Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Web-Based Modules Reinforcing Therapy Topics For Caregivers Involved In Early Intervention, Terri L. Beard Ms, Otr/L

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Research questions answered in this capstone pilot study project were two-fold: 1) determine if web-based tutorials are effective for caregivers of children in early intervention (EI) programs to reinforce general topic information and 2) examine caregiver attitudes towards using online training modules.The scientific underpinnings used were the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF) (AOTA, 2014) and the Technological Pedagogical and Content Knowledge (TPACK) framework (Brown & Green, 2011).

The study was created on CourseSites website powered by Blackboard, using technology to reinforce occupation-based EI topics, through tutorial presentations and videos. Quantitative data was collected from caregivers using pre-and post-testing measures including …

Implementation Of Modified Constraint-Induced Therapy In Upper Limb Stroke Rehabilitation In An Inpatient Rehabilitation Hospital, Umana W. Udoeyop

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Despite increasing and strong evidence of modified constraint-induced therapy (mCIT) as an effective intervention approach for patients with chronic and subacute stroke in outpatient settings, it is still not widely used for the rehabilitation of patients with acute stroke who are typically admitted to inpatient rehabilitation hospitals.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to implement an evidence-based approach using mCIT in the upper extremity rehabilitation of patients with acute stroke in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital and to demonstrate its feasibility and efficacy in increasing the motor recovery, and the amount and quality of arm use when compared to …

Exploring Fieldwork Educators' Expectations Of Occupational Therapy Students' Professional And Technical Skills, Jessica A. Mason

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: This capstone project focused on professional and technical skills of occupational therapy students beginning Level II Fieldwork. Fieldwork educators are essential personnel to the development of successful occupational therapy students. The education provided by the fieldwork educators is vital to the growth of each occupational therapy student in the profession.

Purpose: The purpose of this capstone project was to explore perceptions held by Level II Fieldwork educators of occupational therapy students’ professional and technical skills at the beginning of Level II Fieldwork. By identifying these perceptions, academic occupational therapy educators can assist students to develop these skills while they …

Leadership Roles: Creating Inclusiveness Within A Worship Environment, Susan L. Morreau

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

This Capstone Project sought to investigate and measure the process of social change in the community setting of a Christian church. A committee of stakeholders came together with a common passion to engage and integrate individuals of varying disabilities at all levels of church participation. As a new committee, stakeholders agreed to use the cyclical process of Participatory Action Research (PAR) to guide them in creating an action plan for promoting this congregational change. The occupational therapist served on the committee as both a co-facilitator and researcher.

While the primary purpose of the project was to objectively measure the degree …

Investigating The Effectiveness Of Web-Based Recommended Practice Tutorials For Caregivers Of Children In Early Intervention Programs, Terri L. Beard

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

The purpose of this mixed-method investigational pilot study is two-fold: are web-based tutorials effective for caregivers of children in early intervention programs to learn recommended practice content and 2) examine caregiver attitudes towards using online training tutorials. The problem addressed will be “Is using an online learning platform an effective adjunct way for caregivers of young children in early intervention programs to learn recommended practice information?” In early intervention programs, practitioner time, resources, and availability is often limited. Frequently, children in early intervention programs are taken care of by multiple caregivers. To improve carryover, this study focuses on determining if …

Evolution Of Occupational Therapy Practice: Life History Of Cassady Hoff, Amanda Callahan, Danielle Chartier

Oral History Student Papers

This life history 1 of 29 life history interviews which is part of a larger project, Life Histories of Individual Who Have Been Influential In Developing Occupational Therapy (OT) in North Dakota and Wyoming. The purpose of the project is to gather information about the history and evolution of occupational therapy (OT) practice in North Dakota and Wyoming through life histories of individuals who have influenced the development of OT in these two states. It is anticipated that the life history process will be a powerful way to gather this information. This study is intended to provide current and future …

The Life History Of Ron Meier, Otr/L, Kylie Browen, Olivia Mayasich

Oral History Posters

Objective: The purpose of this qualitative study was to examine the life history of Ron Meier and his experiences as an occupational therapist. More specifically, researchers explored his roles as a supervisor, manager, and director in the mental health setting in the states of North Dakota and Minnesota.

Method: A semi-structured interview via phone was conducted. Ron was assigned to the researchers from a list developed by the Project Directors through purposive sampling.

Results: the major themes that were prevalent throughout Ron's career included: the many close relationships he formed, the programs he established and administered, the positions he held …

Sensory-Based Group Treatment In Reducing Physically Acting-Out Behaviors And Perceived Levels Of Distress, Tiffany Barnette

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Mental health legislation over the last several decades has focused on restricting the use of seclusion and restraints within facilities receiving federal financial assistance. Facilities serving psychiatric populations have looked for strategies to eliminate the need for these forced interventions. One strategy is the use sensory-based treatment in occupational therapy intervention. Sensory approaches that have been adopted as ‘best practice’ include the use of sensory rooms, groups and kits to help users learn how to regulate psychological and emotional states of arousal.

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to examine the effectiveness of a sensory-based …

Workplace Factors Affecting The Delivery Of Occupational Therapy Services: Perspectives Of Occupational Therapy Practitioners, Robert J. Mullaney

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

This research is a study on the occupation of being an occupational therapy practitioner. The work-related factors of focus are change, absenteeism, productivity/performance expectations, and work-stress and have the potential to influence the delivery of occupational therapy services in healthcare settings. Collective case-study inquiry and analysis was used to determine the overall meaning of the perspectives of 21 hospital, skilled nursing, outpatient, and community-based participants who were occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants. Interviews and transcription took place, with a validation review. NVIVO-10 Qualitative Software was used to aid in the analysis and coding of the a-priori factors using deductive …

The Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapist Guided Remediation Through Handwriting Home Programs, Cindy W. Poole

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

There is extensive research on the evolution of handwriting instruction, programs, the neuromotor components, the complexity of performance, and the long term effects of both adequate and inferior performance to occupational performance. The research supports occupational therapy intervention as effective for remediation of poor handwriting. With occupational therapy services limited to only those who receive special education services in schools, supplemental handwriting instruction and remediation responsibilities fall to the teachers and parents. This also creates a large unserved segment of children who struggle under traditional instructional approaches. Parents and teachers have instructional support needs related to current evidence based practice …

Resource Seeking As Occupation: A Critical And Empirical Exploration., Rebecca M Aldrich, Debbie Rudman, Virginia A Dickie

Occupational Therapy Publications

Occupational therapists and occupational scientists are committed to generating and using knowledge about occupation, but Western middle-class social norms regarding particular ways of doing have limited explorations of survival occupations. This article provides empirical evidence of the ways in which resource seeking constitutes an occupational response to situations of uncertain survival. Resource seeking includes a range of activities outside formal employment that aim to meet basic needs. On the basis of findings from 2 ethnographic studies, we critique the presumption of survival in guiding occupational therapy documents and the accompanying failure to recognize occupations that seem at odds with self-sufficiency. …

Precarity In The Nonprofit Employment Services Sector, Carlo Fanelli, Debbie Rudman, Rebecca Aldrich

Occupational Therapy Publications

Drawing on interview and focus group data, this article explores research undertaken as part of a larger research project exploring precarity in the nonprofit employment services sector in a mid-sized Canadian city. We critically survey major legislative changes to Canadian employment and income security policies and programs, including the restructuring of work and labor relations, growth of performance-based contracting-out, erosion of intergovernmental transfers, worker stress, and emotional tolls. Our study’s results demonstrate how employment precarity in the nonprofit employment services sector is amplified by top-down and centralized relationships with funding partners and policymaking divorced from the employment experiences of frontline …

“You Got To Make The Numbers Work”: Negotiating Managerial Reforms In The Provision Of Employment Support Service., Debbie Rudman, Rebecca Aldrich, John Grundy, Melanie Stone, Suzanne Huot, Awish Aslam

Occupational Therapy Publications

No abstract provided.

Discerning The Social In Individual Stories Of Occupation Through Critical Narrative Inquiry., Debbie Rudman, Rebecca Aldrich

Occupational Therapy Publications

Calls to ‘transcend the individual’ in occupational science have emerged in recognition of the boundaries of individualistic perspectives and the drive to develop a socially responsive science. In this article, we contend that transcending the individual does not equate to neglecting how individuals make sense of and experience occupation; rather, it requires looking at individual constructions of experiences and occupations in critically informed ways that highlight the socio-political influences on those constructions. This discussion article considers how critical narrative inquiry can be taken up as a methodological approach to interpretively link individual ‘stories’ with social ‘stories’ or discourses, enabling further …

Understanding The Impact Of Substance Abuse On Occupation Using The Lifestyle History Questionnaire, Mikel Stone

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Substance abuse and addiction have become serious societal problems resulting in a myriad of health, personal and relational issues (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Gutman (2006) reported that an individual involved in substance abuse and addiction may experience difficulty with purposeful time management and may neglect major life roles. The focus of this Capstone Project was to identify the occupational dysfunction experienced by individuals prior to participating in residential recovery programming.

Purpose: The purpose of this Capstone Project was to identify occupational dysfunction associated with substance abuse and addiction using the Lifestyle History Questionnaire (Martin et …

The Effectiveness Of Occupational Therapist Guided Remediation Through Handwriting Home Programs, Cindy W. Poole Mrs.

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Objective: The purpose of the study was to examine the effectiveness of an occupational therapist guided, parent-taught home handwriting instruction program for alphabet letter mastery and as a potential school system service delivery model.

Methods: Sixteen teacher referred students participated in this two-group pre-test posttest design using the Test of Handwriting Skills-R and parent survey data to determine summer remediation program effectiveness.

Results: Parent survey support correlated to statistically significant intervention group THS-R mean change standard scores in alphabet letter formation from pre-test (M = 89.57, SD = 12.12) to posttest (M =101.4, SD = 10.39), t …

Critically Appraised Paper For “Bobath Concept Versus Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy To Improve Arm Functional Recovery In Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial.” Clinical Rehabilitation, Emily Garnica, Savannah Hancock, Tiffany Huang, Jessica Phung, Kitsum Li

Occupational Therapy | Critically Appraised Papers Series

The researchers used a Level I, single-blinded, randomized controlled trial design to compare the functional arm recovery of 22 high-functioning poststroke participants. Participants were evenly assigned to receive therapy using the Bobath concept or constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT).

The first intervention group received therapy using the Bobath concept, a neurodevelopmental treatment focused on specific handling techniques that guide the patient’s affected arm through initiation and completion of tasks. The intervention consisted of 1 hr of training per day in an outpatient clinic and a 24-hr home program for 10 consecutive weekdays. The second intervention group received CIMT, a rehabilitation treatment …

Development Of Occupational Therapy-Based Pain Management Group Program To Prevent Substance Abuse, Michelle Stotesberry

MOT Student Capstones

Substance abuse, particularly opioid abuse, has become a severe problem in America. Users typically become exposed to opioids initially for pain management, which can lead to addiction if not tapered off over time. By addressing pain management using nonopioid measures, the likelihood that individuals will get addicted and abuse this substance decreases. Occupational therapy has demonstrated effectiveness in addressing pain management for clients, and occupational therapy interventions have also been effective in substance abuse treatment. This project reviewed evidence-based practice to evaluate different approaches to pain management to help individuals become independent in self-managing their pain, thereby decreasing the chances …

Perceptions Of The Impact Of Non-Contact Boxing On Social And Community Engagement For Individuals With Parkinson’S Disease, Casey E. Humphrey

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

Background: Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurological condition that is characterized by a variety of physical and cognitive symptoms. Research supports the use of non-contact boxing for symptom management of Parkinson’s disease, but no research is available that examines the social and community impact of non-contact boxing on individuals with Parkinson’s disease.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of individuals with Parkinson’s disease on their experiences within a community based, non-contact boxing program. Specifically, this study considered how these individuals perceived non-contact boxing to influence their social and community engagement and factors influencing ongoing participation …

The Residency Program Experience: Impact On Resident And Mentor, Lisa Hiestand

Occupational Therapy Doctorate Capstone Projects

The Occupational Therapy Residency Program developed by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) aims to prepare occupational therapists after completion of their degree program through structured didactic and clinical experiences, mentoring and professional activities. This research study attempts to measure changes in the skills of the resident and mentor during the residency period in an acute care hospital setting. Using self-assessment questionnaires from the University of Wisconsin, this study will determine the perceived trajectory of skill development for the resident and the perceived changes in mentors of an OT resident in regard to mentoring and communication skill development. Qualitative data …