Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Construct Validity Of The Developmental Test Of Visual-Perception Third Edition (Dtvp-3) In Western Australian Primary School Children, Kirsten Clarke

Theses : Honours

Visual perception is the ability to identify, organise, make meaning of and provide sense to what is seen in the world in which we live. Visual perceptual skills continuously develop in primary school children as seen in academic performance. If visual perceptual difficulties are unaddressed, the cumulative academic result can be detrimental throughout life. Thus, visual perceptual difficulties must be identified using tests that possess sound measurement properties to allow for early intervention. The purpose of the research was to determine the construct validity of the Developmental Test of Visual Perception Third Edition (DTVP-3). The DTVP-3 was designed and standardised …

Promoting Social Interaction Skills To Influence The Transition To Employment For Youth With Autism Spectrum Disorders, Jennifer Susan Lange

Honors Theses and Capstones

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) affect one in 68 children in the United States and are characterized by deficits in social interaction. Decreased social interaction skills limit youth with ASDs’ ability to obtain and maintain a job. Acquisition of needed social interaction skills must occur during high school years as part of youths’ transition program. The Therefore, the purpose of this qualitative study was to consider ways to facilitate social interaction to influence the transition to employment. The specific aims of the study were to explore strategies currently used to facilitate social skills, identify social skills currently targeted, and identify other …

Growing Up In Ireland: Factors Impacting Sleep Patterns Of Preterm Infants, Joanne Fallon

Theses and Dissertations

GROWING UP IN IRELAND: FACTORS IMPACTING SLEEP PATTERNS OF PRETERM INFANTS

By Joanne Fallon MS, OT, PhD

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University

Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015.

Major Director: Shelly J. Lane, PhD, Professor, Department of Occupational Therapy

Preterm infants represent the largest child patient group in the European Union (EU), accounting for 5.5-11.4% of all births (European Foundation for the Care of Newborn Infants, 2011b). Preterm birth is defined as birth prior to 37 weeks gestation. Infants born late preterm (34-36 weeks) are considered more …

Do Restorative Home Care Programs Increase Independence In Adls And Iadls In Older Adults Receiving Home Health Services?, Adrienne Angeles, Shanee Ben-Haim, Amy Smith-Schwartz, Kitsum Li

Occupational Therapy | Critically Appraised Papers Series

There has been a worldwide shift from viewing aging as a dependent stage of life to one that increasingly encourages independence and a more active lifestyle for older adults. In Australia, where this study was conducted, restorative care that embraces active aging was not yet considered an essential component of home health care on the national level. However, restorative home care has been gaining more recognition as increasing importance is placed on independence and self-management in older adults.

The researchers of this study explored whether older adults’ participation in restorative home care programs reduced the need for ongoing personal care. …

For Low-Income Adults Who Experience Trouble With One Or More Activities Of Daily Living (Adl) Or Two Or More Instrumental Activities Of Daily Living (Iadl), Does The Community Aging In Place: Advancing Better Living For Elders (Capable) Improve Performance Of Adls And Iadls?, Noelle Bakken, Lauryn Banovitz, Abigail Lafrenz, Kitsum Li

Occupational Therapy | Critically Appraised Papers Series

The growing population of older adults has created a societal shift, with many older adults preferring to stay in their homes for a longer period of time. This trend, known as aging-inplace, may provide greater independence and autonomy to older adults compared with those living in nursing homes. However, physical and cognitive changes associated with age may affect the ability to safely perform activities of daily living (ADL) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADL). This study examined performance in ADLs and IADLs, fall efficacy, and quality of life in 40 low-income, community dwelling adults aged 65 and older. Participants …

Gearing Up For Guide Dogs: An Exercise Video, Valerie J. Deroos, Skyler Moon

Student Research Posters

According to the World Health Organization (2007), age-related visual impairment is increasing. It is estimated that 65% of people who are visually impaired are over age 50 and 82% of those visually impaired over age 50 are blind (WHO, 2014).

• Guide Dogs for the Blind (GDB) is a national training program that serves individuals with blindness or low vision. As a non-profit organization, GDB provides all services free of charge to participants. Training lasts for two weeks with a class size of 6-8 students and instructor/student ratio of 1:2. Participants learn how to perform daily tasks with their dogs …

Handwriting And Metacognition: The Relationship Between Self-Reflection And Penmanship, Rachel E. Malmquist, Chelsey M. Robinson, Kirsten L. Rogers, Andrea B. Sosa

Student Research Posters

The majority of school-based occupational therapy (OT) referrals are for handwriting. In fact, fine motor and handwriting concerns affecting educational performance make up 80-85% of OT referrals in schools. Occupational therapists use an abundance of interventions for remediating handwriting difficulties, but there is scant evidence of why specific strategies or combinations of strategies are effective.

Cognitive interventions have shown to be successful in the treatment of handwriting. Metacognitive skill, a component of cognition, allows a child to self-monitor and self-reflect on his or her handwriting skills to correct mistakes and generate goals for improvement. Therefore, a child’s ability to self-reflect …

Interprofessional Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists And Registered Nurses In Acute Care Settings: An Exploratory Study, Vincent P. O'Brien, Bethany J. Loy, Kelly Nguyen, Holly Micheff

Student Research Posters

Background. Collaboration between occupational therapists and nurses is key to a positive prognosis for their patients. Currently, there is a gap in the research on professional relationships between occupational therapists and registered nurses in acute care settings. Purpose. To examine interprofessional collaboration between registered nurses and occupational therapy in an acute care setting. Methods. A phenomenological, qualitative design with use of semi-structured interviews was used. Interviewees were four occupational therapists and four registered nurses who currently work in acute care settings in Northern California and were recruited through a snowball, convenience and purposive sampling. Themes and subthemes …

Does Therapeutic Horseback Riding Decrease Balance Deficits In Community-Dwelling Older Adults?, Salwa Yaser, Lisa Mrsny, Krystin Beeman, Skyler Moon, Kitsum Li

Occupational Therapy | Critically Appraised Papers Series

Hippotherapy and therapeutic riding (TR) provide pleasurable activity and physical exercise to individuals and yet limited study is available on its therapeutic value to improve balance in older adults. In this study, the researchers measured the benefit of TR on balance and quality of life in communitydwelling older adults. A convenience sample of individuals 65 years and older was recruited from a local community. The study is a single-blind, pretest-posttest, controlled study of a 10-session TR program with a Professional Association of Therapeutic Horsemanship (PATH) trained and certified TR instructor. Each TR session included grooming and tacking, mounting, a warm-up …

Facilitating Effective Communication Between First Responders And Older Adults During Fall Incidents, Krystin M. Beeman, Erica L. Berger, Isabel A. Cabezas, Nicole M. Mathews

Student Research Posters

PURPOSE. The purpose of this project was to provide first responders with communication strategies for older adults that may help when responding to fall- related calls. General information was also provided to First Responders on working with older adults with a focus on the aging process, fall risk factors, and communications strategies.

METHODS. A series of educational sessions to first responders at a local fire district were developed and presented by occupational therapy students. Materials were developed by presenters from evidence-based resources and tailored to the target population. Each presentation focused on statistics about older adults, the aging process, fall …

The Effect Of Therapeutic Listening(R) On Bilateral Coordination, Emily Smiley, Daryl Arora, Jiawen Liang, Melissa Ramirez

Student Research Posters

This study concludes a 2-year long randomized control pretest posttest design study examining the effects Therapeutic Listening® Bilateral Quickshift intervention, on bilateral coordination in typically developing children between the ages of seven to eleven. Participants were recruited from after school programs at Coleman Elementary and St. Anselm School located in Marin County, California, as well as word of mouth from the Dominican University community. Participants were randomly assigned to either the Therapeutic Listening® intervention or white noise control intervention. All participants completed a pretest to establish a baseline of bilateral coordination abilities. Participants then listened to 15-minutes of the intervention, …

Does A Multicomponent Home Intervention Reduce Functional Difficulties In Community-Dwelling Older Adults As Compared To No Intervention?, Laura Henty-Clark, Rosemarie Lion, Nadine Marcelo, Kitsum Li

Occupational Therapy | Critically Appraised Papers Series

Many older adults live with chronic conditions that may affect their ability to safely perform their daily occupations. Small decreases in ability of older adults to function independently can have profound effects, possibly leading to hospitalization, institutionalization, or death. However, preventative home-based interventions for older adults typically are not reimbursed by Medicare or other insurance carriers.

This study on intervention effectiveness contributes to a growing body of evidence for providing preventative home-based intervention to older adults to support their abilities to function independently in their communities. This study examined whether a preventative home-based intervention, including occupational therapy and physical therapy, …

The Relationship Between Somatosensory Processing And Handwriting Proficiency, Hillary Colby, Ani K. Courville, Sherin Thomas, Salwa Yaser

Student Research Posters

Handwriting proficiency is reliant on the skill and coordination of the sensory, motor, cognitive, and perceptual systems. One aspect of sensory processing for penmanship is somatosensation. The contribution of somatosensory processing to handwriting proficiency has not been adequately researched. Therefore, this study evaluated the contribution of somatosensory processing to handwriting proficiency. Seventy-four typically developing second grade children were assessed on their handwriting proficiency and their somatosensory processing. Measurement instruments included the Minnesota Handwriting Assessment (MHA), The Beery-Buktenica Developmental Test of Visual Motor Integration-Motor Coordination Subtest, Sixth Edition (VMI-MC), and Quick Neurological Screening Test, 3rd Edition (QNST-3). Results showed a small, …

Examining The Validity Of The Preschool Kitchen Task Assessment : An Exploratory Study, Christine Kim, Angelica Soltis

Student Research Posters

Executive functioning (EF) helps build a strong foundation for school readiness, play development, and social participation in children. EF includes attention, inhibitory control, working memory, emotional regulation, planning, and problem solving

Currently, there are few ecologically valid assessments that measure EF in children. The purpose of this exploratory research study was to validate the Pre-school Kitchen Task Assessment (PKTA) as an ecological tool to assess EF in preschool age children. The PKTA utilizes an age appropriate art craft activity and a standardized scoring system to determine the level of assistance (cues) each child needs to complete each step of the …

Handwriting With Adult With Developmental Delays, Joseph Hoctor

A with Honors Projects

This paper provides an assessment of the author's experience working with an adult male with Downs Syndrome to improve his cursive handwriting skills.

Current Capacity Building Needs Of Occupational Therapists Related To Older Driver Screening, Assessment, And Intervention, Ranyouri Hines Senia

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Older adult safe driving is a growing public health issue; however, the skill set of occupational therapists that provide services to these older clients is unclear. The extent to which occupational therapists possess the skills to evaluate an elderly person's ability to operate safely an automobile is unclear. Therefore, the purpose of this quantitative, cross-sectional survey was to determine the current capacity building needs of occupational therapists (OT) related to older driver screening, assessment, and intervention. The ecology of human performance framework was the theoretical base of the study. The independent variables were the OTs' training related to older drivers, …

Individuals With Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder: Predictive Factors For Successful Occupational Performance, Mary Culshaw

Theses and Dissertations

As awareness and diagnoses of FASD grow in Canada, there is increased need to support these individuals across their lifespan. One study suggested the prevalence of FASD may be as high as 10 per 1000 births (May & Gossage, 2001). The impact to society is growing as well, since this population requires support across their lifespan due to cognitive and sometimes physical impairments. It was estimated that the annual cost to Canadians was $53 billion (in 2007 dollar value) to support individuals aged 0-53 years (Stade et al., 2009). There is mounting evidence identifying the cognitive and physical impairments that …

Improving Interdisciplinary Communication To Improve Patient Satisfaction, Jennifer J. Barnes

Master's Projects and Capstones

The Clinical Nurse Leader project took place at a Magnet Hospital in Northern California. It involved the nursing staff on a 23-bed Post-Surgical Medical Surgical unit, as well as the therapists providing care to their diverse patient population. The goal was to improve interdisciplinary communication to decrease the frequency of missed or postponed therapy sessions. A review of literature revealed that this preventable issue could be the most significant factor resulting in an extended length of stay and affecting overall patient satisfaction. Project data was gathered from a variety of sources, including a unit assessment, shadowing therapists, interviews with key …

Lack Of Medicaid Funding For Occupational Therapy Serving The Autism Spectrum Disorder Population Ages 0-5 Years, Nadia Yala

Honors Theses

The prevalence of autism in the United States is currently 1 in 68 children (Autism Alliance of Michigan, 2014). This is considered an epidemic. There are a variety of treatments available in the state of Michigan for children with autism, such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy, and applied behavior analysis (ABA). Effective April 1^st, 2013, Michigan increased their funding cap for ABA therapy for treating children with autism. However, there is a lack of knowledge within the community and amongst professionals in regards to the critical treatment occupational therapy practitioners provide and as a result, there …

Sailing As A Therapy Modality For Occupational Therapy; Requirements Prior To Participation, Carrie Bell

Honors Theses

Many outdoor activities are currently being utilized by recreational therapists to aid in the development of play and leisure skills, education, social skills training, and even therapeutic community. The process of using these outdoor activities can aid clients in emotional, physical, cognitive and social functions. Although these types of activities have been primarily utilized in recreational therapy intervention sessions, these activities carry the potential to also fit within the domain of occupational therapy. In order to engage in the recreational activity of sailing, persons must have specific cognitive, physical, emotional and social abilities. The purpose of this study is to …