Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Advocating For The Field Of Occupational Therapy Among High School Students, Linda Crabtree

Doctoral Projects

The field of occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare field that is impactful on the lives of many individuals however there is currently a lack of awareness of the field of OT due to a lack of knowledge of and interest in OT among healthcare providers and the public (Richards and Valleé, 2020). The Aim of Research. The purpose of this project is to advocate for the field of OT and assess if an introductory presentation and hands-on lab about OT’s scope can improve the interest in OT among high school students in both rural and urban environments. Methods. The …

Tethered Oral Tissues (Tots) And Occupational Therapy (Ot), Tori Gray

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

This capstone project and ALE focused on Tethered Oral Tissues (TOTs) and their connection to Occupational Therapy (OT), highlighting how TOTs impact more than just feeding by affecting sensory regulation, posture, and overall development. Through observation, research, and hands-on experience, I explored OT’s role in identifying and treating TOTs. I created an evidence-based educational infographic for local physician and dental offices to advocate for increased OT involvement and tracked patient referrals to assess its impact. Literature review revealed that while TOTs are commonly linked to lactation and speech, their broader effects on motor coordination, sensory processing, and posture are underrecognized. …

In-Depth Exploration Of Ot In An Alf, Madison J. Jones

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

My Capstone project focused on occupational therapy’s role in maintaining independence for individuals living in an assisted living facility (ALF) through advocacy, education, and hands-on experience. My goal throughout the project was to reach out to friends, family, and residents living in this retirement community to inform them about OT and the role OT can have to maintain their independence through physical activities, cognitive activities, and meaningful occupations. Different education and advocacy events were created and completed during the project to reach out to the residents and staff members about therapeutic services offered to support aging in place. My Capstone …

Dynamic Movement Intervention (Dmi): Understanding Occupational Therapy's Role In Pediatric Gross Motor Development, Katarina Porter

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

The purpose of this capstone experience was to complete an advanced clinical practice in Dynamic Movement Intervention (DMI) and to explore the role of occupational therapy in pediatric gross motor development at Marshall Pediatric Therapy in Lexington, Kentucky. As part of this project, an educational brochure was developed to inform parents and practitioners about the benefits of DMI for children with gross motor delays. Additionally, a student guide was created to link DMI exercises to pediatric developmental milestones and to highlight their relevance to occupational therapy. This capstone experience allowed me to advance my understanding of pediatric gross motor development, …

Exploring The Benefits Of Occupational Therapy In Women's Health, Makayla Witt

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

The primary goal of this ALE presentation was to educate healthcare providers, patients, and staff on occupational therapist’s contributions to women’s health. In collaboration with Dr. Byram Ratliff at Sterling Women’s Health, I explored the role of occupational therapy in individualized women’s care. Initial research revealed a lack of awareness regarding how occupational therapy can support women through different life stages. This project involved shadowing my site mentor to understand clinic workflows, then assessing baseline knowledge of occupational therapy using an online survey completed by patients, staff, and providers. Survey results identified limited awareness of occupational therapist’s role, prompting the …

Increasing Referrals To Ot Breastfeeding Specialists Through Accessible Education, Kameron Grigsby

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

This project aimed to educate mothers and healthcare providers about the role of occupational therapy (OT) in infant feeding, with the goal of increasing occupational performance satisfaction by promoting appropriate referrals to OT lactation specialists. A significant gap exists in understanding the distinction between other healthcare professionals and OT roles in infant feeding, and the literature lacks detailed OT interventions to support mothers during breastfeeding or bottle-feeding struggles. To address this, I conducted a patient survey to guide the creation of a pamphlet outlining OT’s role in feeding and developed a presentation demonstrating OT interventions for both providers and mothers. …

Closing The Gap In Ot Practices: Hospice And Palliative Care, Karly French

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

The purpose of this Capstone project and Applied Leadership Experience (ALE) was to explore the perspectives of family members and caregivers of individuals who received hospice or palliative care and to advocate for increased occupational therapy (OT) involvement in these settings. Conducted entirely online under the supervision of Dr. Allen Keener, the project focused on the ACOTE areas of research and advocacy. A thorough literature review revealed that while OT is known to be beneficial in end-of-life care, it is often underutilized. Most existing research reflects the views of healthcare providers, with minimal representation of caregiver perspectives. To address this …

Expanding Awareness Of Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation Education For Perinatal Women, Cassandra Mcneil

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

For my doctoral capstone project, I partnered with PT Solutions Outpatient Therapy in Lexington, Kentucky with mentorship from an occupational therapist specializing in pelvic health therapy. The primary ACOTE focus areas were advocacy and education to support increased awareness of the benefits of outpatient pelvic health therapy services for perinatal women. This project aimed to educate, advocate, and increase awareness of perinatal pelvic health therapy by reaching the following goals: Understand occupational therapy’s role in pelvic floor therapy for perinatal women through evidence-based practice, clinical observation of pelvic floor therapy sessions, and hands-on clinical practice, advocate pelvic floor therapy to …

Ot For Independence: A Shelter-Based Approach, Joshua A. Dotson

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

This Capstone project was conducted at the Clark County Homeless Coalition in Winchester, Kentucky, focusing on supporting individuals experiencing homelessness through occupational therapy (OT). The main objective was to understand shelter staff roles and clients’ occupational needs while helping clients engage in meaningful activities to improve their quality of life and independence. Research showed a strong need for OT services among homeless and mentally ill populations, with client-centered, choice-based interventions proving most effective. Tools like the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) informed the approach, though outcome measurement was limited by inconsistent client participation. Nonetheless, the COPM guided meaningful goal-setting. Informal …

From Foundation To Future: The Kota Story, Lynn Duncan M.Ed, Otd

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

I worked with the Kentucky Occupational Therapy Association (KOTA) in partnership with Eastern Kentucky University’s Special Collections and Archives for my Capstone Project and Applied Leadership Experience, with an emphasis on advocacy. KOTA plays an essential role in advocating for its members by focusing on community networking, research, advocacy, legislative affairs, and education (Kentucky Occupational Therapy Association, 2025). Research indicates the importance for professional associations to safeguard records, however several challenges include managing the volume of materials, selecting a cataloging system, ensuring easy retrieval, maintaining secure storage, and addressing concerns about sustainability (Brown, 2013). The needs assessment revealed disorganized physical …

Building Awareness, Access, And Advocacy Through Kham's Klub, Morgan E. Guidry

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

During my doctoral capstone and applied leadership experience, I partnered with
Kham’s Klub, a nonprofit in Richmond, Kentucky, whose mission is to empower and
elevate families with autism. The project's primary ACOTE focus area is program
development, education, and advocacy within a community-based setting. The aim of this project was to strengthen the organization’s capacity to promote early diagnosis, provide support for inclusive environments at Kham’s Klub events and cultivate donor and community engagement. Through literature review and collaboration with the founders/CEO of Kham’s Klub Non-profit for Autism there were gaps revealed in caregiver understanding of autism, limited community participation, …

Promoting Inclusion: Creating A Sensory Space In A Local Church, Ashleigh N. Dotson

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

This capstone project took place at a local church, The Creek, in London, KY. Specifically, this project took place within the Kid’s church area. The ACOTE focus areas for this project were program development, education, and advocacy. The goals of this Capstone/ALE project were to learn more about and better understand the sensory system and how it works; to create a sensory room for children with disabilities who may need to regulate their sensory system; to create resources and educational guides for adults and volunteers who may be in the sensory room to guide them on the appropriate ways to …

The Role Of Advocacy And Occupational Justice In Increasing The Accessibility Of Parks For Parents With Disabilities, Nathan Burke-Tan

Doctoral Projects

The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to address ongoing accessibility barriers experienced by adults with disabilities, particularly those in caregiving roles, in public parks and playgrounds in the greater San Diego region. Although many parks meet the minimum requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (1990), research shows that caregivers with disabilities continue to encounter obstacles that limit safe, meaningful participation in community spaces (Dalpra, 2022; Fernelius, 2017; Firkin et al., 2024; Movahed et al., 2023; Ogletree et al., 2020; Prellwitz & Skar, 2007). These persistent gaps indicate a need for stronger advocacy and clearer public awareness of …

Improving Dementia Care Practices In The Swing Bed Program, Grace Donahue

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Posters

For my capstone/ALE, I partnered with the therapy team at CHI St. Joseph Berea’s Swing Bed Program to improve communication and care strategies for patients with dementia or cognitive impairments. My project focused on ACOTE areas of program development, education, and advocacy in an acute care setting. The goal was to implement dementia-friendly communication practices and promote meaningful engagement through activity toolboxes.The Swing Bed Program supports patients recovering from acute hospital stays who are not yet ready to return home. During my time there, I observed a lack of structured, personalized activities for patients, despite regulatory expectations for enrichment. My …

Occupational Therapy Education And Advocacy For Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease, Francis Green, Cynthia Haynes

Fall 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder that profoundly affects individuals' daily lives. While occupational therapy (OT) has been shown to enhance independence, motor function, cognitive health, and emotional well-being for individuals with PD, awareness and understanding of these services remain limited among patients and caregivers. This capstone project sought to address this gap by developing and distributing tailored educational materials. Weekly handouts, supported by in-person discussions, were designed to raise awareness of OT’s role and provide actionable strategies for managing PD symptoms. Surveys conducted throughout the project provided valuable feedback on the educational materials created, ensuring the materials' …

Barriers To Early Intervention Access In Under-Resourced Communities: Professionals' Perspectives, Georges Ambroise, Jazminne Orozco-Arteaga

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Limited socioeconomic resources pose a barrier to accessing early intervention (EI) services.

The study yielded 33 participants of EI professionals. The study included an online survey and an optional semi-structured interview. Following data collection, Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis was utilized to identify themes from the surveys and interview transcriptions (Braun and Clarke, 2006).

The main themes that came from the data analysis are (1) there are barriers impacting access to EI experienced by families in under-resourced communities, (2) there are current supports for families in under-resourced communities accessing EI, (3) EI professionals play a role in decreasing barriers, …

The Impact Of Educating Interprofessional Healthcare Workers On The Role Of Occupational Therapy In The Cardiac Acute Care Setting, Jennifer L. Taosuvanna

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The acute care setting has been a vastly growing practice area for the occupational therapy profession. Occupational therapists assist clients in the acute care setting with activities of daily living retraining and functional transfer training to increase independence. Each client demonstrates a different discharge course from the acute care setting and occupational therapists play a key role in assisting the clients the most appropriate rehabilitative setting. All professionals in the acute care setting work cohesively to provide clients with the best outcome.

The doctoral project explored the importance of interprofessional healthcare worker education about occupational therapy practices in the acute …

Voices Beyond Bars: A Qualitative Study Examining Occupational Participation For Formerly Incarcerated Women, Brianna Correia, Mary Smith Otd, Otr/L, Cynthia Simons Rps, Mhps

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project addressed the research question: “What are the systemic, societal, and personal barriers and facilitators to occupational participation and engagement that formerly incarcerated women experience in Texas?” The project aimed to advocate for formerly incarcerated women living in Texas by interviewing and collaborating with them to create an advocacy booklet highlighting their lived experiences. Following USAHS IRB approval, recruitment, and screening, 20 participants engaged in a semi-structured interview via Zoom. Insights on their experience post-incarceration in Texas regarding housing, employment, family, healthcare, and change were explored. The data obtained was analyzed and codes and themes were identified. When …

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

OTD Capstone Projects

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

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

OTD Capstone Projects

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

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

Spring 2024 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

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

The Truth To Transitioning: Development Of A Trans* Specific Occupational Therapy Practice Framework Involving An Integrative Care Model, Amanda Gale

Occupational Therapy Doctoral Student Capstone Posters

Transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) clients are underserved by occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) throughout their transition journey. This research based capstone involved completing stakeholder interviews with OTPs and TGD individuals to inform and update an existing occupational therapy model and improve best-practice standards within OT practice when providing services to TGD individuals.

State Of The Journal: Introducing The Policy And Advocacy Category, Diane Powers Dirette

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

No abstract provided.

The Role Of An Occupational Therapy Practitioner In Professional Advocacy: A Scoping Review, Sarah Mckinnon, Natalie Petrone, Amanda Tarbet

Translational Science in Occupation

Background: Participation in professional advocacy amongst occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) is necessary for strengthening the profession. Although advocacy remains essential for practice, specific activities of OTPs in professional advocacy remain inconsistent and unclear.

Purpose: To examine the activities occupational therapy practitioners are engaging in related to professional advocacy. To identify key strategies and future opportunities to strengthen OT practitioner participation in professional advocacy.

Methods: We systematically searched 4 databases and 1 search engine for relevant articles- MEDLINE via PubMed, The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) Complete via Ebscohost, ERIC via Ebscohost, APA PsycInfo …

Advocating And Educating The Role Of Occupational Therapy For Adaptive Swim Lessons Among Children With Autism, Charlotte Leonard, Zeida Gutierrez, Jon Edenfield

Fall 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1-4 and the second leading cause of death for children ages 5-14 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2022). Children with autism are 160x more likely to drown than their neurotypical peers (Autism Society of Florida, n.d.). Many parents and caregivers put protective layers in place such as locks, gates, and fencing. However, children with autism are known to wander from safe spaces. According to the Autism Society of Florida (n.d.) children with autism are naturally drawn to water due to its ability to ease sensory needs. Brenner …

Raising Awareness For Occupational Therapy's Role With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (Sle), Madelyn Cabrera, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga, Amy Lyons-Brown

Summer 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project aims to raise awareness for occupational therapy's (OT) role in managing systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) through education and to advocate OT's role within the SLE healthcare team. This project aims to understand the daily barriers that SLE patients experience and raise awareness for OT's role with SLE patients, OTs in practice, OT students, and healthcare professionals involved in SLE care. It also advocates for OT's role in comprehensive care for SLE patients to assist in disease/lifestyle management and improved quality of life.

Incorporating An Occupational Therapy Perspective In A Pediatric Early Developmental Clinic, Olivia Mahoney

Department of Occupational Therapy Entry-Level Capstone Projects

No abstract provided.

The Participation And Exploration Of Play For Children In Foster Care, Isabella J. Relph, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga

Spring 2023 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project, The Participation and Exploration of Play for Children in Foster Care, was completed by a Doctor of Occupational Therapy candidate at the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. Project objectives develop an understanding of the occupational therapy involvement in foster care and how to improve current advocacy and educational efforts related to play. A literature review of play participation, engagement, and exploration was conducted in conjunction with analysis of environmental barriers, generalized background information on children in foster care, and the role of occupational therapy for children in foster care. Play is essential for the pediatric …

Restoring Identity For The Homeless: Exploring Occupational Therapy Services For Unhoused Populations, Christina E. Geistfeld

Occupational Therapy Capstone Presentations

Individuals experiencing homelessness face many occupational and social barriers that limit the ability to participate in meaningful daily living activities, impacting the overall identity of individuals within this population. Occupational therapy services have been explored but there is a continued need to expand and advocate for the effect of occupational therapy in meeting the population’s needs and ultimately aim to reduce homelessness rates. This capstone project sought to explore service delivery for individuals at the Stephen Center in Omaha, Nebraska who are experiencing homelessness, providing increased advocacy efforts along with continuing to explore clinical skill development to best serve the …

Development And Usefulness Of An Advocacy Toolkit To Promote Systems-Level Advocacy Among Occupational Therapy Students In Nevada, Mary Angela Mendoza Terencio

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Advocating at the systems level to influence legislation and regulation can protect, promote, and progress the occupational therapy profession. This quality improvement project aimed to create and evaluate an advocacy toolkit for professional students in Nevada. The toolkit was developed under the guidance of a team of advocacy experts and leaders. Twenty-five students were recruited through convenience sampling to evaluate the toolkit. Data was collected through a one-group pretest-posttest qualitative improvement design to capture changes in awareness of Nevada-specific regulatory and legislative information, attitudes toward advocacy efforts, and the toolkit’s usability. Comparisons between the pre- and post-toolkit surveys were analyzed …