Rehabilitation and Therapy Commons^™

Occupational Therapy's Role In Post-Secondary Transition Programing For Young Adults With Disabilities, Mallory Rubley

Capstone Projects

Post-secondary transition programs for young adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) are designed to support young adults with IDD in areas of independent living, academics, relationships, financial management, health and safety, and employment. All of which are within the scope of occupational therapy (OT). Within the limited post-secondary transition programs that exist for these young adults, OT is rarely included as a provided service, creating an unintentional disadvantage to the students and clients. The purpose of this Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) was program development and advocacy for the role of occupational therapy within Ready for Life (RFL), a post-secondary …

Implementation Of A Bilingual Feeding Program For Hispanic Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sarah Aguilar

Capstone Projects

Feeding is an important occupation that contributes to a child’s physical, emotional, and social development and is also influenced by cultural and environmental factors, (Korth & Maune, 2020). In individuals with developmental delays, specifically autism spectrum disorder (ASD), feeding difficulties have been reported in as many as 75% of children (Nygren et al., 2021). These difficulties often result in increased feelings of anxiety experienced by the child and caregiver. Limited information exists on the impact of these on minority populations, such as Spanish speaking families that face many challenges when accessing healthcare services like language and cultural barriers. Similarly, group …

Integrating Sport’S Vision Training Into Vision Therapy: The Role Of Occupational Therapy, Emily M. Beaird

Capstone Projects

Sports vision training (SVT) is a specialized area of vision therapy focused on enhancing an athlete's visual skills for peak athletic performance. Vision training is vital for athletes because “athletic performance can be one of the most rigorous activities for the visual system” (Khanal, 2015) and is responsible for upward of 80% of the sensory input received during an athletic performance. However, it is often overlooked in traditional training regimens. Focusing on advanced clinical practice and program development, an unmet need for SVT at Origami Rehabilitation was achieved. The main goal was to create an SVT program that catered to …

Mindful Teaching In Adolescent Dance Educaton: Prioritizing Mental Health, Camille Chimner

Capstone Projects

Mental health continues to be a concern for all ages, especially those within the period of adolescence. Adolescence is a time of great physical, cognitive, social, and emotional change that can be positively facilitated with support and strong coping skills. Adolescent dancers have additional demands placed upon them within the dance space. Adults can play a large role in this support, especially adults who serve as educators and coaches. Dance educators have the opportunity to work closely with dancers and can have great influence on both their physical and emotional health, but are not often trained to be mindful of …

Evaluating Sensory Processing And Functional Outcomes Of Children Participating In A Therapeutic Horseback Riding Read And Ride Program: A Single-Subject Research Study, Samantha Dunleavy-Shotsberger

Capstone Projects

Therapeutic horseback riding (TR) can be beneficial to various populations, such as individuals with disabilities, trauma, behavioral problems, anxiety, developmental delay, depression, and learning challenges. However, individuals come with a variety of complex needs and diagnoses, therefore more research is needed to determine how TR impacts the individual. Specifically, there is a lack of understanding of how the individual’s behavior, learning, and sensory processing is affected by TR intervention. Therefore, this study examined the effects of TR on childhood sensory processing and at-risk academic occupational performance in reading as it relates to behavior and attention. A single subject ABA design …

Implementing The Positive Approach To Care® Methods As An Effective Training Curriculum For Staff At An Adult Day Center, Delaney Acri

Capstone Projects

Dementia, a neurodegenerative disorder affecting multiple brain regions, significantly disrupts daily life (Feurich, 2023). Occupational therapists, guided by the Occupational Therapy and Performance Framework (OTPF-4), address cognitive and functional challenges in individuals with dementia (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020). Therapists employ compensatory strategies to enhance quality of life of people with dementia, as well as their family caregivers. Adult day centers serve as valuable resources for family caregivers, offering respite care during working hours. Despite regulations in most states, Michigan lacks specific dementia training laws in some healthcare settings (Burke & Orlowski, 2015). As a result, many facilities that serve …

Sensory Room Protocol And Education On Sensory Processing Differences In The School Setting, Bethany R. Antor

Capstone Projects

This capstone experience and project targets the enhancement of sensory integration strategies within a school environment by upgrading a sensory room, educating paraprofessionals and teachers on sensory processing differences, associated signs, and regulation tips, and implementing new material within a sensory path for increased student regulation. Sensory processing difficulties can significantly impact a child’s learning and behavior, necessitating effective school - based interventions involving an occupational therapist. This project aims to shrink the gap between school staff’s knowledge of sensory processing differences and the needs of their students. The outcomes include improved functionality and utilization of the sensory room, increased …

Promoting And Sustaining An Adaptive Sports Program On A College Campus Through Outreach And Resource Developmen, Morgan E. Otero

Capstone Projects

Participation in physical activity is essential for an individual’s health and well-being. However, persons with disabilities have limited access to physical activity due to personal, environmental, institutional, and/or social barriers. This limited access increases a disabled individual’s likelihood of developing secondary health conditions, decreased mental health outcomes, and feelings of social isolation. To combat this, it is important that these individuals have equitable access to and knowledge of adaptive physical activity opportunities such as adaptive sport, recreation, and fitness. To address this need, this capstone project focused on promoting and sustaining an existing adaptive sports and recreation program through the …

Development Of Occupation-Based And Trauma-Informed Care Resources To Promote Successful Reentry Following Release From Prison, Anna Burch

Capstone Projects

This 14-week capstone project focused on program development and education to establish occupational therapy-based resources into the Region 4 OS Reentry program through Michigan Department of correction (MDOC). The project was based out of Kent County Parole Office with the target population focusing on people who are actively on parole. Region 4 OS Reentry provides those on parole with many resources including bus cards, transitional housing, food vouchers, clothing/self-care assistance, trauma counseling and more. The purpose of this project was to utilize an occupational therapy lens to create resources revolving around ADL/IADLs, mental health, connecting the program with other community …

A How-To Guide For Implementing Level I Faculty-Facilitated Fieldwork Sites: A Western Michigan University Model, Jordyn Diaz

Capstone Projects

Since the Covid-19 pandemic, community partners and fieldwork educators have been overwhelmed by the demand of occupational therapy (OT) students seeking fieldwork placements. The faculty-facilitated model is a desirable option to relieve this burden and provide services for the community. Faculty-facilitated sites have a 1:6 fieldwork educator- to-student ratio. These sites can occur on-campus, within a community organization, or virtually as demonstrated by Western Michigan University (WMU). However, barriers to implementing this model include financial concerns, time constraints, space limitations, and the associated workload required to sustain these sites.

The focus of this doctoral capstone experience was to create a …

Student Comprehension Of Addressing Acote Standards Related To Fieldwork Educators And Level I Fieldwork Sites, Baileigh Grabow

Capstone Projects

Accreditation Council of Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) standards are the rules and procedures occupational therapy academic programs across the country are mandated to follow and uphold (ACOTE, 2018). The standards are the framework to ensure quality education of the same rigor across OT/OTA programs preparing the future practitioners of occupational therapy. The ACOTE Standards (2018) have an “A” section related the resources, faculty experience, public policies, curriculum framework, and strategic plan requirements, a “B” section related to didactic program content requirements, a “C” section for fieldwork requirements, and a “D” section related to capstone requirements.

The purpose of this doctoral …

Enhancing Self-Regulation Skills With The Zones Of Regulation, Sara Hayes

Capstone Projects

It has been highlighted that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Cognitive Impairments, Emotional Impairments, and other Sensory Processing Disorders. often lack the ability to self-regulate appropriately. Self-regulation is defined as the ability to control one’s emotions and behaviors, get along with others and engage in learning. Self-regulation helps children learn effectively, obtain, and maintain relationships, and communicate appropriately. A tool proven to teach and implement appropriate self-regulation is Leah Kupyers’ Zones of Regulation curriculum. The purpose of this literature review is to analyze the potential for OT involvement in the implementation of the Zones of Regulation curriculum within the …

The Development Of An 8-Week Neurodiversity-Affirming Caregiver Co-Regulation Coaching Program., Carissa Heestand

Capstone Projects

The realm of pediatric care is witnessing the rapid emergence of two innovative practices centered on nurturing safety within a child's nervous system. This program development endeavors to synergize these practices to optimize occupational balance within the familial unit. The first pioneering approach involves Neurodiversity (ND) affirming care, which is seamlessly integrated into therapy sessions. Here, therapists honor and embrace the diverse nature of each child's brain, while acknowledging and celebrating their unique abilities. The second innovative practice involves caregiver coaching sessions, with a primary focus on educating caregivers about co-regulation techniques. Previous research has highlighted the efficacy of such …

Integrative Sensory Room For General Education And Special Education 3rd-5th, Julia Henderson

Capstone Projects

Everyone has a unique sensory system that continues to change and adapt throughout their lifespan. In an 8-hour school day, children take in so much information with very little consideration of how their sensory systems may be reacting in response to varying environments and social situations. The gap within the school system remains to be seen as a lack of understanding of sensory systems and how they affect children’s learning capabilities. The objective throughout my capstone experience was to support Greyhound Intermediate School by creating a sensory room for both special education and general education students. This was done by …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Transition Programs For High School Students With Disabilities, Kara Hutchison

Capstone Projects

Students with disabilities frequently experience a gap in services as they grow older and after exiting the public education system. During school, students have Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) to support their education, but once they graduate, the services they were receiving expire. Occupational therapy is under- utilized in transition planning for students after graduating high school and entering adulthood. The purpose of this DCE was program development and advocacy with the Project SEARCH transition program while exploring the role of occupational therapy has in transition planning for high school students with disabilities. The goal of this project was to improve …

The Integration Of Occupational Therapy In Transition Programs To Improve Outcomes For Students, Morgan Jagiela

Capstone Projects

Numerous studies exist depicting the benefit and efficacy of an occupational therapy (OT) presence within post-secondary transition programs. Both transition programs and occupational therapists aim to help students with disabilities improve independent living skills, vocational skills, and social/communication skills, so they may live functional adult lives with as few supports as possible. Despite this success and the overlap in scope, OT is rarely found in transition programs. The purpose of this doctoral capstone experience (DCE) was to develop a program that would implement occupational therapy into the Empower U transition program. Through the creation and completion of objectives, success and …

Friends At Work: Creating A Peer-To-Peer Program For Individuals With Disabilities In The Workplace, Claire Johnson

Capstone Projects

Students with disabilities face social isolation, loneliness, mental health conditions, and unemployment rates at a disproportionately high rate compared to their typically developing peers (Choiseul-Praslin et al., 2019). Peer support programs and transition to work organizations have the ability to combat these factors. The following Doctoral Capstone Experience depicts the development and implementation of a peer-to-peer program within a transition to work program to increase social participation amongst transitional students with disabilities. The program was implemented at Project SEARCH at Corewell Health Beaumont Troy Hospital. Additionally, this project attempts to quantitatively qualify the effectiveness of the Project SEARCH program in …

Pediatric Developmental Milestones And Surveillance; Understanding Pediatrician, Ot, Slp, Bcba, And Respective Pre-Professionals’ Current Knowledge, Roles, And Confidence, Gabrielle A. Jones

Capstone Projects

Limited literature exists on developmental surveillance, particularly occupational therapist’s role, and clinicians’ current knowledge and understanding of the CDC milestones. A pilot study was conducted to better understand the current knowledge, role, and confidence of primary care pediatricians, Speech and Language Pathologists, Board Certified Behavior Analysts, Occupational Therapists and respective pre-professionals regarding utilization of updated CDC developmental milestones and developmental surveillance. My objectives involved gaining knowledge and collaborating to create, administer, collect data, and analyze data using an anonymous survey. This also included collaborating to create, edit, and submit an HSIRB application. Results of this study provide supporting evidence that …

Improving The Care Of Individuals With Neurogenic Bowel And Bladder Dysfunction In An Inpatient Rehabilitation Setting, Brooke Loucks

Capstone Projects

Neurogenic bladder and bowel dysfunction can lead to serious health complications and negatively impacts one’s mental health and quality of life (Kurze et al., 2022l; Borsh et al., 2019 ). Despite the abundance of research on the topic concerning the spinal cord injury population, there is limited generalization to other neurologic conditions with similar presentation. There is also a need for practical implementation and clinical guidelines in health care systems (Kurze et al., 2022l; Borsh et al., 2019). Toileting is one of the main activities of daily living listed in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework ( AOTA, 2020) yet the …

Occupational Therapy Health & Wellness Promotion For Adults Living With Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities, Sydni Rodriguez

Capstone Projects

Based on educational principles and program development, this occupational therapy doctoral capstone experience (DCE) was centered on addressing the health and wellness needs of adults living with intellectual/developmental disabilities (I/DD) at Self-Help Alternative Living Opportunities Michigan (SHALOM), a Christian non-profit organization. Research has shown that adults living with I/DD have an increased chance of having health complications related to health disparities when compared to the general population of adults. Occupational therapists have a profound role in health and wellness as it relates to access and engagement in daily occupations. This DCE was accomplished through development of a recurrent monthly walking …

Grant Funding For Non-Profit Organizations And Community Focused Entrepreneurship, Tyler Turnquist

Capstone Projects

The primary objective of this Capstone project was centered around developing grant writing skills and the ways it aids both nonprofits and small businesses to promote increased opportunities within the community. One facet of this project focused on researching and writing grants for the nonprofit, Renew Mobility to increase their operation budget, as well as creating a central database of their funding sources. This database fills the need for better organization of deadlines, interactions, and documents that can reduce the number of missed grant opportunities and increase overall funding. The second objective of this capstone was writing a grant for, …

Implementation Of A Life Skills Program With Houseless Youth, Stephanie Velasco

Capstone Projects

The goal of my capstone project was to use occupational therapy knowledge and processes to integrate life skills training into a pre-existing program of services at a not-for-profit organization that helps youth overcome being houseless on Oahu, Hawaii. Occupational therapy as a profession helps individuals to engage in everyday meaningful activities as independently as possible. The scope of occupational therapy includes education and practice of life skills. Life skills are practical abilities and behaviors that allow individuals to effectively meet the demands and challenges of everyday life. Examples of these are knowledge of food and nutrition, meal preparation, home cleanliness …

Recollection-Based Occupational Therapy: An Activities Program For Catholic Dominican Sisters With Dementia, Alyssa J. Visockis

Capstone Projects

Recollection-based occupational therapy is a nonpharmacological approach to dementia, involving five categories of activities: horticultural, physical, art, musical, and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs). The purpose of this approach is to incorporate memories of a person’s childhood, adulthood, and older adulthood before dementia in activities. Furthermore, the Grand Rapids Catholic Dominican sisters at Aquinata Hall needed a method to gather psychosocial history on their residents as well as new activity programming on the dementia- care unit that had meaningful purpose. Therefore, during this capstone experience, a psychosocial history assessment was created and conducted with the sisters. Using the results …

Utilizing The Functional Mobility Assessment/Uniform Data Set (Fma/Uds) Registry To Conduct Research Related To Wheelchair Repair Frequency, Brooke Wilson

Capstone Projects

Issues with wheelchair equipment is a common experience for users, but access to repairs and maintenance isn’t always the most efficient process. A large portion of occupational therapy’s (OT) patient population includes wheelchair users, so it’s important to consider the impact of wheelchair breakdown on a patient’s daily function. There has been a lack of research on wheelchair repair frequency during the first year of ownership, so this capstone project focused on developing a manuscript for journal submission on this topic. This was achieved utilizing data from the Functional Mobility Assessment/Uniform Data Set (FMA/UDS) Registry. Client characteristics were extracted from …

Support Group Development And Implementation For Parents With Disabilities, Jessica Zydorczyk

Capstone Projects

The focus of this capstone project was to develop a peer-to-peer support group open to any parent or caregiver with a disability navigating the challenges of pregnancy and parenthood. Occupational therapy can have a large impact on the population of individuals parenting with a disability with increased awareness and understanding of their needs. Friendship, community, resource access, and awareness were all needs addressed with the development of the parent support group. The objectives set to be achieved during the 14-week experience included conducting extensive research on the disabled parenting experiences of day-to-day life, developing of handouts and resource collection on …

Wild Wheels: Meaningful Art Program Designed For Adults With Intellectual And Developmental Disabilities, Alexis Bailey-Lauchie

Capstone Projects

The Wild Wheels program was designed to offer adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) an opportunity to engage in meaningful and purposeful art-based activities. The aim supports the distinctive value of occupational therapy (OT) defined as enhancing the health and quality of life (QOL) of individuals by promoting participation and engagement in meaningful daily activities. Typically, for individuals with IDD options for meaningful engagement are limited due to various physical/mental limitations and increased need for assistance. The Center for Disability Services (CDS) at Western Michigan University (WMU) introduced the Wild Wheels program to enable participants to create unique artwork …

Expanding Menstrual Health And Hygiene Management At Western Michigan University, Kaitlyn R. Brady

Capstone Projects

Menstrual health and hygiene are vital yet often overlooked components of women’s well-being with implications for academic success, physical health, and social equity. This capstone project, conducted with Western Michigan University’s Broncos. Period program, aimed to address the critical issue of period poverty and inadequate menstrual hygiene management on campus. Through comprehensive needs assessments, key gaps and opportunities were identified. Objectives were created based on results from the needs assessments and implemented to secure grant funding for menstrual products, establish formal partnerships, and develop educational materials. As a result of the objectives, the project secured funding to restock partner locations, …

The Effects Of Customized Art-Based Interventions On The Quality Of Life Of Older Adults With Early-Stage Dementia, Kalei Hubert-Mclennan

Capstone Projects

Occupational therapy (OT) was founded during the Arts and Crafts and Moral Treatment Movement to assist veterans in acclimating to their communities after discharge. While arts and crafts were initially a large part of OT, after the paradigm shift to the medical model in the 1960s, art was replaced by technology and removed from the OT curriculum and ACOTE standards. As OT continued to grow as a profession, art shifted from being part of the psychodynamic approach to being utilized to gather information and foster relationships. While art is an activity that can span across ages, there is a lack …

Combating Social Isolation Among Older Adults Through Intergenerational Relationships With Children; Facilitating Meaningful Connection During Intergenerational Interactions By Improving Sensory Environment And Increasing Engagement During Group Activities, Lillian John

Capstone Projects

The following capstone project focused on the enhancement of meaningful engagement among all participants of an intergenerational care center. The interventions implemented within the intergenerational program were put in place to facilitate communication, improve behavioral regulation, modify sensory environment, create the just right challenge for group activities, and increase independence to promote meaningful engagement and social connection. The implementation of the interventions was completed through on-site education to the employees, the creation of various educational binders to support the participants individually, and adjustments to the environment and group activities. This capstones projects’ primary goal was to improve the efficacy of …

Implementation Of An Occupation-Focused Education Program For Community-Dwelling Older Adults, Riley Janssen

Capstone Projects

A Doctoral Capstone Experience (DCE) and project was completed at the conclusion of Western Michigan University’s Occupational Therapy program with the goal of implementing an occupation-focused educational program dedicated toward topics relevant for community-dwelling older adults. The capstone project took place at the Clinton Township Senior Adult Life Center (CTSC) under the mentorship of Ericka Tringali, CPRP. The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) focus area of this project was program development. The program consisted of three educational classes focusing on topics including Basic Activities of Daily Living (BADLs), creating healthy habits and routines, and fall prevention and energy …