Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Sensory Food Aversions: Therapeutic Feeding Strategies For Children, Laureen Giles

MOT Student Capstones

Raising a child with selective eating habits is a common concern among many parents. By the age of two years old, 50% of children will develop selective eating habits which is a typical stage of development in young childhood. However, if a child is avoiding certain kinds of food due to sensory characteristics than skilled sensory intervention by an occupational therapy practitioner may be warranted. Research shows that children with "sensory" aversions to food between the ages of0-8 years old are more likely to develop long term selective eating patterns. Long term food aversion impacts nutritional intake which may affect …

Theme Park Experiences Of Families With A Child Who Has A Disability Regarding Accessibility And Participation - A Mixed Methods Study, Kylie Kathryn Allan, Karen Park

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Despite the large number of children with disabilities, there is no research focused on the experience that families with a child who has a disability have while at theme parks. Utilizing surveys and semi-structured interviews, this mixed-methods study explored the experiences of these families, specifically looking at accessibility and participation within the theme park environment. Thirty-seven parents/guardians completed the online survey, while ten individuals also elected to participate in the semi-structured interviews. Results of the study revealed that families are driven to visit theme parks by a want for connectedness. The positives of theme parks include the staff/cast members and …

Exploring The Occupation Of Adaptive Skateboarding, Megan Sandwith, Susan Macdermott, Amy Griswold

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The occupation of adaptive skateboarding strives to bring inclusivity to skateboarding by means of adaptational strategies that support performance for individuals with varied abilities. The purpose of this capstone project is to explore the occupation of adaptive skateboarding to increase the occupational knowledge and to inform occupational therapy’s role. A mixed methods research study was conducted to explore the question: What are the supports and barriers for participation in adaptive skateboarding? Additional community-based capstone experiences occurred to support the comprehensive findings that consider the role of occupational therapy in promoting participation. Conclusions highlight the meaning of the occupation of adaptive …

An Exploration Of Pediatric Occupational Therapist's Perspectives On Functional And Assistive Mobility, Jennifer Allison, Amy Lyons-Brown

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Occupational therapists (OTs) are highly skilled in assessing context, environment, and sensory-motor needs which are critical in addressing functional mobility and implementing assistive mobility devices. There is limited research on pediatric OT’s role in functional mobility. This study aims to explore pediatric OT's roles and perceptions of functional mobility and the implementation and use of assistive mobility devices.

Methods: Data was collected via an online survey with an option to participate in a follow-up interview. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were used to summarize trends and differences in the data.

Results: Twenty licensed OTs working in a variety of …

Wellness Research & Programming For Bodybuilders, Victoria Castillo, Karen Park, Kersten Laughlin

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This project explores the occupational impact on bodybuilders and wellness & program development for competitive bodybuilders. Phase one focuses on research to understand the occupational impact on bodybuilders during competition. Phase two, which focuses on program development, highlights the alignment to the objectives as they allow for the development of an educational program intended for bodybuilder coaches to help with health prevention and wellness with their bodybuilder clients.

The Mental Health And Wellness Of Young Adults With Down Syndrome, Annika Soderfelt, Susan Macdermott, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

A poster presentation regarding the mental health and wellness of young adults with Down syndrome. This poster discusses how the mental health and wellness needs of individuals with Down syndrome are or are not currently being met and how resources and programming could be created, particularly by OTs, to better meet their need.

Stroke-Related Mental Health Challenges And Interventions: Strategies For Holistic Recovery, Christopher Walsh, Sam Lee

MOT Student Capstones

This capstone project examines the relationship between post-stroke and mental health. It presents the necessity for a holistic and client-centered approach in the recovery process. Through a mixed-methods approach combining a literature review and empirical research, including surveys of stroke survivors, caregivers, and practitioners, the study shows the prevalence of depression and anxiety post-stroke and the potential benefit of comprehensive mental health support. The findings emphasize the importance of community, spirituality, and proactive education in enhancing mental well-being. The effectiveness of specific interventions for this population was found to be variable, which warrants the use of personalized assessments and intervention …

Marshall Co. Parks Department: Miracle League Of Western Ky, Ragan Harris Winters

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed by Ragan Harris Winters through a partnership with the Miracle League of Western Kentucky at Mike Miller Park to develop a training video for volunteers participating in future baseball seasons. The focus of this project was to develop a brief volunteer training video with beneficial information to prepare volunteers to assist players before, during, and after the games. The training video aimed to educate volunteers of the Miracle League to assist players with varying disabilities and what to expect when volunteering at the CFSB Field of Dreams. The project also included administrative tasks related …

The Sensory Library: Facilitating Opportunities For Success At Bellevue Elementary School, Reagan M. Trussell

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with Lamar County School District near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. This school district has eight elementary school campuses. The purpose of this project is to provide teachers with tools to improve focus, learning, and participation to facilitate opportunities for success in the classroom. A “sensory library” was created at two elementary school campuses to service grades prek-5 to accomplish this goal.. Faculty was also provided deliverables including rules of the sensory library, instructions to access and use the sensory library digital QR checkout system, the basics of sensory processing, sensory guidebook, contents of …

Enhancing Participation In Play Through Staff Training At We Rock The Spectrum, Megan Poppens

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone was completed by partnering with We Rock the Spectrum in Franklin, Tennessee. We Rock the Spectrum is an inclusive, sensory-safe play environment for all children. The goal was to provide education, coaching, and practical tips for staff to foster increased inclusion and participation in play. A training manual was created with topics including the impact of play, development, respectful disability language, disability terms and abbreviations, sensory regulation, safety, common misconceptions, pediatric diagnoses, strategies for leading groups, behavior management, and interacting one-on-one with children. The educational resources were used to enhance the staff member’s knowledge, confidence, and skills …

Expanding The Availability Of Adapted Athletics For Youth With Physical Disabilities In Middle Tennessee, Alexandra Hurd

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed in partnership with ABLE Youth in Nashville, TN. ABLE Youth is a non-profit organization that uses sports as the motivation for children who use wheelchairs to reach their goals of independence. The two main goals of this project were as follows: One, to facilitate the Music City Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, the largest adaptive athletics event in Tennessee, and Two, to expand the variety of sports offered at the monthly Super Sports Saturday events. By the end of this capstone experience, volleyball and lacrosse were introduced to the ABLE youth program participants. Ideas for future …

Best Screening: Introducing The Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid To Nicus In Tennessee, Gabrielle Sledge

OTD Capstone Projects

Blind Early Services Tennessee (BEST) is an early intervention agency that serves children ages 0-5 with visual impairments across Tennessee. BEST serves over 200 children and families across the state offering early intervention (BEST Start), parent empowerment (BEST Advocate), and family support (BEST Together) programming. The purpose of this project was to assist in the implementation of an early identification initiative (BEST Screening) using the Neonatal Assessment Visual European Grid (NAVEG). The NAVEG is a newborn vision screening shown to identify neurological risk for visual impairments. The long-term goal of this program is to promote the screening and early identification …

Childhood Cancer Survivorship: Navigating A New Normal In Middle Tennessee, Karli M. Beaumont

OTD Capstone Projects

Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in partnership with Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center offers REACH for Cancer Survivorship, a pediatric cancer survivorship clinic. REACH provides a full range of follow-up care designed to meet the physical, emotional, and practical needs of survivors and continuous surveillance of deleterious effects of cancer and its treatments. The purpose of this project was to meet population and agency needs through research of long- and late-term sequela while advocating for occupational therapy’s role in the oncology population through the proactive therapy and prospective surveillance models. The process of creating this project included synthesizing the literature, …

Flip For Function Program Development To Increase Effectiveness Of Current And Future Program Offerings, Brianne Dombrowski

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone was completed in partnership with Flip for Function, a therapeutic gymnastic program that combines occupational therapy practices to serve children with developmental differences. The goal of this project was to address gaps in the company from perspectives of the current program and the population it serves, to increase satisfaction of all those involved in Flip for Function. This capstone project focused on creating updated training protocols, developing effective curriculum for class offerings, and furthering marketing content for current and future programming. Resources were created for the onboarding process to ensure each new hire is provided with all …

Health Professional Students Receiving Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment: An Interdisciplinary And Interprofessional Activity To Improve Attitudes Towards Osteopathic Medicine And Interprofessional Collaboration, Nicole Neiman, Justinas Joksas, Erica Sickel, Anne Marie Zeller

Research Day

No abstract provided.

Occupation-Based Fine Motor Activities For Individuals With Parkinson's Disease At Rock Steady Boxing, Caylin N. Dean

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project represents a collaborative effort with Rock Steady Boxing (RSB), an organization dedicated to supporting individuals with Parkinson’s Disease (PD). Many individuals with PD experience fine motor deficits which highlights the importance of addressing these challenges. The primary objective of this project is to identify and address such deficits among participants at RSB Music City and Franklin through the development of occupation-based fine motor activities. Qualitative surveys were utilized to understand participants' satisfaction with their fine motor abilities and the impact on quality of life. The outcome of this project is a set of occupation-based fine motor …

Bridging The Gap: Equipping Caregivers With Skills To Promote Development, Victoria Long

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with Alverson Pediatric Therapy, a private, community-based pediatric practice. Alverson Pediatric Therapy aims not only to meet the child’s needs, but also to equip all parents with the skills and confidence to help their child reach the next stage of development. The primary focus of this project was to develop accessible caregiver education on various occupation-based and developmentally appropriate topics. These topics included developmental milestones, emotional regulation, sensory processing, dressing, and so forth. Outcomes of the project included fourteen weeks of social media programming and four, in-depth video module scripts with …

Bridging The Gap Between The Occupational Therapy Department And The Education Department At An Inclusive Preschool, Brenna C. Hunt

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with First Steps Inc. in Nashville, TN. First Steps Inc. is both an outpatient therapy clinic and an inclusive childcare facility that provides education for children with special needs alongside their typically developing peers. This project sought to bridge the gap between the occupational therapy department and the education department at First Steps to promote participation, inclusion, and developmental growth in the classrooms. The focus of the project was the development and implementation of various OT tools and resources to be used in the classrooms. Deliverables included choice boards, visual schedules, …

Increasing Staffs’ Awareness Of Adaptive Swim Lesson Methodology And Enhancing Agency’S Infant Lesson Programming, Chloe E. Volpi

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was conducted in partnership with Sunshine Swim Center, located in Elk Grove, CA. Sunshine is a small-scale swim lesson company that is proud to offer their community small class sizes and personalized swim instruction. The focus of this project was to educate agency staff on the importance of adaptive swim lessons for children with disabilities and enhance the current infant lesson programming. The staff education material included information on instruction modification, informal behavior modification, alternate forms of communication, cueing, skill grading, and the sensory properties of water. Enhancements to the infant programming included adding fifteen new …

A Parent's Guide To Pediatric Wheelchair Equipment, Gianna M. Sarli

OTD Capstone Projects

This capstone project was completed through a partnership with Permobil. Permobil is an assistive technology company that makes assistive technology solutions that enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities. They create a wide range of assistive technology products including power wheelchairs, manual wheelchairs, cushions, extremity supports, positioning equipment, and so much more. The focus of this project was to create the Content Brief for a pediatric landing page on their website. This webpage is focused on how Permobil products can support a child’s occupational participation and help them achieve their daily goals. The goal of this content was to have …

The Implementation Of Animal Assisted Therapy In Adult Neurological Rehabilitation, Rachel Camilleri

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with Pi Beta Phi Rehabilitation Institute at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. The focus of this project was to develop animal assisted therapy interventions that could be utilized amongst occupational therapy practitioners with the clinic’s facility dog in an effort to increase utilization of animal assisted therapy. The process for this project required a thorough review of the literature on animal assisted therapy and neurological rehabilitation, conversations with current and past facility dog teams to learn about their work, and trialing animal assisted therapy activities in patient sessions. The outcome of this …

Education And Advocacy For Universal Design And Accessibility In Housing, Apisara Vairojanakich, Amy Lyons-Brown, Molly Wuebker

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

In the United States, there is a lack of adequate numbers of universally designed and accessible houses in the housing market for the older population and people with disabilities. Many barriers, such as financial support and lack of knowledge for housing-related professionals, can prevent this population from participating in home occupations. The project developed educational products, including the universal design housing experience booklet, universal design housing checklist, and universal design blueprints. These products were delivered through the blog post on Uncurbed LinkedIn website. The needs assessment was conducted to provide the guidelines for the chapters in the booklet and checklist. …

Promoting Participation In Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease Through The Development Of Accessible Occupation-Based Resources, Kelly Struthers

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through partnership with Rock Steady Boxing Music City, a non-profit organization that provides boxing classes for individuals diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and other motor-related disorders. The purpose of this project was to understand the participatory barriers that are common within the Parkinson’s disease community and develop solution-oriented resources in response to these barriers. All developed resources were intentionally created to maximize accessibility and explored areas such as driving, fatigue, caregiving, and memory. These resources were compiled and distributed to the “fighters” of Rock Steady Boxing via an in-person “OT Corner” bulletin board, the weekly …

Supporting Adolescent Parents Involved In Younglives, Rachel Fister

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project focused on creating educational tools and resources for adolescent caregivers, volunteer mentors, and staff associates involved in YoungLives. YoungLives is a branch of the non-profit outreach organization YoungLife, that supports adolescent/teen parents and expecting mothers worldwide. The goal of this project was to supply accessible and user-friendly resources for the population to gain knowledge on pediatric topics such as child development, age appropriate milestones, sensory processing, as well as activities to promote occupational skills. The project outcomes resulted in a guidebook and deliverables for education and training purposes, a social media platform for nationwide connection and …

Providing Sensory Integration Education And Transition Tools For The Tennessee Baptist Children’S Homes, Thuy-Duong D. Huynh

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with the residential department of the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes, a state-wide ministry that cares for children whose families are in crisis. There were two primary focuses for this project: (1) providing sensory integration education to house parents and (2) creating tools to ease transitions. Outcomes included a presentation and training on sensory integration, a booklet with easily accessible sensory integration information, a local activity guide for day visits with families, and a routine schedule of home visits to ease transitions.

Awareness And Advocacy For The Needs Of Nfl Athletes: A Qualitative Study, Bianca Castro, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The presentation delves into understanding, investigating, and supporting the occupational needs of NFL athletes. Through thorough research and analysis, it was revealed that these athletes face distinct challenges and demands in their professional and personal lives, specifically in wellness, quality of life, and lifestyle balance. The study results provide knowledge and abilities to address and advocate the unique needs of NFL athletes. The evidence strongly emphasizes the advantages and benefits of occupational therapy services in non-traditional settings such as sports.

Every Moment Counts (Emc): Understanding School Stakeholder Perceptions Of Positive Mental Health Promotion In The Elementary School Setting. A Preliminary Report., Madeline Malooly, Angela Blackwell, Lauren Thomas

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

For children and adolescents, the prevalence of psychological disorders associated with mental illness continues to rise in North America and is now considered to be the leading cause of disability for this population (Bitsko et al., 2022). It was estimated that between 25 and 50% of adult mental illnesses could be prevented through early intervention and preventative measures in childhood (Kim-Cohen et al., 2003). In an effort to address mental health promotion in schools, Dr. Susan Bazyk founded and created EMC, which is a “multi-pronged mental health promotion initiative to help all children to be mentally healthy in order to …

Navigating Dysautonomia: A Workbook For Empowered Living, Madison Thornton

OTD Capstone Projects

Dysautonomia Support Network (DSN) is a nonprofit organization composed of volunteers who have a passion for serving the population of individuals with dysautonomia. Dysautonomia is a complex and often debilitating disorder affecting the autonomic nervous system, which regulates involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature control. Those living with dysautonomia face a myriad of challenges ranging from chronic fatigue and dizziness to gastrointestinal issues and cognitive impairment. The unpredictability of symptoms can significantly impact daily life, leading to feelings of frustration, isolation, and helplessness. However, amidst these challenges lies the potential for empowerment and transformation. …

Fighting Against Parkinson's: A Collection Of Occupation-Inspired Workouts For Rock Steady Boxing, Landis Llewelyn

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed through a partnership with Rock Steady Boxing in Hendersonville, North Carolina. Rock Steady Boxing provides group workout classes for all stages of Parkinson’s disease with a focus on improving quality of life through empowering individuals to fight back against Parkinson’s. The purpose of this project was to analyze various occupations deemed as difficult by the participants of Rock Steady Boxing in Hendersonville, North Carolina, and create workouts directly targeting the skills needed to successfully perform these occupations. These workouts were implemented into classes at Rock Steady Boxing and modified to accommodate a wide range …

Encouraging Participation For Trainees At Autism Career Training, Sydney L. Stahl

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed with Autism Career Training (ACT), a non-profit organization that teaches vocational skills to young adults with autism. The purpose of this project was to improve the participation of ACT trainees in all aspects of programming. To do this, various strategies; social activities; and community networking were implemented. Strategies to improve classroom participation, social conversation, and address sensory needs were developed and incorporated, along with a sensory profile assessment. Social activities were introduced, and partnerships were started with various employers in the community. An activity analysis was done per each job position available at these …