prominent roles in this area and the question remains of why these therapists are continuing to pursue these roles and how they are creating meaning in their work. For this research, interviews were conducted with occupational therapists currently working or who …

Understanding Current Occupational Therapy Practice Behaviors And Knowledge Relating To Post-Intensive Care Syndrome: An Exploratory, Cross-Sectional Survey, Wendy Header

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Currently literature suggests the underutilization of occupational therapy with individuals at-risk for or suffering from Post-Intensive Care Syndrome (PICS). The purpose of this study was to create a better understanding of Occupational Therapists’ current knowledge and practice behaviors regarding PICS.

Client Perspectives Of Engaging In Romantic Relationships After A Spinal Cord Injury: A Phenomenological Inquiry, Kaitlyn R. Edinger

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Intimacy and romantic relationships are an integral component of an individual, providing love and support through one’s lifetime and increasing life satisfaction and well-being. However, individuals who live with a spinal cord injury (SCI) experience relationships and intimacy differently than the rest of the population. Being paralyzed after any injury can affect the individual’s self-esteem, making the individual feel unattractive and self-conscious. Current literature suggests a variety of client reported barriers to engaging in romantic relationships after SCI such as decreased self-esteem, negative body image, and lack of support and education; however, there is limited research regarding the lived experiences …

Etherapy: The Next Generation Of Physical And Occupational Therapy, Colin Elliott

Summer Scholarship, Creative Arts and Research Projects (SCARP)

The purpose of the research is to create software capable of revolutionizing the way physical and occupational therapy is done by utilizing wireless inertia sensors. The inertia sensors themselves can accurately identify their exact position in space. Hence, when they are attached correctly to a patient requiring therapy, they can provide precise data on the patient’s real-time motions. It is the goal of the software to leverage the power of the sensors to provide real-time feedback to the patient and to the therapist to ensure patients are performing prescribed exercises correctly and are restoring their range(s) of motion. For ease …

The Chaplains’ Role: Insights And Awareness Through The Lens Of Occupational Therapy, Tamera Keiter Humbert

Faculty Publications

The impetus for this study began with the consideration of what various practitioners have to offer in the delivery of services that attend to the spiritual nature of patients within an interdisciplinary healthcare team. To better understand that perspective, the authors of this study decided to initially investigate the literature specifically related to the role of chaplains to better situate the constructs of spirituality and healthcare. From the reviewed literature, we ascertained the general role and tasks of the chaplain, and the value of interdisciplinary work, albeit primarily with nurses and physicians. Despite these insights, we (all from an occupational …

Effects Of Adaptive Dance On Children: Dance Teachers’ Perspectives, Isobelle Hughes

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Dance is an art, sport, and passion able to be enjoyed and benefited by all ages. The benefits include increased motor, cognitive, emotional, and social skills, and more (Demers, Thomas, Wittich, McKinley, 2015). This study gathered initial research regarding the effects of dance on children with disabilities as well as children of typical development and the aging population. The researcher conducted interviewed teachers of adaptive dance programs regarding their perspectives on the benefits, challenges, goals, and the impact of an occupational therapy career on teaching, as applicable. Teachers were interviewed via video or phone call and audio transcriptions were used …

The Use Of Yoga In Occupational Therapy For Neurologically Involved Clients, Madison Tyrrell

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Living with the long-lasting effects of a cerebrovascular accident (CVA), also known as stroke, has become a reality for millions of Americans in the United States. Reduced upper and lower extremity function, decreased balance and problematic mobility, and reduced daily independence are only a few residual symptoms which can affect function and quality of life for those affected by stroke. Over seven million Americans, ages 20 or older, self-reported having had a stroke in 2018 (The American Heart Association, 2018). Projections indicate that by 2030, an additional 3.4 million Americans over the age of 18 will have had a stroke …

A Structured Soccer Program Designed To Aid In The Development Of Children With Autism, Lydia Lawson

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a disorder characterized by deficits or impairments in social, cognitive, and motor abilities. These developmental deficits often separate children with ASD from their typically developing peers. Children with autism often refrain from or struggle to take part in play. This is because of the deficits they experience and because there are limited opportunities that foster situations for them to be successful in play. Incorporating play into intervention has been shown to be effective with this population. Participation in play allows for motor skill development, social interactions, and often cognitive stimulation. It is necessary to have …

Elementary School Teacher's Perception Of Occupational Therapy, Sarah Guttman

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Low literacy levels in childhood cause detrimental, lifelong effects. Intervention services provided to struggling readers are currently limited. A preliminary study was conducted following a mixed methods approach to explore teacher perception of the benefits of occupational therapy intervention in the Response to Intervention model for reading delays.

Research questions were as follows: 1. To the teacher’s knowledge, are occupational therapy services currently available to students in the Response to Intervention model? 2. Do teachers perceive occupational therapy intervention within the Response to Intervention model beneficial for reading delays?

Data was collected via an electronic survey. Sixty-seven participant responses were …

Factors Influencing Occupational Therapists’ Choice In Work Settings, Olivia Geiger

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

There are a multitude of settings for newly graduated occupational therapists (OTs) to work. According to The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), the majority of OTs work in direct client intervention instead of indirect or administration, consultation, or research roles (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2019). The top work settings for direct client interventions in occupational therapy (OT) are currently long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, freestanding outpatient centers, hospitals with acute and inpatient care, and school settings, with 74%, 70.4%, 70%, and 60.8% of the OTs working in those settings working, respectively (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2019).

In addition, work …

Investigating The Impact Of College Stress And Utilization Of Campus Wellness Services Through An Occupational Health Lens, Hannah Paymer

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Stress is a universal experience. For many people attending college during the period of emerging adulthood, stress can be a pressing daily occurrence. Shearer et al. (2016)[1] put it succinctly: “college is stressful” (p. 233). As a college student majoring in occupational therapy, I have both studied and experienced the pressure and effects of stress on myself and my peers. With the prevalence of stress throughout college campuses and methods to combat this stress, there is limited research regarding the reason that students participate in wellness options. I am doing research on the wellness options that students select and their …

Exploring The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Supporting Caregivers Of Children With Cerebral Palsy, Kaitlyn Knecht

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Caregiving for one’s child is a complex occupation with a wide-reaching impact on an individual’s life (Dieleman, Vlaenderen, Prinzie, & Pauw, 2019). Guardians have unique emotional needs consequent to their caregiving role but receive inconsistent treatment from healthcare professionals (Porfíro Santos Pinto, Duarte Coutinho, & Collet, 2016). This study aimed to understand the perceived psychosocial needs of caregivers of children with cerebral palsy (CP), identify support services for these caregivers and evaluate their effectiveness, and determine how occupational therapists (OTs) can most effectively address these needs. Caregivers of children with CP engaged in semi-structured interviews to explore their perceived needs …

Exploring The Experiences After Traumatic Brain Injury, Katherine Kruis

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Grief and the experiences associated with adapting to life after a life changing injury are researched and reported in detail in regard to individuals sustaining spinal cord injuries and amputations, but there is significantly less evidence presented on the experiences that people go through after a traumatic brain injury (TBI). There is some empirical information on the experience of the family of the person who experienced the TBI and about the symptoms of TBI. While this is important, it is also imperative to understand the experiences and emotions that people with a TBI have as they go through the rehabilitation …

Support Networks, Students With Disabilities, And Social And Academic Contexts In A School Environment : A Scoping Review, Meghan Matje

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 7 million students are receiving special education services as of the 2017-2018 school year (National Center for Education Statistics, 2019). That still does not include students with undeclared or undiagnosed disabilities in school. These students are at a disadvantage when it comes to participating in a school environment because students with disabilities tend to struggle more than typical students with social and academic aspects in school (Lackaye & Margalit, 2006).

The National Center for Learning Disabilities states that students with learning disabilities are often misunderstood and are ineffectively taught by untrained educators, …

The Impact Of Fall Prevention Education For Individuals With Parkinson's Disease, Missy Ziegler

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between an individual with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) perceptions of why falls happen and if receiving fall prevention education is beneficial to reducing falls. Methods: An anonymous survey was developed by the researcher in order to learn more about individuals’ personal experiences relating to falls, fear of falling, and fall prevention education. Surveys were used to identify if participants have ever experienced a fall and subsequently examine the relationships between falls and fall education. Semi-structured interviews were conducted to supplement survey results and gain greater insight into the experiences …

Interventions Used Among School-Based Occupational Therapy Practitioners To Promote Student Performance, Nichole Campbell

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Occupational therapy practitioners working in the school setting play a role in contributing to student’s lives. Through many interventions, these practitioners contribute to promoting student performance within the academic setting. Yet, there is more research to be done related to the overall impact school-based interventions have on performance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between role perceptions of school-based occupational therapy, interventions implemented, and the impact on student performance. A qualitative approach guided this study. Participants currently employed through a local, rural school district participated in this research by completing an online survey. A total …

Addressing The Educational Needs Of Occupational Therapists Regarding Sexuality In An Acute Care Setting, Hannah Burleigh

Occupational Therapy: Student Scholarship & Creative Works

Despite the knowledge that sexuality is an important factor of well-being for individuals with disabilities, occupational therapists (OTs) continue to under-address this topic with clients (McGrath & Sakellariou, 2016). Additional education on sexuality may help OTs improve their knowledge and confidence in discussing and addressing sexuality with clients during intervention. The purpose of this study is to determine the educational needs of occupational therapists working in acute care who are alumnus of Elizabethtown College to promote the discussion of sexuality in practice. The research questions of the project are: 1) Do OTs in acute care educate clients on sexuality? 2) …