Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Mindfulness With Children And Youth: A Hermeneutic Phenomenological Inquiry Into Paediatric Therapists' Experiences, Kirsten S. Smith

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Background: Mindfulness has become popular as a treatment approach for many health conditions and has been taken up by diverse health practitioners in recent years. While research into mindfulness-based interventions is on the rise, much of this research originates in the field of psychology and is aimed toward adult populations. Occupational therapists, including those working with children and youth, have begun to take up mindfulness to support their clients to participate in daily activities, and there is evidence that clinical uptake has outpaced research in this area.

Method: A scoping review was undertaken to understand the breadth of literature regarding …

An Occupational Therapy Guidebook For Individuals With Substance Use Disorder, Cassidy B. Ardoin

Student Capstone Papers

Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) experience barriers and challenges that impact their daily occupational performance, engagement, well-being, and quality of life. In addition to disrupting and distorting an individual’s unique occupational outcomes, SUDs can limit, replace, and dictate an individual’s daily meaningful activities, habits, routines, and skills that support healthy occupational engagement. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners have a unique and valuable role in SUDs treatment as they are equipped to identify these barriers and implement strategies for supportive skill development or restoration. Based on the literature review conducted, OT practitioners do not have an OT practice guideline, protocol, or …

An Exploration Of The Lifestyle Of Rodeo Athletes, Brooke Tunnell, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill

Summer 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Rodeo is considered one of the most rapid-growing sports across many nations and consists of highly talented, tough athletes (Haney & Pearson, 1999). There is a gap in the research that examines the occupation of rodeo through an occupational therapy and occupational science perspective. Occupational science, the study of human occupation, focuses on how the form, function, and meaning of daily activities influence health and well-being (Larson & Zemke, 2003). Form, function, and meaning guided the mixed-method research study utilizing survey, interview, narrative prompt, and photo elicitation. Three themes were extracted from the data and embodied the personal and occupational …

Strategies For Enhancing Racially Diverse Student Satisfaction In Graduate-Level Occupational Therapy Programs, Kolbí L. Holmes, Christina Kane

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

A survey investigated satisfaction levels of racially diverse, graduate-level OT students at NSU and strategies for enhancing student satisfaction to ultimately meet the OT profession’s diversity goals. Overall, racially diverse students were satisfied with their OT program experience and identified diverse faculty and scholarship opportunities as desired resources needed for continuation in OT programs.

Gaining Experience In Academic Setting Of Entry-Level Doctoral Program, Conner Hansen

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

Worked with faculty advisors to develop activities and assignments within the OTD 8271: Interventions 1: Psychosocial and Community course for students to guide their interactions with children volunteers from A Kid’s Place (AKP). The pre-existing relationship with AKP allowed for the incorporation of hands-on activities to increase the excellence of education, confidence in clinical skills, and quality of practitioners entering the field.

An Occupational Therapy Guidebook For Individuals With Substance Use Disorder, Cassidy B. Ardoin-Barnett, Steven M. Gerardi

Summer 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) experience barriers and challenges that impact their daily occupational performance, engagement, well-being, and quality of life. In addition to disrupting and distorting an individual’s unique occupational outcomes, SUDs can limit, replace, and dictate an individual’s daily meaningful activities, habits, routines, and skills that support healthy occupational engagement. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners have a unique and valuable role in SUDs treatment as they are equipped to identify these barriers and implement strategies for supportive skill development or restoration. Based on the literature review conducted, OT practitioners do not have an OT practice guideline, protocol, or …

Effect Of Botox And Therapy On Spasticity In Cerebral Palsy: A Critically Appraised Topic, Rachel Bray Mot/S, Tatum Cabot Mot/S, Peyton Clark Mot/S, Cameron Goodman Mot/S, Tarason Moore Mot/S, Claire Napier Mot/S

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

Children diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy often experience upper limb spasticity. Research has shown Botox injections in combination with occupational therapy can reduce the effects of spasticity in the upper limb. This literature review aims to determine how long is the appropriate duration of occupational therapy to administer after Botox injections to see decreased spasticity in the upper limbs.

Duchenne’S Muscular Dystrophy & Occupational Therapy, Vanessa Sagredo, Meagan C. Romero

Client Educational Handouts

No abstract provided.

Supporting The Transition Out Of The Family Caregiver Role: An Occupation-Centered Approach, Whitney Wilbanks, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Engagement in meaningful and valued occupations can be used as a means to help former family caregivers cope, heal, and grow following the loss of their loved one (Pickens, 2011). Occupational engagement can be used as a means to help former family caregivers reshape their personal identity, experience a sense of wholeness, and reestablish purpose and balance in their lives (Hocking, 2016). The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to educate hospice care staff on ways to support individuals with transitioning out of the family caregiver role following the death of the care recipient. An educational resource was developed …

Nurturing Personal Capacities Through Engagement In Art, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Andy Wunderlin, an artist based in Vicksburg, MI, provided the cover art for the Spring 2022 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Tree with Birds” is a 10” x 13” drawing made from colored pencil (see Figure 1). Andy’s style is uniquely photorealistic. His work involves meticulous attention to detail. Each piece takes between 6 months and 2 years to complete. For Andy, drawing provides a powerful source of motivation and purpose. Art has played an important role in the development of Andy’s personal capacities and potential.

Sensory Integration For Survivors Of Intimate Partner Violence (Ipv), Nadien Albanna

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Since the start of the global pandemic, stay-at-home orders forced IPV survivors to stay in the home with abusers, increasing the risk of abuse, and the impact of psychological trauma. (Bright et al., 2020). Occupational therapists are trained professionals in incorporating sensory-based strategies to focus on the somatic manifestations experienced by the body from trauma and can help to regulate physiological and psychological responses through sensory stimuli (Mcgreevy & Boland et al., 2020). The development of this project sparked an opportunity to publish a new framework to introduce the role of sensory integration in treating survivors of intimate partner violence …

Exploring The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Promoting Risky Play For At-Risk Youth, Gerald Deocariza Jr., Karen Park

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Climbing, racing, playing by the fire, building forts with hammers, and free independent exploration are all examples of risky play. The inherent risk-taking that comes with play is essential to children’s physical and cognitive development, social and emotional well-being, confidence, self-esteem, and risk management. However, as many as two thirds of adults in United States have reported to come across at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) growing up. The exposures to childhood trauma have been linked to a variety of negative health, psychiatric, and behavioral outcomes. Societal attitudes may further refrain at-risk youth from opportunities to gain essential skills …

Understanding Travel For Families With A Physically Disabled Child Through The Occupational Therapy Lens, Dinah Adams, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Travel is a complex occupation that involves interactions between body function, activity participation, and the environment. For families traveling with a physically disabled child this occupation becomes even more complex. The available literature on the lived experiences of these families is significantly limited. This project aims to determine participants’ experiences of commercial airline travel with a child who has a physical disability. Through the participants experiences, barriers and needs of this population can be identified. Through identification of barriers, the needs of this population are highlighted as well as ways they can be supported and advocated for.

Teen Driving And Community Mobility Educational Module For Ot Students, Celeste Johns, Angela Blackwell, Melissa "Missy" Bell

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Teens with disabilities require increased support in driving and community mobility (D&CM) due to increased complexity resulting from the combination of typical teen characteristics (physiological changes and developing cognitive skills), and limitations posed by physical, cognitive, or visual impairments (Interactive Autism Network, 2011; Monahan, 2012). Due to lack of training, decreased awareness, low confidence, decreased competence, billing, and productivity concerns OT practice is limited in addressing D&CM (Dickerson et al., 2011). There is a need for more targeted information regarding teen driving and community mobility within OT education to increase competence (knowledge, skills, attitudes), and prepare them to be generalists …

Coaching Critical Moments: An Occupation-Based Coaching Education And Training Program, Katherine Eglin, Angela Blackwell

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This is a poster presentation on an education and training program, created for a capstone project. The program, Coaching Critical Moments (CCM), is designed to provide occupation-based coaching education through learning modules and training through simulation. The poster highlights the background literature about occupation-based coaching in occupational therapy, the problem and purpose statements for the capstone project, the methodology for creating the program, the theoretical foundation for the project, the contents of the program, and a discussion.

Occupational Therapy For Sleep Dysfunction: An Education Course For Students And Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Hayley Shank, Mary Smith, Emily Frank

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Sleep disorders are the second most frequent complaint, after pain, in individuals with chronic illness; the healthcare field is considering this an epidemic. Research suggests there is an insufficient amount of awareness and education regarding treating sleep dysfunction among occupational therapy students and practitioners. The purpose of this capstone project was to create an OT education course for OT students and practitioners to utilize when addressing sleep dysfunction with their clients and caregivers. Results of my course support the capstone problem statement; that there is an insufficient amount of awareness and education regarding the treatment and management of sleep dysfunction …

Applying Self-Compassion And Stress Management Techniques To Increase Healthy Behaviors Among Women At The New Beginnings Center, Payton Knupp

OTD Capstone Projects

The New Beginnings Center is a nonprofit organization that serves as an empowerment program for women from disadvantaged backgrounds in the Nashville area. Current curriculum includes a 12-week program focused on nutrition, exercise, and positive lifestyle changes that provide a holistic approach to long-term behavior change and a lasting support system. The objective for this project was to provide updated programming based on current research and relevant topics for the population, utilizing the cognitive behavioral frame of reference to facilitate behavior change, reframing negative and distorted thinking into healthy and productive habits. The subjects of the two workshops focused on …

Psycho-Emotional Education For Occupational Therapists Supporting Individuals Assuming The Role Of Family-Caregiver For People With A Traumatic Brain Injury (Tbi), Laura Dawn Lippman, Caitlyn E. Baird, Natalie L. Billharz

2022 Celebration of Scholarly Works

The purpose of this research was to identify the psycho-emotional needs of family-caregivers of individuals who sustained a traumatic brain injury (TBI), and measure if there was a change in knowledge among occupational therapists, and occupational therapy students following a two-hour seminar covering topics identified in the literature. The topics covered in the seminar included the concept of ambiguous loss, the importance of validating emotions, the caregiver grieving process, and the importance of providing caregiver resources. To measure the change in knowledge, researchers utilized primarily a quantitative research design using pre- and post-test questionnaires with Likert- scale questions. The questionnaire …

Dirfloortime: An Innovative Approach To Supporting Development Through Connection And Understanding, Jessica Townsend

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

Children with developmental delays and neurobehavioral disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), often have social, emotional, or behavioral delays. Children who are not reaching developmental milestones or are reaching them at a slower rate may need extra support and services to reach their full potential. An innovative approach to treatment of developmental delay commonly used among therapists is called DIRFloortime®. DIRFloortime® (also referred to as Floortime) is the application of the Developmental, Individual-Differences, & Relationship-Based (DIR) model in practice. The purpose of this capstone project was to explore Floortime as a holistic intervention …

Attitudes And Usage Of Face Masks During The Covid-19 Pandemic Among Occupational Therapy Professionals In Texas, Stephen A. Cage, Diane P. Brown, Brandon J. Warner, Diana M. Gallegos, Heidi M. Cage

Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice

Purpose: Following the widespread transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), multiple business and schools drastically reduced face-to-face services. Additionally, many state and local governments enacted face mask mandates and other legislations aimed at decreasing the spread of the virus. Current research is being conducted to evaluate the epidemiology, recognition, treatment, and prevention of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the disease associated with SARS-CoV-2. At the time of this study, there is no published research on the attitudes and usage of face masks or face coverings among certified occupational therapy professionals during the COVID-19 Pandemic. The purpose of this …

Andragogy And Leadership Development In Entry-Level Doctoral Occupational Therapy Education, Tracey Elaine Recigno

Dissertations and Theses

Leadership development is critical for occupational therapy practitioners to be effective in their varied roles and ultimately is necessary for the sustainability of the occupational therapy profession. Occupational therapy education needs to be the starting point for developing a leadership identity. Best practices in leadership development require that experiences are contextualized and provide opportunities for active learning and reflective practices, yet there is minimal research to understand how occupational therapy educators teach this concept. This dissertation sought to first describe leadership development in occupational therapy and then describe how occupational therapy educators approach leadership education using adult learning principles. The …

The Effects Of Education With Healthcare Providers On Low Vision Assistive Devices And Their Ability To Improve Self-Care Skills, Lora L. Jester-Rains

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Results of a study by Casten et al., (2005) confirmed low rates of use of devices and services for low vision by the older adult. Older adults with low vision are receptive to using low vision resources but are often unaware of them (Lighthouse International, 2021). Casten et al. (2005) further suggested that the lack of services or use of devices may be due to a lack of awareness of health care professionals. Low vision assistive devices (LVAD), whether high or low tech, or mainstream, can help maximize a client’s vision so that they can perform everyday tasks …

Effective Mental Health Accommodations For Occupational Therapy Students And Practitioners, Allison Jo Naber

Dissertations and Theses

The process of transitioning from high school to higher education and from academic programs outside of the health sciences to the workplace is documented; however, the transitional experiences of those in the health professions and occupational therapy specifically are less understood. This dissertation research aimed to identify the formal accommodations and informal adaptations occupational therapy students and entry-level practitioners have employed to address their mental health needs as they transition from the classroom to fieldwork or capstone and entry-level practice. The link between empirical literature, theories surrounding transitions, and the Occupational Adaptation Model provided the foundation for this research. This …

Increasing Social Inclusion For Children With Disabilities In Faith-Based Settings: A Four-Part Dissertation, Valerie Miller

Theses and Dissertations--Rehabilitation Sciences

The aim of this dissertation is to increase the body of research in occupational therapy about how to increase the social inclusion of children with disabilities in faith-based settings. Even since the advent of important legislation like the Americans with Disabilities Act, which paved the way for community participation for individuals with disabilities, individuals with disabilities continue to face barriers to participating in society. Decreased inclusion for individuals with disabilities is seen throughout all sectors of society. One area of regular societal participation for many Americans is in faith-based settings such as churches, synagogues and temples. It has been reported …