Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Kentucky Middle School General Education Teachers: Perceptions On Sensory Integration Of Students On The Autism Spectrum, Lynda C. Harrison

Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions of general education teachers in Kentucky middle schools regarding their knowledge concerning Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), and their abilities to implement strategies designed to accommodate students on the spectrum. Participants included both general and special education teachers though the original targeted sampling included general education teachers only. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire and a Likert scale survey created by the researcher and distributed through a web based program. Demographic characteristics collected included number of graduate credit hours, age, years of teaching experience, credited hours of training on ASD at …

Exploring Content Validity Of Shore Handwriting Screening And Newly Developed Score Sheet With Pre-Kindergarten Students, Denise K. Donica, Erin Francsis

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Limited tools exist to measure handwriting readiness skills of pre-kindergarten students. This study was a preliminary exploration of content validity of the Shore Handwriting Screening (SHS) and the newly developed Score Sheet with the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition (BOT-2) in 4- and 5-year-old pre-kindergarten students. Because socioeconomic status (SES) is known to impact handwriting skills, data from two different socioeconomic groups were collected.

Method: Students from a Lower SES group (n = 36) and a Higher SES group (n = 14) completed the SHS and fine motor composite of the BOT-2. Pearson’s correlation was used to …

Supporting The Occupational Therapy Student In The Production And Dissemination Of Systematic Reviews: An Interprofessional Collaboration Among Librarians And Occupational Therapy Faculty, Teal W. Benevides, Phd, Otr/L, Paul Hunter, Dmd, Mlis, Gary E. Kaplan, Ms, Ahip, Daniel G. Kipnis, Msi

Department of Occupational Therapy Posters and Presentations

Objectives

This poster describes the outcomes of a curriculum-based collaboration between librarians and OT faculty (‘collaboration’) to enhance graduate student skills for conducting a systematic review (SR); the collaboration included database instruction, bibliographic management software, and culminated in student presentations to healthcare practitioners for continuing education credit. Three outcome areas are discussed: impact of the collaboration on student satisfaction and perceived competence; characteristics of the included literature; and the dissemination of SR findings to healthcare practitioners.

Methods

Three librarians participated in the instruction and the institutional repository (Jefferson Digital Commons; JDC) deposits. A total of 132 students over a period …

Helping Parents Navigate Occupational Therapy In The Iep Process, Noelle Bakken, Kelly Calton, Molly Hyland, Shannon Landau

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

At the request of Matrix Parent Network and the Marin Autism Collaborative, the project developers have gathered information in order to help parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) better understand Occupational Therapy (OT) in the school setting. The development of the resource guide consisted of three needs assessments to identify areas of occupational therapy in which parents required further clarification. After meeting with the director of parent services from Matrix Parent Network, and receiving the online survey results from twenty-eight parents in Marin County, who have children with ASD, the project developers identified areas of OT to focus …

The Use Of Pbl In An Interprofessional Education Course For Health Care Professional Students, Kristine M. L'Ecuyer, David Pole, Sheila A. Leander

Interdisciplinary Journal of Problem-Based Learning

A problem-based learning (PBL) framework was utilized in a series of six interprofessional team seminars (IPTS) for postbaccalaureate students from seven health professions. The goal of IPTS was to develop a collaborative practice-ready workforce prepared to respond to patient care needs through use of concrete examples, skills development, critical thinking, and problem solving in safe, faculty-facilitated small groups. The collaborative nature of PBL closely correlates with teaching methodologies of the IPTS series. This study analyzed critical reflection assignments of nursing students in accelerated programs to determine the effectiveness of IPTS at preparing students for interprofessional collaborative practice. Findings indicated that …

The Correlation Between Confidence And Knowledge Of Evidence-Based Practice Among Occupational Therapy Students, Kate E. Decleene Huber, Alison Nichols, Kaila Bowman, Jessica Hershberger, Jessica Marquis, Taylor Murphy, Chanlar Pierce, Chelsea Sanders

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is used throughout multiple health-care professions and includes the use of best research available, client preferences, and the practitioner’s experience. Occupational therapy educational programs are required to incorporate EBP into their curriculum. A convenience sample of occupational therapy students from a private university completed a survey designed to measure students’ knowledge and confidence in EBP. The survey consisted of the Knowledge of Research Evidence Competencies (K-REC) and the Evidence-Based Practice Confidence (EPIC) scale, as well as demographic questions. Of the respondents (n = 47), third-year students indicated higher confidence in the ability to utilize EBP and higher …

How Patient Educators Teach Students: “Giving A Face To A Story”, Natalie Hedge, Marsha A. Neville, Noralyn Davel Pickens

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Patient Educators are persons with specific pathologies that have participated in an education program in which they learn how to instruct students on physical examinations. The aim of this study was to explore the impact of graduate student experiences with Patient Educators during coursework on occupational therapy clinical internships. A phenomenological design was used to explore the lived experiences of students through a qualitative interview. As participants described their experiences with the Patient Educators, three primary themes emerged: (a) self-awareness, (b) confidence, and (c) empathy. The quotes from the transcriptions were organized into four sequential plot categories: (a) Before the …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Primary Care, Priti Patel

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

The Capstone Project is focused on communicating, influencing and educating other health care professionals regarding the role of occupational therapy in the future model of primary care delivery initiated by the adoption of the Affordable Care Act and the Triple Aim Initiative. Currently, primary care, the largest health care platform in United States, is not inclusive of occupational therapy services. Occupational therapists have the scope, knowledge and understanding to be part of the redesigned team model of primary care. Educating those currently working in primary care about adding occupational therapy services can have a significant impact on the profession of …

The Relationship Between Somatosensory Processing And Handwriting Proficiency, Hillary Colby, Ani K. Courville, Sherin Thomas, Salwa Yaser

Student Research Posters

Handwriting proficiency is reliant on the skill and coordination of the sensory, motor, cognitive, and perceptual systems. One aspect of sensory processing for penmanship is somatosensation. The contribution of somatosensory processing to handwriting proficiency has not been adequately researched. Therefore, this study evaluated the contribution of somatosensory processing to handwriting proficiency. Seventy-four typically developing second grade children were assessed on their handwriting proficiency and their somatosensory processing. Measurement instruments included the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA), The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration-Motor Coordination Subtest, Sixth Edition (VMI-MC), and Quick Neurological Screening Test, 3rd Edition (QNST-3). Results showed a small, …

The Role Of Reusable Learning Objects In Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Education, Bryan M. Gee, Jane Strickland, Lisa Salazar

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Out of early research, Cisco Systems (1999) have built an impressive foundation that advocates for reusable learning objects (RLOs). As the need for online methods for delivering both formal and informal educational content has increased, the prospect of greater influence through carefully constructed RLOs has grown. RLOs are any digital resource that can be used and reused to enhance online learning. RLOs typically are small, discrete, self-contained digital objects that may be sequenced, combined, and used within a variety of instructional activities. RLOs have been implemented in nursing, pharmacy, and physician assistant programs. However, there is a lack of literature …

The Effectiveness Of Peer Mentoring In Helping First Year Students Develop Occupational Adaptation Skills, Lashelle Rena Rullan, Jovita Vasquez, Julia Wong

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

Objective. To evaluate the effectiveness of peer mentoring in helping first year, first-generation college students at Dominican University of California (DUC) adapt to university life and navigate the occupational challenges experienced during the first year of college.

Method. Sixty-seven students voluntarily completed an online survey, First Year College Experience (FYCE) Survey: Adaptation to University Life. Quantitative research determined the influence of peer mentoring on the students’ adaptation and occupational performance in their transition to college. Effectiveness was determined by: 1) sense of belonging, 2) developed academic and social skills, 3) adaptive responses and strategies used, and 4) overall satisfaction with …

A Qualitative Study Of The Experiences Of First-Generation Peer Mentors, Cindelle Leyson, Jessica Suzanne Taylor, Tiffany Torres

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

While there are numerous studies reporting on the benefits that mentees receive from peer mentoring, there is limited research on the benefits to mentors, particularly first-generation students (FGS). The purpose of this study was to examine the experience of mentoring from the FGS mentors’ point of view. In this qualitative, exploratory design, four FGS mentors were interviewed about their experiences with a peer-mentoring program at their university. The participants believed they developed skills in the areas of time management, communication, and setting boundaries. The participants learned about themselves and gained an understanding of how the skills they developed while mentoring …

Development Of The Classroom Sensory Environment Assessment (C-Sea), Heather Miller-Kuhaneck, Jacqueline P. Kelleher

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

The Classroom Sensory Environment Assessment (C-SEA) allows teachers to examine the sensory aspects of classroom tasks and environments. The purpose is to assist in determining ways to modify tasks and environments to improve engagement and reduce problem behaviors in elementary school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Beyond The Pencil: Expanding The Occupational Therapists’ Role In Helping Young Children To Develop Writing Skills, Hope K. Gerde, Tricia D. Foster, Lori E. Skibbe

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapists (OTs) play an important role in early childhood classrooms as vital members of the educational team, particularly for young children’s writing development. Children’s emergent writing is a foundational literacy skill, which begins to develop well before they enter elementary school. However, early childhood classrooms are lacking in supports for early writing development. OTs are experts in guiding the development of early writing skills in young children and, therefore, should be considered as critical members of the early literacy curriculum team. This paper identifies the critical role emergent writing plays in early childhood literacy development and how to effectively …

Developing Bilateral And Spatial Concepts In Primary School-Aged Children: An Empirical Evaluation Of The Anker Bilateral Spatial System, Janet Richmond Dr, M Taylor Dr, S Evans

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Background: Visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties contribute to school-aged learning problems. Hence, a need exists to address children’s visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties as early as possible in the child’s school career. Thus, this study reports on the evaluation of the Anker Bilateral Spatial System’s (ABSS) effectiveness in remediating primary school children’s perceptual difficulties.

Method: Thirty-one children (17 boys and 14 girls) aged 6 to 12 years who had been identified by their classroom teacher as having observable visual-spatial and visual-motor perceptual difficulties participated in a 10-week pre/posttest intervention study. The study’s pre/posttest assessments included the Developmental Test of Visual-Motor …

A Transformative Experience For Occupational Therapy Students In A Simulated Learning Environment, Kitsum Li, Barbara Mccamish

Collected Faculty Scholarship

Simulation is being integrated into nursing and medical curriculum nationally and it is well integrated into the Nursing program at Dominican University of California, However, use of simulation in allied health professionals is only an emerging practice. The aim of this program is to integrate simulation into the OT curriculum in order to facilitate the development of therapy foundation skill.

Preparing Occupational Therapy Students For The Complexities Of Clinical Practice, Lisa J. Knecht-Sabres, Mark Kovic, Minetta Wallingford, Lavonne Ellen St.Amand

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

This paper examined the effect of a unique amalgam of adult learning methodologies near the end of the occupational therapy (OT) students’ didactic education as a means to enhance readiness for clinical practice. Results of quantitative and qualitative data analysis indicated that the use of standardized patients, in combination with a sequential, semistructured, and progressively challenging series of client cases, in an OT adult practice (intervention) course, improved the students’ self-perception of their level of comfort and skill on various foundational, yet essential, OT-related competencies.

Online Learning Of Safe Patient Transfers In Occupational Therapy Education, Cynthia L. Hayden

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Online higher education is steadily increasing. For programs in allied health to be offered effectively in an e-learning format, clinical psychomotor skills need to be addressed. The aim of this research was to design, implement, and evaluate an online safe patient transfers module for occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students. The efficacy of teaching safe patient transfers in an e-learning environment was appraised using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. The applied research project was completed at a Tennessee community college. A convenience sample of eighteen students participated in the pilot study. Twenty-five students participated in the subsequent study. The instructional design …

Contemporary Therapeutic Aquatics: Interprofessional Course, Marcia Levinson, Pt, Phd, Mft, Martha Langley Ankeny, M.Ed. M.Ed., E. Adel Herge, Otd, Otr/L

Academic Commons and Scott Memorial Library Staff Papers and Presentations

Aquatic therapy can meet the needs of individuals from childhood to older adulthood with a variety of health conditions, and, in certain situations, is preferable to land-based therapy. Information on this specialized area of practice is minimally covered in entry-level occupational and physical therapy curricula, yet aquatic therapy is a rapidly expanding area of practice.

The Impact Of Baby Sign On Motor Development In Typically Developing Infants And Toddlers, Melissa Garcia

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

"Baby Sign is an augmentative communication approach that teaches babies keyword signing that they can use to communicate before they talk." (Sneddon 2003). Baby sign has become popular among parents of infants as a means to communicate before the child can verbally express wants and needs. Programs and classes are now becoming available in many areas of the country to help teach parents basic signs to use with their children. This study aimed to assess the impact of baby

sign on motor development in typically developing infants. The study found that the impact of baby sign language on motor development …

Diagnostic Statistical Manual 5 Changes To The Autism Diagnostic Criteria: A Critical Moment For Occupational Therapists, Heather Miller-Kuhaneck, Rondalyn Varney Whitney

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

The new definition of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is expected to appear in May 2013 in the finalized Diagnostic Statistical Manual (DSM) -5 (American Psychiatric Association, 2012). The current DSM-IV criteria uses Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) as the umbrella term for autism, a classification that many professionals believe has been outdated for several years. ASD will be the new name for the category that includes “autistic disorder (autism), Asperger’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified” (APA, 2012). It will also serve to better differentiate autism spectrum disorder from typical development as well as from similar …

Turf, Team, And Town: A Geriatric Interprofessional Education Program, Nancy Macrae

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Describes the Interprofessional Geriatric Education Program (IGEP) at the University of New England (U.S.). This course involves collaboration among health care students and faculty, including dental, occupational therapy, physician assistant, and physical therapy programs, and is focused on treatment for and feedback from elderly patients, who serve as “teachers” for students in the program.

Correlating The Developmental Test Of Visual Perception -2 (Dtvp And The Test Of Visual Perceptual Skills - Revised (Tvps-R) As Assesssment Tools For Learners With Learning Difficulties, Janet Richmond, K Holland

Research outputs 2011

Learners are often referred to occupational therapists to assess their visual perceptual functioning. It is, therefore, imperative that the occupational therapists use the best assessment tools to obtain accurate and reliable results that lead to effective intervention which will be noticeable in the classroom functioning of these learners. A study was therefore conducted which correlated the results of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception (second edition) (DTVP-2) and the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills Revised (TVPS-R) in a cohort of 173 learners from Grade 1 to Grade 4 (children aged 6 years to 11 years). The learners attend a remedial …

A Qualitative Study Of Coping In Mothers Of Children With An Autism Spectrum Disorder, Heather Miller Kuhaneck, Tajhma Burroughs, Jamie Wright, Theresa Lemanczyk, Amy Rowntree Darragh

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

A significant body of research exists that explores the stressors of raising a child with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are fewer studies, however, that examine specific effective coping strategies of mothers of children with an ASD. This qualitative study explored mothers’ perceptions of effective coping strategies for their parenting stressors. In-depth interviews were conducted with 11 mothers to inquire about their personal coping methods. Interviews were coded and emergent themes identified which included coping strategies such as “me time,” “planning,” “knowledge is power,” “sharing the load,” “lifting the restraints of labels,” and “recognizing the joys.” The information from …

Positioning Techniques To Reduce The Occurrence Of Dequervain’S Tendonitis In Nursing Mothers, Alison Virzi

Dissertations, Masters Theses, Capstones, and Culminating Projects

DeQuervain's tendonitis is an inflammation of two tendons: the extensor pollicis brevis and the abductor pollicis longus as they cross in the first dorsal compartment of the wrist. Symptoms include pain, swelling along the radial aspect of the wrist, and a decrease in thumb motion. A positive Finkelstein's test at examination is seen. Frequently it is caused by repetitively gripping, lifting, and positioning the wrist in flexion, ulnar deviation with thumb extension. It is a common diagnosis in women, referred to as "washerwoman's syndrome". It is also common for new mothers to experience due to the demands their wrists are …

Challenge Course Effectiveness: The Impact On Leadership Efficacy And Work Efficacy Among College Students, Theresa Odello, Eddie Hill, Edwin Gomez

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Faculty Publications

Challenge courses have become increasingly popular in recent years. Many groups are turning to half-day challenge courses due to time and financial constraints. Yet, few studies have quantified the benefits of a half-day course. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of participation in a four-hour challenge course on leadership efficacy and work efficacy of college students. Pretest, posttest, and follow-up questionnaires were utilized. T-test analyses found that participating in a challenge course has a significant positive effect on increasing one’s leadership and work efficacy from pretest to posttest, after participation in a four-hour challenge course. This …

Technology Learning Impact On Pre-Service Teacher Education Candidates After Implementation Of A Web-Based E-Portfolio, Steve Hyndman, Paul Wirtz, Marcia M. Pierce, Paul Erickson

Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy Faculty and Staff Research

This study examined the role of student competence, attitude, and training on the production of student e-portfolios. Neither student background nor experience had a significant impact on their attitude toward developing an e-portfolio

Critical Thinking And Evidence-Based Practice In Problem-Based Learning Tutorial Groups: A Critical Case Study, Joanne M. Bortone

Occupational Therapy Faculty Publications

Little research has investigated how problembased learning (PBL) instruction influences students' critical thinking and evidence-based practice. This research sought to ascertain if PBL instructional practices facilitated critical thinking and EBP; identify those practices; and, identify changes students made in tutorials.

A qualitative, twocase, critical case study design used pretest and posttests of the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) (Facione, 1990) and Self-Evaluation of EBP adapted from Straus et al. (2005) to select the critical case sample. Students who made the greatest gains from pre to posttest scores met selection criteria for the critical case sample and were invited to …

Essence Of Cultural Competence: Listening To The Voices Of Occupational Therapy Students, Roxie M. Black

Educational Studies Dissertations

This study examines the perceptions and meaning of cultural competence and culturally competent care as described by occupational therapy students in their final year of occupational therapy education. The purpose is to determine whether students who have received education that included diversity and multicultural content see themselves as developing cultural competence.

2002 Touro College School Of Health Sciences Yearbook, Touro College School Of Health Sciences

Yearbooks and Newsletters

"Survivor:" Outwit, Outlast, Alumni.