Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Effectiveness Of A Metacognitive Shopping Intervention For Adults With Intellectual Disability Secondary To Down Syndrome, Katherine V. O'Neill, Sharon A. Gutman

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a metacognitive strategy-training intervention on the shopping performance of adults with intellectual disability secondary to Down syndrome.

Method: A single subject ABA design across six participants was employed and included a 2-week baseline data collection period, followed by an 8-week intervention phase, and a 2-week follow-up data collection period 1 month after intervention end. Time, frequency, and level of assistance required by the participants to demonstrate targeted shopping skills were measured during baseline, intervention, and follow-up probe phases.

Results: As a group, the participants experienced …

Experience Of Stigma Post Incarceration: A Qualitative Study, Rebecca Sinko, Tina Deangelis, Bernadette Alpajora, Josephine Beker, Ilyse Kramer

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Minimal attention has been given to the perspectives and experiences of individuals post incarceration regarding stigma and its impact on reintegration and occupational engagement. This research aimed to understand how stigma is experienced among individuals who were formerly incarcerated and its influence on occupational engagement, specifically social participation, work, and school occupations. This research also examined the role of occupational therapy as an intervention in addressing stigma from the perspectives of individuals who were formerly incarcerated to inform practice and mitigate the influence of stigma.

Method: Interviews were conducted with 10 participants of a work rehabilitation program for people …

Occupational Therapy Group Programming For Adolescents With Developmental And Learning Disabilities: A Retrospective Documentation Review, Jennifer A. Merz, Bonnie Nakasuji, Kimberly S. Mollo

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Individuals with learning disabilities have higher rates of unemployment, are less likely to live independently, and have lower rates of college graduation. Occupational therapists who serve this population need to capture outcomes for programming effectively to determine best practice to address these needs. A retrospective documentation review of occupational therapy transition group programming was completed to identify themes and to assess fieldwork student documentation clarity.

Method: Analysis of 162 de-identified treatment notes from the years 2014–2018 was completed for six high school students (HSS) (13 to 20 years of age) who previously participated in a high school …

Effectiveness Of Electronic Documentation: A Case Report, Christie Raymond, Susan Zapf, Ellen Hudgins

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: This case report aims to inform the occupational therapist and other health care professionals of documentation best practices.

Method: This qualitative case report uses an exploratory approach to compare the quality of one participant’s handwritten documentation to her electronic documentation. Outcome measures include the Accuracy Rationale Completeness (ARC) Audit to score the quality of the notes and quantity of words, and an informal discussion with the participant about her experiences using both types of documentation.

Results: The participant’s 25 handwritten notes scored a sum of 321 and the 25 electronic notes scored a …

Capstones: Voices From The Occupational Therapy Profession, Rondalyn V. Whitney, Guy Mccormack

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

Redefining The Meanings Of Daily-Occupations And Life Quality Amongst Mothers Living With Their Autistic Children, Eko Sumaryanto, Gandes Mutiara Aziz

International Programs

Raising children with autism is very challenging for mothers due to changes on how occupational performance and occupational roles are performed. This circumstance demands these mothers to redefine the meaning of doing occupations and how they perceive their well-being in general. This study empirically investigates how mothers redefine the meaning of daily activities and self-report their well-being. The study employs in-depth interviews and formulates specific themes of findings. The study uses the phenomenology approach to investigate the dynamics of meanings experienced by the respondents and how they construct the new version of well-being from raising the autistic children.

Barriers And Facilitators To Voting For People With Disabilities In Michigan Rural Communities, Christian Aguilar-Quiroz, Kaylyn Brzys, Chris Paclibar, Kyle Witte

Community Based

Objective: In this study, we sought to investigate and obtain data on the perceived barriers and facilitators that rural Michigan residents with disabilities face throughout the voting process.

Method: We conducted two separate focus groups in two different rural areas of Michigan asking a series of semi-structured questions about the participants’ voting experiences. We obtained recorded interviews, qualitative data, of their answers to these prepared questions.

Results: Physical accessibility was limited by poor lighting for people with low vision problems and a lack of accommodations for those who are not able to stand for a prolonged time while waiting in …

The Perceived Effects Of Occupational Therapy Interventions For Those Who Recently Transitioned From Homelessness To Permanent Housing, Sydney Krol, Madison Muir, Katie Johnson, Kristin Hazlett, Kaelyn Hughs

Community Based

OBJECTIVE. The study's objective was to examine the perceived effects of occupational therapy services for families who have recently transitioned to permanent housing from a period of homelessness.

METHOD. The study used a qualitative research design. One family received occupational therapy interventions administered by occupational therapy student researchers. Exit interview was audio recorded and transcribed.Themes and codes were derived from the transcription.

RESULTS. Three themes and seven codes were identified, which encompassed the participants perception of the intervention. The themes were lifestyle transformation, mindset development, and client centered care. The codes were organization and planning, roles and routines, goal progression, …

Occupation-Based Learning Modules In Preparation For Parole: A Program Evaluation, Alisha Cheyne, Gabrielle Martino, Elizabeth Vander Wall, Natalie Wallace

Community Based

A qualitative research study was conducted that examined occupational therapy students’ fieldwork rotation at Muskegon Correctional Facility, where they implemented a 15-week pre-parole program. One focus group with three participants was conducted. Transcription, coding, and theming followed, providing five themes; restriction, OT perceptions, learning styles, future needs, and relationships. Results showed areas of needs within this population, ways occupational therapy can address this need, and general improvements that can be made to pre-release programs.

Exploratory Study Of Children With Sensory Processing Disorder (Spd) Without An Autism Spectrum Disorder (Asd) Diagnosis, Breanna Williams, Lauren Brown, Kendall Grzywa, Emma Green

Pediatrics

The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) without an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Examples of these diagnoses include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), cerebral palsy (CP), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD). This was an exploratory descriptive study that gathered quantitative data through the Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) Home Form. The SPM Home Form was provided by occupational therapy (OT) students and completed by the child’s caregiver. The scores fell into three interpretive ranges: Typical, Some Problems, and Definite Dysfunction. Researchers hypothesized …

Caregiver Perspective On Sensory Diet And Therapeutic Listening For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder And/Or Sensory Processing Disorder, Mikayla M. Brett, Lynette Zulquairnain, Katlyn Ribant

Pediatrics

Due to the high prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD), there is a high demand for more research on effective interventions in order to improve quality of life and engagement in meaningful occupations for individuals with ASD and/or SPD. Sensory Diet (SD) and Therapeutic Listening © (TL) are interventions commonly utilized with individuals with ASD and/or SPD, however, there is limited research on their combined use. The purpose of this study is to determine the effectiveness of the combined occupational therapy (OT) interventions of SD and TL on the occupational performance of children with ASD …

Sensory Based Interventions In The School Setting: P Entions In The School Setting: Perspectives Of Paraeducators, Lyn Kaiser, Marie-Christine Potvin, Caitlin Beach

Department of Occupational Therapy Faculty Papers

Background: The purpose of this study was to explore paraeducators’ perceptions of sensory-based interventions (SBIs). Paraeducators are frequently responsible for implementing SBIs to enhance a student’s ability to learn in school. Previous studies have explored the perceptions of teachers and occupational therapists, but as of yet, there are no published studies exploring the perceptions of paraeducators regarding the efficacy of SBIs.

Methods: An ethnographic study was conducted with paraeducators (n = 11) working with students diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder or emotional disturbance in a center-based special education program. These paraeducators participated in a focus group or an interview that …

The Adult Public’S Perception Of The Utility Of Play Therapy, Margaret L. Hindman

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Children communicate through symbolism and play as toys are children's words and play is their language (Landreth, 2012; Oaklander, 1988; Piaget, 1951; Ray, 2016). Play therapists facilitate developmentally appropriate support for children (Landreth, 2012). Often parents are unaware of the importance of play in children’s counseling (Brumfield & Christensen, 2011; Landreth, Bratton, Kellam, & Blackard, 2006).

Since adults often make decisions for children, it is important to know adults’ perceptions of play therapy utility. There is little research on parents’ knowledge of mental health services especially research specific to play therapy (Gallo, Comer, & Barlow, 2013; O’Connor & Langer, 2018). …

At The Forefront Of Opportunity: Depaul Initiates Two New Programs To Invigorate The Health Sciences

DePaul Magazine

The demand for highly qualified workers in health-related fields is growing. To help meet specific demands, DePaul's College of Science and Health is laying the groundwork for two new programs: occupational health (OT) and speech language pathology (SLP. The heads of these programs, Kate Barrett and Jayne Jaskolski, explain what professionals in their respective fields do and the range of opportunities that are available to individuals who want to make OT or SLP a career.

Impacts Of Motor And Sensory Impairment On Language In Young Children With Autism, Elizabeth A. Bisi

Clinical Psychology Dissertations

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present with varying degrees of deficit in the broader areas of social communication and stereotyped behaviors, but emerging research proposes delayed motor skill and atypical sensory processing as additional factors worth closer examination. In the current study, I sought to investigate the impacts of visual motor skills and sensory differences on language ability in young children with autism. I hypothesized that young children with autism, atypical sensory processing (Short Sensory Profile, 2^nd Edition), and impaired visual motor integration (Beery VMI, 6^th Edition) would have the most impacted language ability scores (Differential Ability …

Pinch Span And Force: Normative Data, Requirements For Functional Tasks And Life Roles, And The Influence Of Carpometacarpal Joint Osteoarthritis, Nancy Hock

Dissertations

The three studies that form this dissertation build knowledge related to functional pinch. Study 1 provides normative data for the Baseline® 5-Position Hydraulic Pinch Meter, which may be used in clinical practice. The data collected in this study demonstrate the relationship between lateral pinch strength and age and reveal that strength decreases with age in both males and females. Through examination of the lateral pinch force produced at the 5 different pinch spans, it was found that the strongest lateral pinch strength was produced at 4-5 cm of pinch span. This information can be used by clinicians as they modify …

Efficacy Of Social Cognitive Interventions On Improving Social Participation In Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder, T. Book, A. Ching, A. Pirilli, J. Salem, C. Taylor, S. Valverde, M. Ferraro, M. C. Potvin

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Social cognitive training programs, developed primarily by mental health and educational professionals to teach social skills to children with ASD, may have the potential for implementation in the field of occupational therapy to support social participation among this population.

This current systematic review was conducted to examine the efficacy of social cognitive interventions to improve social participation in children with ASD

A Systematic Review Of The Efficacy Of Cognitive Stimulation Therapy (Cst) On Quality Of Life In Persons With Dementia, R. Babiarz, B. Haden, S. Karlin, J. Mark, A. Williams, M. Ferraro, M. C. Potvin

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Quality of life (QoL) is an established outcome measure of patients with dementia and is strongly influenced by an individual's environment and mood. While there are many outcomes that can be examined with Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) interventions, this systematic review focused on quality of life.

Efficacy Of Cognitive And Metacognitive Interventions On Executive Functioning Post Traumatic Brain Injury To Enhance Occupational Performance, C. Blaker, A. Curry, S. Dickerson, K. Johnson, M. Santangelo, A. Thomas Tasman, M. Ferraro, Marie-Christine Potvin

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Cognitive rehabilitation (CR) is proposed as an effective intervention for individuals post Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), by addressing cognitive function through remediating skills and practicing new compensatory skills. While there is considerable research, including systematic reviews that explore cognitive interventions post TBI, more research is needed in which occupational performance is the primary outcome of cognitive intervention. This current systematic review aims to synthesize the current body of evidence available on how using CR techniques to address executive functioning impact occupational performance in individuals who sustained a mild or moderate TBI.

Older Adults’ Perspectives On Occupational Supports In Alternative Housing Communities, A'Via Coleman, Lisa Goolsby, Kara Lurvey, Elizabeth Von Achen, Heather Veverica

Older Adult

The Problem: Many older adults in the United States wish to age in place but may find their current living environment is not suitable as they age. Alternative housing supports may improve the ability of older adults to live in their own home and community safely while performing necessary occupations.

The Resolution: Alternative housing communities offer a variety of supports that older adults value having access to, even if they are not always utilized including transportation, social interaction, volunteer opportunities, home maintenance, an accessible location, and the togetherness of community.

An Exploration Of Leadership Qualities Demonstrated During Level Ii Fieldwork, Amy Maurer, Summer Besteman, Jessica Mooney, Katelyn Campbell

Education

Background. Occupational therapy (OT) students are expected to demonstrate leadership qualities throughout their Level II Fieldwork experiences; however, it has been reported that students lack this quality. The purpose of this project was to identify the leadership characteristics that master’s-level OT students demonstrate and develop during their Level II Fieldwork experiences.

Method. This study utilized an online survey tool, Qualtrics, to understand the perceptions of Fieldwork Educators (FWEds) who have taken a Level II Fieldwork student within the past five years. A code-recode procedure was used to analyze open-ended questions. The frequency and mode of responses were used to report …

Occupational Therapy As Part Of A Team-Based Approach In Primary Care Settings, Lydia Royeen

Dissertations

The purpose of this project was to study issues related to occupational therapists integrating into primary care settings, as part of a team-based approach and to best meet the needs of the clients.

This is a mixed methods study that examined quantitative and qualitative data for members of the primary care team and occupational therapists working in primary care clinics. The Team Climate Inventory-14 (Kivimaki & Elovainio, 1999) was selected as the quantitative measure because it examines themes related to team functioning, which include vision, participative safety, task orientation, and mutual support. Participants completed a semi-structured interview that examined themes …

Methods For Improving Quality Of Care Within Acute And Post-Acute Settings, Kelly L. Vankoevering

Dissertations

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS), over the next 7 years, U.S. national healthcare spending is projected to grow at an average of 5.7% per year, up from 4.8% in 2019. Additionally, personal health care cost is expected to increase by 2.7% per year. As a result, there have been increased efforts among healthcare systems and hospital organizations to improve quality of care while decreasing healthcare cost. The research reported in this dissertation builds upon the existing literature regarding interventions to improve hospital performance and quality metrics. Two of the most researched and effective strategies for improving …

Efficacy Of Work-Related Training For Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder, E. Anderson, L. Hatton, K. Schlager, A. Shea, K. Watlington, M. Ferraro, M. C. Potvin

Student Papers, Posters & Projects

Research suggests that traditional models of work-related training, in addition to a lack of on-the-job support, may exacerbate difficulties experienced by individuals with autism spectrum disorder with obtaining and maintaining employment

The poor employment outcomes experienced by individuals with ASD are well-documented throughout literature and have resulted in the need to examine more effective ways of providing support and work-related interventions.

Although research has investigated the efficacy of work-related training on successful employment outcomes when used with individuals with ASD, a systematic review summarizing this evidence has yet to be published. Therefore, this review examines and interprets current research evidence …

Effectiveness Of Splinting In Adults With Radial Nerve Palsy, Laurel Jeanette Pitman, Logan Buckner, Logan Stem, Sarah Grace Rogers, Emylee Williams

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

The final portfolio contains 5 research articles from national and international journals. The study designs included in this portfolio are one small-scale RTC, one retrospective pretest posttest design, and three case studies. The studies included help answer our PICO question and help draw conclusions about how to care for adults with radial nerve palsy in regards to splinting. Three of the articles compared static splinting and dynamic splinting in regards to improvements in hand function. Two of the articles focused on dynamic splinting as a means of treatment for adults with radial nerve palsy.

Infant Massage And Bonding, Aly Blumenberg, Samantha Davis, Ali Graham, Rachel Medina, Emily Rayder

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

This project aims to appraise evidence of the effectiveness of infant massage for increasing social-emotional bonding. In our research, we focused on two studies considered Level I evidence and three studies considered Level II evidence. Study designs include quasi-experimental and randomized controlled trials. Strong evidence supports that infant massage increases social-emotional bonding and attachment. Based on the evidence, implementation varied from once per day for 10 minutes to 2-3 times per day for 15 minutes. It is recommended to use infant massage in an acute care setting and in the home to increase social-emotional bonding and attachment.

The Effects Of Dual-Tasking On Fall Risks In Adults With Brain Injury, Kaley Campbell, Anayston Casey, Madison Culpepper, Elizabeth Denton, Katie Morgan

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

Clinical Scenario: Dual-tasking combines both physical and cognitive components into one therapeutic intervention. There has been limited research on the benefits of dual tasking in relation to fall risks in adults with brain injury. Currently, it is common for various therapy interventions to spend the majority of time targeting physical or cognitive components, but not both at once. After appraisal, a total of five articles were used. These included two level I studies involving a high-quality randomized control trial and a meta-analysis, two level II studies that were both small-scale randomized control trials, and one level IV study that was …

Long-Term Functional Effects Of Medulloblastoma Treatments, Serena Khiantani, Pamela Ponce, Bailey Diprima, Sarika Maymoundok, Leah Murray

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

All studies relate directly to components of the evidence-based practice question and were used to understand the possible long-term effects of treatment for clients diagnosed with medulloblastoma cancer. This Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) contains 6 research articles from both national and international journals. Study designs include two cohort studies with a control group, 1 cross sectional study with a control group, 1 retrospective cohort study without a control group, 1 descriptive report on a Randomized Control Trial (RCT), and 1 descriptive study. Through these studies, we found that radiation treatment is associated with impaired IQ and academic achievement and that …

Effects Of Occupational Therapy Intervention In Low Vision, Zach Harrington, Juliana Crossett, Carlie Carter, Baleigh Gooch, Liberty Harris

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

The purpose of this CAT is to investigate therapeutic intervention and its effects for improving independence in occupational performance, overall health, quality of life, and mental health in adults over 40 with acquired low vision. This CAT contains nine peer-reviewed research articles from national journals. Study designs include one randomized controlled trial, seven systematic reviews, and one non-randomized controlled trial. All studies relate directly to the components of our evidence-based practice question and will be used to support further research on the optometry and occupational therapy collaboration. All of the articles specifically describe various interventions used in the low vision …

Group Therapy Versus Individual Therapy For Older Adults With A Cerebrovascular Accident, Montana R. Bawcum, Jessica Sorrell, Kaleigh Stevens, Caitlyn Strietelmeier, Madeline Young

Master of Occupational Therapy Student Critically Appraised Topics

The purpose of our critically appraised topic is to synthesize the best current evidence regarding the feasibility of group occupational therapy and outcomes related to ADL performance. The final portfolio contains a total of five research articles. Study designs include two pre-post single group designs, two case studies, and one non randomized pilot trial with a control group. All studies related directly to the PICO question and were used to determine best evidence for the feasibility of group therapy of the older adult population in a rehabilitation setting.