Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Ot’S Role In Older Adult Transitions To Assisted Living, Michelle Chavez, Karen Park

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: The transition of moving to an assisted living facility as an older adult can be accompanied by many physical and psychological challenges affecting adjustment to such a facility. Occupational therapists assist clients as they prepare for and cope with major life transitions, however this role is most often seen in childhood and early adulthood transitions. Occupational therapists are skilled at facilitating the re-establishment of roles, habits, routines, and rituals and are knowledgeable in how the environment serves as a major influence on this. Because of this, it would be ideal for occupational therapists to have a role in facilitating …

Advocating For Occupational Therapy’S Presence In Chronic Pain Programs, Taylor Borin, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: The purpose of this project is to advocate for occupational therapy’s presence in chronic pain programs. In a chronic pain setting occupational therapy currently focuses on enabling individuals to achieve satisfying performance in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) despite pain and fatigue (Hill, 2016). Treatment interventions focus on activity management, problem solving, activity adaptation, planning/pacing, stress management, relaxation training, and coping skills training (Hill, 2016). Occupational therapy can provide individuals with chronic pain a more diverse and unique perspective on pain management. They can utilize their consideration of psychosocial factors and occupation …

Evaluation Of College And Career Readiness Class Efficacy For Students With Learning Differences, Karen M. Travis, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

A significant percentage of first year students in post-secondary education (PSE) do not persist through their first year and high schools continue to seek new ways of supporting students’ college and career readiness (CCR). Studies show lack of persistence derives not only from academic deficits but in non-academic skill deficits such as self-determination and executive function skills. Public school CCR programs have had limited resources to address these non-academic challenges to their students’ success whereas private high schools have significantly lower student to counselor ratio and many provide enhanced CCR programming. One small private school has provided a new semester …

An Online Educational Resource On Adaptive Sports For People With Spinal Cord Injuries, Rachel Morgan, Steven M. Gerardi

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

A spinal cord injury (SCI) has a serious impact on an individual’s participation in everyday life activities, leading to a high risk of a sedentary life-style. There is a paucity of research pertaining to adaptive sport participation post-injury and the role of occupational therapy (OT). Additionally, there are limited resources available that inform people with SCI on the benefits of adapted sports or where to go to engage in them. As such, this paper describes the development of a doctoral capstone project to address this need. The purpose of this capstone project was to create an educational web page that …

Transition Program To Postsecondary Education For Students With Traumatic Brain Injury, Eung Gyeong Park, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill, Karen Park

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a condition that occurs due to an external blow to the skull that damages the brain (Carulli et al., 2018). According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2.5 million TBI have been reported each year. Many students with TBI face physical, cognitive, environmental, and social challenges in their transition to post-secondary education (Bedell et al., 2017). Individuals with TBI experience social and behavioral changes that interfere with their participation as they face difficulties initiating, regulating their social behaviors, and experiencing increased introversion (Bedell et al., 2017). Physical challenges include fatigue, headaches, sleep disturbances, …

Go Baby Go! Facilitating Play And Social Participation With Blind & Visually Impaired Children, Kennedy Wischmeyer, Angela Blackwell, Gina Benevente

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

ABSTRACT NEEDED

An Exploration Of Dating As An Occupation For Autistic Adults, Maryam Binaei, Susan Macdermott

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Despite the presence and popularity of dating cultures in the media, the occupation of dating is highly complex and still prematurely understood through research. Recent research has found autistic adults to experience increased variety in their gender and sexual identity as well as challenges to achieving dating goals. A doctoral capstone project was completed to explore current approaches to resources and programs to address their dating needs, as well as understand their experiences in more depth. A needs assessment was carried out through an occupational therapist working with autistic adults in a day program. The need’s assessment revealed that autistic …

An Occupation-Based Program For Formerly Incarcerated Youth And Staff In An Employment Re-Integration Program, Heather Fierros, Angela Blackwell, Leslie Khan-Farooqi

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

One of the most vulnerable and growing populations within the United States (U.S.) are youth involved in the juvenile justice system. Each day, approximately 60,000 youth are currently incarcerated in the U.S., signifying a necessary demand for community re-entry success. Having been incarcerated makes it more challenging for youth to attend school, obtain a license, find public housing, and attain public benefits. Furthermore, because of the effects following being a part of the juvenile justice system, the youth exemplify a lack of social interaction skills, hindered relationship patterns, altered values and beliefs. These underdeveloped skills and patterns interfere with the …

An Educational Website To Foster The Participation Of Summer Campers With Disabilities, Abby Vander Laan, Steven M. Gerardi

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

ABSTRACT NEEDED

Providing Care To People With Dementia: An Educational Workshop, Hannah Hardeman, Steven M. Gerardi, Emily Frank

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Informal (family) caregivers providing care to loved ones experiencing symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease navigate multiple challenges. Caregivers observe and respond to changes in their loved ones related to physical, emotional and social skills. While providing care to their loved ones, caregivers must be aware of their own needs and the importance of maintaining a balance between the responsibilities of being a caregiver and the responsibilities in other areas of their life. Maintenance of positive emotional and physical health is crucial to providing effective and safe care. Identification of methods to promote the positive health of informal caregivers becomes …

Staff Perceptions On Organizational Change And Its Impact On Occupational Participation In Institutional Settings, Shelby Pearce, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Fall 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Organizational change, primarily in institutional settings, is necessary to prevent institutionalization as well as to reach the goals of the organizations. To support these goals, institutional settings, such as correctional facilities, often use restrictive measures including occupational deprivation. As a profession, occupational therapy recognizes the importance of occupational participation for all persons in society, however there is a gap in knowledge on the importance of how to promote and/or educate other entities on successful change management in different institutional settings.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to understand how organizational culture impacts occupational participation in institutional settings and …

Unmasking Experiences Of Occupational Therapists Providing Assistive Technology Services (Ats), Selby Mcdowell, Karen Aranha

Occupational Therapy Collection

This phenomenological study examines occupational therapists' (N=8) press for mastery in providing assistive technology services. Their occupational challenges, role demands, and responses are all highlighted, as they strive to become successful in their area of expertise.

Cephalocaudal-Remote Approach, David Ledesma

Student Capstone Papers

This opinion paper introduces a global, top-down, bottom-up, and lateral perspective on occupation, known as the Ledesma Cephalocaudal-Remote Approach, which can be used to build an integrated, holistic occupational therapy practice. This approach combines the Ayres (1960, 1966, 1972, 1979) cephalocaudal and vestibular sensory-motor development (confirmed by Lane et al., 2019); the Wilke et al. (2017) remote interoceptive, proprioceptive, and nociceptive stretching, based on Myers (2017) myofascial chain approach; the Serino (2019) peripersonal and multisensory-motor approach; the Leisman et al. (2016) bidirectional dynamic influence of motor activity and cognition approaches, and the Sadil (2019) evidence for rapidly learned low-level associations …

Supporting Children With Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Routines And Environmental Factors Affecting Sleep Quality, Constance Lew, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park, Becki Cohill

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Sleep difficulties are more common among children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). There is limited research on sleep strategies used by parents of children with NDDs or resources written by occupational therapists. The study examines current sleep concerns and strategies used by parents of children with NDDs, including those affecting time it takes to fall asleep, duration of sleep, routines, and environmental factors that influence sleep.

Method: Parents and caregivers of children with NDDs (n=22) and with no diagnosis (n=6) participated in a survey and optional interview to assess current concerns and strategies used to address sleep. Data gathered included …

Exploring The Form, Function, And Meaning Of Esports, Kyle Fitzstevens, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Esports has become an internationally recognized occupation that is continuing to grow in popularity. The discipline of occupational science with a qualitative, phenomenological approach was used to study the occupation of esports. Larson, Wood, and Clark’s (2003) framework of form, function, and meaning was applied to study to explore the occupational experience of esports with five participants. Form, function, and meaning guided the methods utilized through semi-structured interviews and observation. Eight sub-themes were extracted from the data and embodied the personal occupational experiences of esports. The findings support the importance of understanding the complexities of occupations such as personal experience …

Promoting Partner-Inflicted Brain Injury Awareness Within The Domestic Violence Community, Christina Debowski, Heather Javaherian, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Brain injury has been shown in research to decrease individuals’ ability to participate in their meaningful activities by negatively impacting their cognitive, emotional, and physical systems. Recent research has begun to indicate that survivors of domestic violence (DV) are at extreme risk for experiencing partner inflicted brain injury (PIBI)--brain injury that results from the physical violence of a survivor's intimate partner. However, despite the prevalence of PIBI within the DV community, research shows that survivors and DV service providers alike are not aware of how PIBI can impact survivors' daily life and wellbeing.

Purpose: The purpose of this project …

Enhancing Eating Routines To Support Occupational Functioning, Annamarie Sughair, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

As the prevalence of serious mental illness becomes more widespread annually, eating habits have become more recognized as a modifiable risk factor on worsening mental health symptoms (Godos et al., 2020). Eating routines are food-based activities that occur daily, weekly, monthly, and across the lifespan (Green et al., 2021). Food-based activities include obtaining food, preparing food, eating food, and more. Challenges with eating routines are prevalent in individuals in the earlier stages of mental illness (Teasdale et al., 2020). Evidence shows gaps in graduating occupational therapy students and comfortability with addressing eating routines (Wingo et al., 2018).

The purpose of …

Exploration Of Aerial Arts As An Occupation, Kristine De Guzman, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Introduction: Aerial arts is a performance art with acrobatic and dance principles that includes a variety of apparatuses, such as silks, hammock, and lyra. Aerial arts has been transforming over the years; it was once a form of entertainment and is now utilized in occupational therapy interventions. Occupational science, the academic discipline of studying occupations, has emerged to inform occupational therapy practice. Understanding the occupation of aerial arts through an occupational science framework, Doing, Being, Becoming, and Belonging, and Model of Human Occupation offered an in-depth description of the occupation that can provide more knowledge on how to use occupations …

The Development And Implementation Of An Inclusive Community Sports League For Children With Disabilities, Delnai Filip, Angela Blackwell

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Many developed sports leagues are tailored toward non-disabled children and adults, even though, in the United States, about 26 percent of the population live with a disability and one out of every three people within this population want to participate in sports (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020a; Activity Alliance, 2018). This ultimately leads to decreased sporting opportunities for individuals with disabilities. This higher rate of development of sports leagues for children without disabilities is due to the competitive environment of sports. This competitive environment leads to the marginalization of children with disabilities who want to participate in …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy: Military Dependents Transitioning Into Motherhood, Ria Allen, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Motherhood is a time of adjustments and changes. Mothers are learning how to balance taking care of a newborn, household responsibilities, and self-care. Adjustments of routine in everyday occupations can change quickly as the baby's needs evolve over time and established routines are disrupted and new routines are created. For military spouses, military culture and lifestyle can affect adjustments to motherhood as well including deployments, frequent moves, and reestablishing support systems. An in-depth literature review revealed that there is limited occupational therapy research, programming, and resources available to military dependent mothers

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to …

An Exploratory Study Of Individuals’ Transition To Adoptive Parenthood, Emily Brandt, Karen Park, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this study was to explore individuals’ transition to adoptive parenthood through an occupational therapy lens. More specifically, this study aimed to investigate how individuals’ performance patterns and daily occupations change through this transition. Ultimately, the purpose of this study was to gain insight into this population’s lived experience to inform occupational therapy services in order to meet the specific needs of the adoptive parent population.

A mix-method study was created using both surveys and semi-structured interviews. The survey contained both open and closed ended questions, as well as Likert Scale questions. There were forty survey participants and …

An Educational Resource For Young Adults With Disabilities, Their Caregivers, And Clinicians In The Driver Learning Environment, Destinee Logan, Missy Bell, Angela Labrie Blackwell

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Driving and community mobility are essential occupations for growing independence and identity. Young adults who are transitioning into adulthood have a desire to engage in their community, and it is at this time that an interest in driving begins. Driving is a complex occupation that requires in-depth education and experience to safely participate in.

Learning to drive can be challenging, especially for a person with a disability. Young adults with disabilities confront several community concerns that limit their ability to participate in the meaningful activity of driving. Those with disabilities often rely on their support systems to help guide their …

Returning To Our Roots: Re-Introducing Art Back Into Occupational Therapy, Vivi Trinh

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The usage of arts and crafts played a significant role in the fruition of the profession, but as it adopted more medically- and evidence-based treatment methods, most practitioners steered away from arts and crafts. The overall purpose of this project was to promote the use of art in OT as well as learn about the current use of art in OT through discussions held with practicing and retired occupational therapists and OT students with fieldwork experience. A portion of the project includes conducting a needs assessment at Urban Street Angels (USA), a community-based facility in downtown San Diego, CA that …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Addressing Community Mobility In Children To Young Adults With Disabilities: A Scoping Review, Shelby Reid, Steven M. Gerardi

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Objective: This study aims to systematically examine and organize current literature describing the assessments, interventions, and other behaviors of occupational therapists used to treat children to young adults with community mobility needs. Gaps in the knowledge will be highlighted to impact future research.

Methods: An electronic database search, searching within found literature, contact with driving and community mobility networks and organization were used to identify the relevant literature. Data was extracted and analyzed independently by the investigator by way of finding themes and codes and producing charted data.

Results: The total number of studies included in this work was 28. …

The Occupational Impact Of Mass Shootings, Ashley Ellsworth, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: As mass shootings continue to persist in the United States, their occupational impact on victims needs to be understood. The psychosocial and physical tolls of mass shootings have been investigated, but research related to the occupational impact was not found.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine stories shared by survivors of mass shootings to determine whether changes in occupational participation, performance, and fulfillment of meaningful roles and performance patterns occurred following the incident.

Methods: The question "What is the occupational impact of mass shootings on exposed individuals in the United States?" was asked. A qualitative research …

A Scoping Review On The Role Of Occupational Therapy With Breast Cancer Survivors, Ellen Langlinais, Steven M. Gerardi

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

BACKGROUND: Breast cancer survivors (BCS) suffer from treatment side effects that adversely impact occupation. Occupational therapy (OT) plays a role in the treatment of BCS, however, the literature has not clearly defined the role of OT with this population.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this capstone project was to conduct a scoping review of the literature to clearly define the role of OT in addressing the occupational needs of BCS.

METHODS: The scoping review methodology was based upon the 5-stage framework outlined by Arksey and O’Malley (2005). The EBSCOhost search engine was utilized for access to CINAHL Complete, MEDLINE, and OpenDissertation …

Exploring The Form, Function, And Meaning Of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Alvin Ma, Susan Macdermott, Becki Cohill, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) is a grappling martial art derived from Judo and primarily uses chokeholds and joint locks to incapacitate an attacker. These techniques require little strength and can apply tremendous amounts of force to anatomically weaker areas of the body. BJJ is a growing martial art due to its popularity in self-defense and its effectiveness in sports like mixed martial arts (MMA). This study uses a phenomenological approach and aims to increase the understanding of the form, function, and meaning of BJJ through the lived experiences of BJJ practitioners from different experience levels. Participants will be recruited and interviewed …

The Role Of Ot With Individuals Living With Eating Disorders: A Scoping Review, Claudia Ritchey, Steven M. Gerardi

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Background: Eating disorders (ED) are mental and physical illnesses that affect an individual globally, disrupting their ability to function and participate in daily life.

Objectives: The objective of this capstone project was to conduct a scoping review of the literature to define the role of OT in the treatment of clients with ED.

Methods: A database search was performed using the following electronic databases: CINAHL Complete, Medline, APA PsycInfo, and OpenDissertations, using the search terms “occupational therapist or occupational therapy” and “eating disorders or anorexia nervosa or bulimia or disordered eating”. Articles were screened and reviewed for the …

Occupational Therapist’S Impact In Current And Changing Roles And Routines For First-Time Foster Parents, Kathryn Chatfield, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this study was to understand occupational therapist’s impact in current and changing roles and routines for first-time foster parents as well as understanding how to establish, preserve and maintain such meaningful domains. This study allowed for insight into current and changing roles and routines for first-time foster parents. The results from this study allowed for further comprehension on how roles and routines were impacted, and that education and tools can be used to help decrease disruption to these domains. Understanding that taking on a new role as a foster parent means routines will be impacted in one …

Promoting Leisure And Social Participation For Seniors In An Assisted Living Facility, Macy Clark, Becki Cohill, Susan Macdermott, Karen Park

Summer 2021 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Seniors in assisted living facilities (ALF) experience a decrease in leisure activity participation (Knecht-Sabres et al., 2020). This decrease could be due to the changes in the social, cultural, and physical environments and the loss of daily roles and routines (Lamarre et al., 2019). Participation in social group activities improves quality of life and provides many physical, cognitive, and socio-emotional benefits (Barnes et al., 2008; Horowitz & Vanner, 2010). Participation in group activities offers seniors a sense of community, purpose, belonging, and friendship (Dare et al., 2018). However, group activities offered in ALF may be generic and not individualized to …