Recreational Therapy Commons^™

Supporting Elementary Educators Through A Nervous System Regulation And Social-Emotional Learning Skills Workshop Intervention: An Musc Capstone Project, Lily Morgan

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Teachers have a great influence on developing children’s emotional intelligence, regulatory capacity, and occupational engagement. These professionals also happen to report some of the highest rates of stress, mental health challenges (Agyapong, B. et al, 2022), and burnout (Xie, M., et al, 2022). Providing teachers with education and support on nervous system regulation, social-emotional learning skills, and related topics can improve their ability to manage job stress, enhance modeling and interactions with students, and improve their quality of life. This project aimed to enhance knowledge, provide access to resources, and serve to support elementary educators at an inner-city school in …

Outdoor Recreation For People With Spinal Cord Injuries: An Educational Video Series, Siarra N. Walker, Steven M. Gerardi, Heather Rennerfeldt

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

More than 15 million people globally are living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Only half of people with SCI engage in leisure activities and approximately 71% of the population reports dissatisfaction in their leisure participation. There are numerous intrinsic and extrinsic barriers that lead to these significant declines in leisure exploration and participation, including lack of knowledge and inaccurate accessible online information. In correlation with these barriers, occupational therapy practitioners underutilize leisure participation during the rehabilitation process for people with SCI and this is an underreported topic in the literature. Occupational therapy practitioners and people with SCI lack knowledge of …

Effects Of Physical Activity, Play And Mindfulness-Based Interventions On Emotional Regulation And Emotional Awareness Skills In Adults With Developmental Disabilities At A Day-Time Assistance Program, Aaron Arndt

OT Student Capstones

Background: According to literature, deficiencies in emotional regulation and emotional awareness skills are more prevalent among adults diagnosed with developmental disabilities. Limited research shows promising support that the use of noninvasive treatments such as exercise, and play can promote emotional well-being among this population. This project aims to better understand the benefits of physical activity, play, and mindfulness-based interventions on emotional regulation skills in adults with developmental disabilities who attend a day-time assistance program.

Method: This 14-week capstone project was conducted at Lauren’s Institute for Education’s Adult Day Treatment (DTA) program. The occupational therapy doctorate (OTD) student developed and implemented …

Adaptive Gaming As An Occupation: Motor Phenomena And Lived Experiences, Christina Floyd, Melanie Blaisdell, Madeleine Pope, Audrey Metzger, Donna Chen Tubig, Lauren Andaya, Christine Vincent

Occupational Therapy | MSOT Capstone Projects

Purpose: This qualitative study examined the lived experience and motor phenomena that occur in people with disabilities during the occupation of video gaming. Historically, the occupation of video gaming, also referred to as gaming, has not been inclusive of individuals with disabilities due to the design of traditional video gaming controllers. Typical gaming controllers require fine motor control, finger dexterity, and in-hand manipulation to grasp and use the controls on the device. Although, many people with disabilities do not have the fine motor skills required to access these devices, creating a barrier for this population to engage in …

Exploring Accessibility And Social Inclusion For Children With Hearing Impairments In Residential Camps Through The Occupational Therapy Lens, Tiffany Coles

Student Capstone Papers

Children are encouraged to engage in various play, leisure, and social participation activities to enhance the development of life skills, independence, and social skills. A common leisure and social participation activity for children aged 6 to 18-years-old is to attend residential camp. Residential camps provide children a structured opportunity to engage in leisure activities while learning to become independent and self-confident when socializing and making new friends. Attending camp can be a fun and engaging environment to help accelerate growth in key developmental outcomes, such as positive identity, social skills, physical skills, positive values, and spirituality.

Within the residential camp …

Healing The Mind And Soul With Art And Music, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Gracie Fisher, an artist and composer based in Santa Barbara, California, provided the cover art for the Fall 2020 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “The Fruit of Spirit” is a 16” x 20” oil painting on canvas. When a rare neurologic condition left Gracie paralyzed from the neck down, art and music helped to heal her mind and soul. Upon returning home from the hospital, Gracie’s wish was to create an inclusive environment where children of all abilities could engage in art and music. She founded the Grace Fisher Foundation so others could experience the healing …

The Splashing Effects Of Aquatic Therapy For Children With Developmental Disabilities, Eric Bradway, Ots, Mikaela Mcgraw, Ots, Katie Boshoven, Ots

Collaborative Research and Evidence shared Among Therapists and Educators (CREATE Day)

PICO Question

• What are the effects of aquatic therapy on participation in childhood occupations for children with developmental disabilities?

Objectives

• Define aquatic therapy within the scope of occupational therapy practice for children with developmental disabilities
• Discuss the current evidence on effective aquatic based interventions to facilitate participation in childhood occupations in children with developmental disabilities
• Discuss ways to apply this information to practitioners’ own clinical setting

Facilitating Emotional Regulation In Adults With Developmental Disabilities Through Person-Centered Play Therapy, Otis Kemutambah

Honors Theses

Adults with developmental disabilities may employ maladaptive behaviors that stem from limited opportunities to interact with their community and non-nurturing interactions within their environment. This literature review explores the effects of play on maladaptive behaviors and provides a rationale that supports the use of PCPT to improve this population’s emotional regulation skills. More specifically, the sources indicate that activities containing exercise and games, improves the emotional regulation skills of this population. Based on the presented information, created cost effective activities will potentially improve these skills amongst adults with developmental disabilities. These activities that adhere to PCPT are basketball, water basketball, …