Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Perspectives And Issues Related To The Cota Role In New Mexico, Steven T. Sorensen

MOT Student Capstones

Objectives: This study investigated perceptions and issues related to the COTA role within the state of New Mexico from both the OTA and OTR perspective to identify whether differences in perception exist. Another objective of this study was to determine whether differences exist in perceptions of COTAs between facilities that utilize assistance and those that do not. The author of this study also sought to identify whether local educational institutions were meeting the needs of students with only one OTR program and a recent closure of a local bridge program. Methods: Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants (N=54) working in …

Late Adulthood And Meaningful Occupation: The Relationship Between Quality Of Life, Meaningful Activity, And Health, Dwight P. Mangum

MOT Student Capstones

Engagement in meaningful activity is critical to quality of life throughout the lifespan. Participation in such activity can become more challenging at retirement age due to a variety of health concerns and other issues. When an individual's ability to engage in meaningful activity (life roles, leisure activities, activities of daily living, etc.) is diminished due to age related health concerns, injury, or other factors, the resulting barriers to participation in meaningful activity can cause greater damage to quality of life. An understanding of the role that meaningful activity plays in sustaining quality of life is crucial for motivating recovery of …

Affordable Aging In Place, Megan P. Cuthrell

MOT Student Capstones

Aging in place refers to remaining in one's home and community throughout the aging process (Siebert, 2007). Occupational therapy can play a role in aging in place through home modifications. The purpose of the project is to research how affordable home modifications can support lower socioeconomic status, older adults age in place. The three objectives of this project include: (1) the educational presentation and booklet were effective in increasing the participant's knowledge of low-cost options and funding sources for implementing home modifications; (2) the educational presentation/booklet provide effective resources for the individuals to implement home modifications in facilitating successful aging …

Promoting Shade On A Public Playground: An Occupational Therapy Approach To Promoting Community Health, Andrew P. Baglia

MOT Student Capstones

Background Recent studies have raised concern regarding inadequate shade on public playgrounds, leading to an increased risk of sun and heat injury and decreased opportunities for play participation for children. Adequate shade has been shown to be an effective measure to mitigate heat and sun exposure. This Capstone project aimed to positively impact the community of the city of Saluda, North Carolina (NC), by using occupational therapy intervention approaches of promotion, modification, prevention, and education to promote the procurement of adequate shade at the Saluda Elementary School (SES) public playground. Methods This project employed a parent survey to measure attitudes …

Safe Pet Care: Keeping Owners And Pets Safe After Illness And/Or Injury, Sara A. Lowe

MOT Student Capstones

Pet care, for the older adult population, may become problematic after returning home from a recent hospital or rehabilitation stay, due to illness and/or injury. A safe pet care guide was developed, to assist the older adult population, with caring for their pets after they returned home from the hospital or a rehabilitation facility. The safe pet care guide includes information related to safe body movements during pet care activities, products available to assist with pet care, changes to the home, and local pet care resources. Additional safety tips were included to correspond to each area addressed. The manual was …

Implementing Multifactorial Education Modules With Older Adults: Individualized And Interactive Fall Prevention Education, Salvador Chavez, Jocelle Flores, Rachelle Yambao

Student Research Posters

Falls are a significant concern for community-dwelling older adults (OAs), with one in four OAs reporting a fall every year. Occupational therapy students collaborated with first responders of the Novato Fire District to identify gaps in fall prevention community outreach programs and found that many interventions lack an interactive or individualized approach. Based on the gap analysis and current literature, seven education modules were developed to address key risk factors including home modifications, polypharmacy, fear of falling, and balance exercises. Thirty community-dwelling OAs participated in the education modules and were implemented at two senior community sites in Marin County. Participants …

Exploring Clinical Fieldwork Educators’ Perceptions And Expectations Of Occupational Therapy Student Professional And Technical Skills At The Beginning Of Level Ii Fieldwork, Jessica A. Mason

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Educational programs must ensure students are prepared for clinical practice prior to initiating the mandated fieldwork experiences defined by ACOTE. This is done through a multitude of educational learning strategies including lectures, service learning opportunities, and skill competence. Occupational therapy professionals serving as fieldwork educators can offer unique insight to occupational therapy educators in how to best prepare students for clinical practice.

Sensory-Based Services In Adult Mental Health, Leslie Reed

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to evaluate the sensory room program used by occupational therapy to determine whether use of the sensory room and the elements within the room reduced perceived levels of distress and acting out and/or aggressive behaviors of patients with mental illness. Methods: This Capstone Project was an outcome evaluation of a routine clinical program using retrospective analysis of existing patient records to ascertain physical aggression episodes, sensory modulation ability, and self-ratings and staff ratings of patient distress levels pre- and post-sensory intervention. Results: Through analysis of quantitative data, the results of the project …

Opening Minds Through Art: Engaging Art Agencies To Foster Community Participation And Commitment, Ashlyn Cunningham

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Opening Minds through Art [OMA] is a visual arts program for individuals with dementia which aims to enhance the quality of life for individuals living with dementia, as well as their caregivers, through a creative opportunity held within their own community. The intent of this project was for community art agencies and galleries to participate in dementia-specific training to develop programming for individuals with dementia so that clients with memory needs can actively engage in the creative arts in St. Louis. This project used a pre-post design to analyze perceptions regarding arts based programming with people who have memory …

Effect Of Slant Boards In Combination With Handwriting Practice, Kristen N. Brevoort

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Handwriting difficulties affect 10% to 30% of children in elementary school often hindering their successful participation in a number of occupations, including academic participation. Occupational therapists provide treatments for handwriting difficulties; however, many of these interventions have limited to no evidence to support their effectiveness. One of these interventions is the use of a slant board, a treatment strategy often combined with handwriting practice. Clinicians commonly combine the use of slant boards and handwriting practice to facilitate the development of handwriting skills in young children. However, the effectiveness of this combination of interventions in improving the quality of handwriting remains …

Effects Of Moderate Pressure Massage On Self-Regulation And Play In Preterm Babies, Helene Chaya Hendel

Occupational Therapy Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The purpose of this study was to examine whether mother-administered moderate pressure massage intervention could improve self-regulation, which would result in improvements in play outcomes. It was posited that a child who is self-regulated may be more successful in his/her play and that moderate pressure massage could be an effective tool to improve self-regulation in preterm infants with decreased self-regulation. Participants in the study were five preterm children ranging from 12 to 18 months corrected age and their mothers. The study utilized an A-B nonconcurrent multiple baselines across subjects design in which each participant acted as his/her own control as …

Dementia: Incorporating Families And Caregivers In Direct Speech-Language Intervention, Jocelyn Hartley

Online Theses and Dissertations

In a survey, 50% of 1,000 caregivers reported that they received no information on dementia at the time of diagnosis (Thompson & Pulsford, 2012). This statistic provides strong evidence as to why caregivers feel ill-prepared to care for individuals with dementia. The role of a speech-language pathologist (SLP) is suggested to not only treat the individual with dementia, but consider the role and perspective of the caregiver (Watson, Aizawa, Savundranayagam & Orange, 2013). Providing education and training to caregivers of individuals with dementia is within the scope of practice of speech-language pathologists (Watson et al., 2013).

A survey design for …

The Impact Of Sexual Assault On College Students' Daily Occupations: A Phenomenological Approach, Lee Ann Hodge

Online Theses and Dissertations

It is estimated that 1 in 4 women experience sexual violence while in college (Tjaden & Thoennes, 2006), which may result in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Occupational therapy has been used to provide interventions for PTSD, but there is a gap in the literature addressing occupational therapy intervention for college students who have experienced sexual assault. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to inquire into students’ lived experiences of daily occupations while in college after having experienced sexual assault, through thematic analysis of data from two interviews conducted in Kentucky and Ohio. Six meaningful themes were developed: changes in …

Enhancing Child Self-Confidence Of Occupational Performance Through The Use Of A Movement Program, Emily Coleman

Online Theses and Dissertations

Sensorimotor deficits are a result of a child's difficulties processing sensory input in combination with motor incoordination. This can lead to many difficulties for children's occupational performance, which in turn, can lead to a decrease in self-confidence for those children. This mixed-method study, through pre and post test results combined with parent reported data, sought to determine if a movement program that combines motor, sensory, and self-awareness components is an effective means of increasing the self-confidence of children with sensorimotor deficits. The results of this study demonstrate an increase in self-confidence in the ability to complete activities of daily living, …

Exploring Parents' Experiences Of Raising A Child With Sensorimotor Impairments And Expectations For Leisure Participation, Emily Eicher

Online Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this phenomenological study was to explore parents' experiences and expectations of raising a child with sensorimotor impairments and how leisure pursuits impact their expectations of their children. The development and participation in leisure activities is different for these children and could affect the parents' hopes and dreams for their child's future. Six children between the ages of 5-8 years of age, with sensorimotor impairments, participated in a movement program that was held for eight sessions at an outpatient pediatric clinic to address praxis and sensory processing impairments. Six parent dyads were interviewed during the fifth, sixth, seventh, …

No One Fights Alone: Exploring Social Participation Of Young Adults With Cancer, Susan Blake Hodgson

Online Theses and Dissertations

Background: Young adults are relatively understudied and often misrepresented in oncology research and practice, as they are often overlooked or clumped in with pediatric or older adult patients. There is a gap in literature for young adults with cancer and this study was done in an effort to help bridge that gap while exploring social participation along with peer support. Social participation is the interweaving of occupations to support desired engagement in community and family activities as well as those involving peers and friends (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). This will not only elicit a better understanding of the impact …

Restoration Of Attentional Deficits After Concussion, Katharine B. Earle

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Difficulties with concentration and attention are among the most prevalent symptoms experienced after concussion. Rest has been the most common form of recovery from concussion; however, new research is suggesting mild mental exertion to be an effective aid in recovery. Drawing from Attention Restoration Theory, this study evaluated the idea that cognitive engagement with natural environments can mitigate post-concussion directed-attention deficits. A between subjects repeated measures design was used to test directed-attention after video exposure to restorative/nature and nonrestorative/city environments. Measures of mood, connectedness to environment, and symptomology scores were also collected. No meaningful difference between exposure type was found …

The Philadelphia School Of Occupational Therapy: A Centennial Lesson, Christine O. Peters, Peggy M. Martin, Wanda J. Mahoney

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy (P.S.O.T.) was one of five founding occupational therapy academic programs in the United States. The program was led by two powerful occupational therapists, Helen S. Willard and Clare S. Spackman, for nearly a half century. After 60 years, P.S.O.T. was closed. This article provides a historical overview of the progression of occupational therapy education in the United States over the last century, using the story of P.S.O.T as a case study. The historical legacy and lesson from P.S.O.T. is that excellence in today’s academy may not mean security. Historically relevant today, the interaction between …

Underperforming Students: Factors And Decision-Making In Occupational Therapy Programs, Beth Cardell, Jeanette Koski, Jessica Wahl, Wendi Rock, Anne Kirby

Journal of Occupational Therapy Education

The purpose of this study was to better understand factors related to occupational therapy (OT) educators’ decisions to fail underperforming students and to clarify why educators sometimes fail to fail or pass students despite sub-standard performance. Assessing student competence is an essential part of ensuring the safety of those receiving occupational therapy services and ensuring the integrity of the OT profession. Educators in academic and fieldwork settings are responsible for confirming that students who graduate from their programs are able to demonstrate skills required for entry into the profession. A total of 323 OT academic and fieldwork educators responded to …

The Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapy Interventions For Students With Mental Illness Transitioning To Higher Education: A Systematic Review, Brittany Davis, Leah Sherman

Occupational Therapy Capstones

Objective: To examine the available evidence for interventions within the scope of occupational therapy for students with mental illness during the transition process to postsecondary education. Method: This systematic review yielded seven articles including two systematic reviews, three one group pretest/posttest design, one naturalistic pre/posttest design, and one scoping review related to the transition process to post secondary education.

Results: Occupation-based interventions emphasized the occupation of education instead of focusing on co-occurring occupations a student may frequently participate in when enrolled in postsecondary education. Programs emphasized environmental approaches including using the students' past experiences, building self-advocacy skills, accessing supportive education …