Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Help Me Heal: Enriching The Environment For The Acute Care Stroke Population, Mary Kate Young

MOT Student Capstones

Environmental enrichment to increase patient participation and prevent further medical complications is not a new concept, but one that is in its infancy in the hospital setting. This paper sought to compile the current data of enriching the environment for patients with neurological deficits, and how it can be applied to the acute care setting. Methods used were a needs analysis of occupational therapists, and an in-service and educational handout to gather data from nursing staff. Through the presentation of the in-service and handout, and analyzing the results from the pre and post-test, there was an increase in understanding the …

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome: Comprehensive Interventions To Enhance A Patient's Quality Of Life, Kristine Nguyen

MOT Student Capstones

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a multifaceted pain condition that is seemingly disproportionate in time or degree to the usual course of an initial trauma and/ or a surgery timeline. It can be difficult to initially identify CRPS because symptoms can range, and it is difficult to clearly understand it as some people develop CRPS while others with similar trauma do not. As the aging population increases, there will be an increase in the incidence of chronic conditions, including CRPS. The lack of physiological and neurological knowledge about CRPS, and mindset of therapists in an orthopedic outpatient setting towards …

Occupational Therapy's Role In Community Integration For Sex Trafficking Victims, Georgia Brooke Thigpen

MOT Student Capstones

Human trafficking is currently one of the largest global issues, affecting an estimated 35.8 million people using various forms sexual corruption and exploitation for financial gain, resulting in modem-day form of slavery (Gorman, & Hatkevich, 2016). Women who have sustained traumatic sexual abuse continue to fall victim to their traffickers even long after they have been rescued and rehabilitated. Sex trafficking victims are more likely to have lower levels of education, difficulty finding and maintaining a job, and trouble accessing their communities. Although a plethora of research exists on both past and present statistics of sex trafficking victims, there is …

The Benefits Of Martial Arts For Children And Adolescents With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (Adhd), Renee M. Peacock

MOT Student Capstones

It has been well-established that youth with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are often peer-rejected and rated by parents, teachers, and observers to have poor social skills, when compared to typically developing peers. One solution to these problems is the provision of a positive outlet such as martial arts. The participation in martial arts offers children and adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) year-round physical activity, discipline, increased focus, self-efficacy, self-regulation skills, positive coping skills and empathy and respect towards others which can carry over into their home, school, and community life. These important aspects are closely related to the services …

Educating Occupational Therapy Practitioners On The Benefits Of Animal Assisted Therapy In Teaching Social-Emotional Skills, Rachel Shepherd

MOT Student Capstones

Developing a program designed to educate occupational therapy and speech therapy practitioners on emerging therapeutic methods to teach social and emotional skills to children and adolescents. Emphasis will be on the importance of children and adolescents learning social emotional skills to positively relate to family and peers and manage their emotions and self-regulate to facilitate success in academic and social situations. Social-emotional learning (SEL) is the evolution of social skills, communication skills, and emotional recognition that are important for children develop. These skills are an important indicator of academic success. improve ability to form relationships or interact with others, and …

Cognitive-Behavioral Educational Program Increasing Independent Living Skills For Adolescents With Mild Intellectual And Developmental Delays, Stephanie Parks

MOT Student Capstones

In this exploratory study, participants were provided with information on transitioning into adulthood, IDD, life skills, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to increase their awareness of evidence-based techniques that can be successfully implemented to assist adolescents with IDD as they transition into adulthood. Data was collected for this project using a pre-survey, and an educational video followed by a post-survey. Once the pre-survey was completed, the participants were directed to watch an educational video followed by completing a post-survey. The results indicated a statistically significant correlation between eight paired t-tests that were completed between the pre-survey and post-survey. Teachers reported an …

Educating Social Workers: Decreasing The Gap Of Children In Foster Care Who Need Occupational Therapy And Who Are Receiving Occupational Therapy Services, Sydney Boyles

MOT Student Capstones

Children in the foster care system have multiple increased risks including social-emotional delays, mental health concerns, academic delays, and more. Although these are all areas that the field of Occupational Therapy (OT) can address, there is a gap in the number of children in the foster care system who could benefit from OT services and who are receiving OT services. This paper explores the potential role OT services could have for children in the foster care system. To explore this potential, I used a needs assessment, pre-survey, and post-survey focused on pediatric OT with a group of social workers in …

Social Media Use Among Adolescents: Implementing A Social Media Family Plan, Rebekah Mcdaniel

MOT Student Capstones

Ever since the creation of internet connected phones, social media usage has become a prominent daily activity among adolescents. However, there is little guidance for parents, teachers, and health professionals on how to foster healthy habits and routines regarding social media usage among the adolescent population. As a result, adolescents are experiencing more frequent occurrences of anxiety, depression, and even suicide. Toe intent of this paper is to investigate what makes adolescents a vulnerable population to the negative effects of social media and what research reveals is best practice for fostering healthy social media use. To answer these questions, the …

The Role Of Acute Occupational Therapy In Providing Assessment And Intervention For Visual Impairments Post-Stroke, Kari Penuel

MOT Student Capstones

This project was established to explore how occupational therapy practitioners working in the acute care setting can address visual impairments post-stroke, and how these impairments effect occupational performance. Project objectives were aimed to provide occupational therapy practitioners with an increase in perceived knowledge regarding how to identify, assess, and characterize visual perceptual deficits, allowing them to use this knowledge to develop tailored interventions to address limitations with activities of daily living (ADL) performance. Goals of this project were: to highlight the importance of providing early vision assessment and intervention within the acute setting; to increase the likelihood of acute occupational …

Integrating Cognitive Stimulation Therapy Program In Adult Day Cares For Individuals With Alzheimer's Disease, Stephany Hernandez

MOT Student Capstones

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common type of dementia in individuals over 65. There is currently no cure for AD, and deaths related to AD are rising compared to other diseases. A person with AD exhibits impaired cognition, short-term memory, behavioral disturbances, poor judgment, and language abnormalities. Therefore, there is a higher risk for geriatric depression and decreased quality of life. Prescription drugs are used to target AD symptoms; however, outcomes and benefits are limited over time. Families and caregivers are also affected by the mental and emotional deterioration of their loved ones. In an effort to relieve the …

Body Mechanics And Ergonomics To Decrease Low Back Pain In Nursing Staff, Jennifer A. Fagin

MOT Student Capstones

Due to the high incidence of low back pain in nursing staff, the purpose of this project was to explore the efficacy of training in body mechanics and ergonomics principles on the incidence of low back pain in direct care nursing staff. Current research indicates that training and education in body mechanics and ergonomics principles can decrease the incidence of low back pain. Direct care nursing staff completed a survey to ascertain low back pain incidence and severity prior to training. Training on basic body mechanics and ergonomics principles was then provided. Follow-up with the same nursing staff occurred one …

Let Food Be Thy Medicine: The Role Of Whole Food Consumption And Mental Wellness In Children, Bianca A. Allen

MOT Student Capstones

Mental Health is one of the most neglected areas of health in the U.S healthcare system, yet there continues to be an alarming rate of individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders. This group of affected individuals includes the presence of children with 3 out of 4 children predicted to experience behavior problems and mood fluctuations before the age of 17. To 3 combat mental illness, psychotropic medications are prescribed at a startling rate with children as young as 2 being placed on mental health prescriptions. Although psychotropic medications have positive outcomes on mental illness, long terms use of this class …

Barriers And Resources For Competitive Adaptive Rock Climbing, Amy Griswold, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this project was to (1) identify barriers to participation in competitive adaptive rock climbing for adults with a physical disability and (2) create and distribute virtual educational resources to meet identified barriers. The need for this project was highlighted by athlete and coach self-report of limited ability to engage in competitive adaptive rock climbing, also known as paraclimbing.

The sample consisted of 108 adaptive athletes, adaptive rock-climbing coaches, staff members in rock climbing gyms, and volunteers at adaptive rock climbing events. Participants anonymously completed a ten-minute mixed methods virtual survey using Microsoft Forms.

Statistical analyses suggest recurrent …

Supporting The Transition Out Of The Family Caregiver Role: An Occupation-Centered Approach, Whitney Wilbanks, Susan Macdermott

Spring 2022 Virtual OTD Capstone Symposium

Engagement in meaningful and valued occupations can be used as a means to help former family caregivers cope, heal, and grow following the loss of their loved one (Pickens, 2011). Occupational engagement can be used as a means to help former family caregivers reshape their personal identity, experience a sense of wholeness, and reestablish purpose and balance in their lives (Hocking, 2016). The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to educate hospice care staff on ways to support individuals with transitioning out of the family caregiver role following the death of the care recipient. An educational resource was developed …

Nurturing Personal Capacities Through Engagement In Art, Jennifer K. Fortuna

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Andy Wunderlin, an artist based in Vicksburg, MI, provided the cover art for the Spring 2022 edition of The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy (OJOT). “Tree with Birds” is a 10” x 13” drawing made from colored pencil (see Figure 1). Andy’s style is uniquely photorealistic. His work involves meticulous attention to detail. Each piece takes between 6 months and 2 years to complete. For Andy, drawing provides a powerful source of motivation and purpose. Art has played an important role in the development of Andy’s personal capacities and potential.

Functional Cognition: An Opportunity To Highlight The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Post-Concussion Care, Rachel Taylor Postma, John V. Rider, Robyn Otty

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

As concern surrounding concussion and the associated long-term effects grow, a continued need for comprehensive, holistic concussion care emerges. Occupational therapists are well-equipped to address the wide variety of symptoms and deficits that clients may experience post-concussion. Functional cognition is one area in which occupational therapists can demonstrate their unique value on the interdisciplinary treatment team. In this Opinions in the Profession paper, we describe how occupational therapists are poised to further establish their role in post-concussion care by becoming the primary discipline for assessing and treating functional cognition. The aim of this paper is to outline the role of …

Women’S Self-Concept, Sexual Activity, And Intimacy After Sustaining A Traumatic Brain Injury, Erin Skotzke

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

A traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have a profound impact on how people think and feel about themselves and their abilities, values, goals, personalities, physical characteristics, and roles. Preliminary research findings suggest that barriers to developing a positive self-concept after injury in women include the desire to be perceived as “normal” after the injury or the feeling that society dismisses their injuries. In the field of occupational therapy, it is critical that therapists and researchers understand that self-concept can be altered after sustaining a TBI. This outcome can have a significant impact on participation in valued occupations, including participation in …

Neurodiversity-Affirming Practices Are A Moral Imperative For Occupational Therapy, Aaron R. Dallman, Kathryn L. Williams, Lauren Villa

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

The term neurodiversity encompasses neurological differences such as clinical labels of autism, learning disabilities, synesthesia, hyperactivity disorders, and more. Proponents of the neurodiversity movement argue that current therapeutic and medical practices often attempt to “normalize” behaviors and ways of participation that originate from these differences in neurology and contribute to an individual’s sense of identity. This paper argues that an ethical and morally just occupational therapy practice should affirm neurodivergent ways of being, and that occupational therapists must be active agents of change by listening to and collaborating with their neurodiverse clientele. We focus the discussion on our work with …

Is It Reasonable? Reasonable And Unreasonable Accommodations For Occupational Therapy Students In Clinical Settings, Rebecca Ozelie, Jennifer Bock, Sarah Gervais, Leah Schneider, Caitlyn Silhavy

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Despite the growing number of graduate students with disabilities, little is known about what accommodations are considered reasonable in various occupational therapy fieldwork settings. This study explores which accommodations fieldwork educators perceive as reasonable or unreasonable for occupational therapy students with disabilities. Snowball sampling methodology was used to distribute a virtual survey, using a descriptive design. One hundred and sixty-two occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants answered questions relating to demographic information, clinical experience supervising fieldwork students, and their clinical judgement regarding commonly requested accommodations. Using a quantitative approach, the accommodations deemed most reasonable were allowing the use of adaptive …

Use Of Standardized Patient Encounters As Predictors Of Fieldwork Performance: A Pilot Study, Linda Frasier, John V. Rider, Ashley Fecht

The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy

Background: Although standardized patient encounters (SPEs) are being used in occupational therapy (OT) education, limited literature exists on the value these experiences have on OT student learning outcomes and preparation for fieldwork. This study sought to examine if SPEs had the potential to predict Level II A fieldwork performance.

Method: This study used a retrospective analysis of 35 entry-level OT students. Independent variables included demographics (enrollment in an entry-level OT master's or doctoral degree, age, and overall grade point average) and SPE performance. The fieldwork Level II A final performance evaluation score was used as the dependent variable. Hierarchical regression …