Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Sleep Program For Individuals With Sleep Issues In A Counseling Center, Adrian Flye, Rebecca King

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Sleep is essential for rest, restoration, and the ability to perform everyday occupations. Sleep provides numerous health benefits when an individual receives adequate sleep. Unfortunately, many individuals sleep poorly due to work demands, childcare responsibilities, and health-related issues. An inconsistency in sleep can negatively impact an individual’s physical and mental health and overall quality of life. The purpose of this project was to develop a sleep program that provides a counseling center with strategies to help improve sleep quality in individuals with sleep issues.

Preventing The Strain: An Educational Program To Address Upper Extremity Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders In The Beauty Industry, Stacy Bello, Rebecca King

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

The program aims to enhance the safety and health of beauty professionals by addressing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WRMSD). The educational program seeks to reduce injuries in the beauty industry by teaching ergonomic practices and joint protection strategies, which include the development of seminars targeted at cosmetology and esthetics students, as well as working professionals, with a strong emphasis on understanding body mechanics and ergonomic principles. Feedback from beauty professionals highlighted common WRMSD conditions and the critical need for preventative education and advocacy for care. The educational program strives to create a safer working environment that benefits beauty service providers throughout …

Educational Development Program For Caregivers Of Acquired Brain Injury, Kaylan Griffin, Rebecca King

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Acquired brain injury (ABI) disrupts normal brain function and often requires caregivers to assist with daily tasks. One-third of ABI caregivers experience burnout and psychological distress within a year of the injury, primarily due to decreased confidence, education, and social support. This burnout can significantly affect caregivers' emotional, social, financial, physical, and spiritual well-being. The purpose of the proposed capstone is to aid in preventing caregiver burnout and burden by empowering caregivers through education.

Safe Lift System: In-Bed Repositioning Assistive Device, Mariah Sparkman, Cassandra Nelson, Lee Ann Hoffman

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Bedridden patients require frequent repositioning toward the head of the bed. The current Safe Lift System prototype was revised and surveyed to address the gap in effective methods for in-bed repositioning of this patient population and to improve its efficacy in meeting the needs of bedridden patients, caregivers, and healthcare staff members.

An Ot Program For Amputation Individuals And Their Caregiver, Ashley Hradecky, Cassandra Nelson

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Amputation individuals and their caregivers currently lack sufficient education regarding residual limb management, limb positioning, mental health, and phantom limb pain. These gaps in health management skills ultimately result in relationship strains, technology abandonment, and decreased independence. The goal was to develop and implement an educational program for new amputation individuals and their caregivers targeting these topics. Six pairs successfully completed this four-week program, with each pair responding to pre and post surveys. Interventions included lower extremity positioning, prosthetic care management, residual limb management, mirror therapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and tactile point discrimination. When comparing the pre and post …

Poderosas: A Program To Meet The Occupational Needs Of Latina Women, Alana Govea, Mary Jan Greer, Cassandra Nelson

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Many women who have immigrated from Mexico and other Latin American countries and who have experienced some form of sexual trauma, sexual violence, sexual abuse, or sex trafficking have unmet occupational needs as they adjust to their lives in the United States. Limited research and resources are available to address these needs. A culturally sensitive program was curated to identify and meet the occupational needs of these women. Three themes that encompassed their primary occupational needs included the need for social participation and connection, the need for emotional and mental health promotion and maintenance, and the need for security and …

Exploring The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Collegiate Athlete Mental Health Care: A Concept Analysis, Jacquelyn Arnett, Lesley Khan-Farooqi

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Adverse mental health outcomes in collegiate athletes are on the rise in the United States, prompting concerns about the impact of external surroundings on their well-being. Occupational therapy (OT) is a profession that specializes in environmental- and occupation-centered intervention, approaches to mental health care not currently being utilized in collegiate athlete populations. Despite these potential benefits, OT practitioners (OTPs) are not an established member of the care team in current athlete mental health care structures, likely because many stakeholders do not understand the unique services OTPs can offer. Walker and Avant’s eight-stage concept analysis was employed to examine the role …

Facilitating Student Advancement: A High School Toolkit For Developing Professional Skills, Makenzie J. Mccain

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

Objective:

As students transition from high school to their next step, they are expected to demonstrate a different and often higher level of professional skills to successfully navigate their new roles. Existing research identifies these skills as highly valuable in industry and education, however there is a gap in research and resources that focus on high school students developing these essential skills. This quality improvement project focused on the development of a toolkit to fill this gap, providing an explicit, student-centered resource for professional skill development.

Methods:

The development of the Professional Skills Student Toolkit utilized established theoretical frameworks and …

Thriving Beyond Barriers: A Wellness Guide For Athletes And Coaches, Sydnie Allen, Ots, Lesley Khan-Farooqi, Phd, Otd, Otr, Emily Andersen, Otd, Otr

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

This project addressed gaps in knowledge and skills among athletes and coaches regarding the social, physical, and environmental dimensions of wellness, which impact participation, health, quality of life, and overall wellness. The purpose was to create a wellness guide focused on the social, physical, and environmental dimensions of wellness, which may inhibit participation, health, quality of life, and overall wellness while fostering social inclusion and accommodating individual abilities to reduce injury risk and promote motivation. Though research on occupational therapy (OT) in sports is limited, emerging studies highlight the importance of participation for long-term independence. Environmental barriers like accessibility issues …

Preparing Adults With Intellectual Disabilities For External Employment And Increased Occupational Engagement, Ann B. Barwick

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Intellectual disabilities refer problems within intellectual and adaptive functioning. In the United States, 6.5 million people have an intellectual disability (Schaepper). Adults with intellectual disabilities face many challenges throughout life. Employment is one of those challenges for a multitude of reasons including communication skills, discrimination, feelings of underappreciation, etc (Special Olympics). Only 21-44% of adults with intellectual disabilities are employed. There are services to help these individuals including occupational therapy, transition service counselors, and vocational rehab. Yet, the majority remains unemployed.

A doctoral capstone project was completed and presented in collaboration with a dog bakery whose mission is to provide …

Occupational Therapy Guided Interactive Workbook For College Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder For Transition Into The Workplace, Makayla Kirkley

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

The number of students with autism spectrum disorder entering college has been steadily increasing. When these graduates enter the workforce, the support and accommodations available throughout their education may not necessarily be readily available in their new workplace. This quality improvement project aimed to increase the resources of a college program whose purpose is to support autistic and neurodivergent students throughout their college career. The project aims were to create an interactive job readiness and independent living workbook to assist and provide resources for students during their transition into the workforce. The senior cohort completed seventeen fillable workbook pages with …

Development Of A Mobile App For Parents And Caregivers Of Children With Autism, Laurie Tison

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Innovations in OT Symposium: Transforming Possibilities into Practice

Background: Caring for children with autism who experience sensory challenges often leads to increased caregiver stress and reduced self-efficacy. Research suggests that smartphone apps can effectively mitigate stress and empower parents. A needs assessment highlighted the necessity for an app centered on sensory processing tools and strategies, considering the limited resources available for addressing children’s emotions and behaviors.

Objective: This project aimed to develop and evaluate a comprehensive app to support parents and caregivers of children with autism, focusing on reducing stress and enhancing parental efficacy. Objectives included: 1) designing the app with relevant resources, 2) assessing the app’s content, …

The Use Of Equine-Assisted Services To Develop Life Skills And Improve Educational Outcomes In Young Adults With Disabilities, Mackenzie Marcum

Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Doctorate - Doctoral Capstone Symposium

Young individuals with disabilities often face significant challenges in acquiring essential life skills, primarily those with cognitive impairments. This often limits their ability to live independently and fully participate in daily activities. Without progress in developing these skills, individuals may struggle with tasks such as Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). Equine-assisted services (EAS), as defined by The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, is "recommended as an optimal unifying term to refer to multiple services in which professionals incorporate horses and other equines to benefit people" (Wood et al., 2021).

A doctoral …

Integrating Sensory Processing And Self- Regulation Strategies In Daily Teaching Practices, Alana D. Foster, Angela L. Blackwell

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project addressed the critical need for early childhood educators to improve their understanding and application of sensory processing and self-regulation strategies within the classroom setting. The project was implemented at an early learning center and aimed to enhance educators’ ability to support student participation and occupational performance through a structured coaching framework. Guided by Dunn’s Sensory Processing Framework and the Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance (PEOP) model, the intervention included five individualized coaching sessions and the development of two key capstone products: a sensory processing coaching framework and a sensory processing toolkit and activity binder. The coaching framework incorporated observational tools, quick …

Reminiscence-Based Occupational Therapy: A Concept Analysis, Paige E. Laurent, Steven M. Gerardi

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Dementia impacts cognitive function, emotional well-being, and occupational engagement, leading to diminished quality of life for older adults. Reminiscence therapy (RT) has been established as a viable approach to enhancing mood, cognitive performance, and social participation among individuals with dementia, however, its integration within occupational therapy (OT) practice remains under defined. The lack of the clear, defined role of OT in RBOT poses challenges for OT practitioners aiming to integrate reminiscence intervention within their scope of practice. The lack of a clearly defined role of OT in RBOT poses challenges for OT practitioners aiming to incorporate reminiscence interventions within their …

Educating Occupational Therapy Students On The Role, Scope, And Delivery Of Occupational Therapy Services In End-Of-Life Care, Zaria Favorite, Angela Labrie Blackwell, Shannon Kauppila

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Patients at the end-of-life (EoL) experience a decline in body functions and performance skills along with challenges in maintaining occupational roles, routines, habits, and performance patterns (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020). Despite their decline, patient want to continue to participate in their chosen occupations, which are unfulfilled due to the role, scope, and delivery of OT services in EoL care being misunderstood by OT students and practitioners, healthcare professionals, patients, families, and caregivers (Hammill et al., 2019; Knecht-Sabres et al., 2019; Mueller et al., 2021). There is a need for increased education and training so OT students can better …

The Role Of Occupational Therapy In Bladder And Bowel Management For Individuals With Spinal Cord Injuries: An Educational Video Series, Julia Ryan

Student Capstone Papers

Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are uniquely positioned to support individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) in developing effective bowel and bladder management (BBM) routines. However, most existing literature approaches BBM from a medical perspective, offering limited guidance on how to translate occupation-based strategies into OT practice. This lack of discipline-specific resources contributes to reduced confidence among generalist practitioners and hinders the consistent implementation of BBM interventions across inpatient and community settings. To address this gap, a nine-part educational video series was developed to enhance OT practitioners’ knowledge, clinical reasoning, and confidence in delivering BBM interventions for clients with SCI. The …

Developing Independent Living Skills In People With Intellectual Or Developmental Disabilities: A Guide For Direct Support Professionals, Nigel Yeo Mr.

Student Capstone Papers

Over one percent of the world has intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). Many of these people lack the living skills needed to live independently. Direct support professionals (DSPs) are people who provide daily assistance, care, and support to improve the wellbeing and quality of life among people with IDD. DSPs often have minimal training to perform their role, especially in support of the development of independent living skills. Independent living skills are adaptive behavioral competencies related to self-sufficiency, with focus on conceptual skills such as language abilities, social skills including interpersonal and social problem-solving, and practical skills that relate to …

Exploring Occupational Identity And Cultural Belongingness Of Chinese Transracial Intercountry Adoptees: A Qualitative Study, Kenzie Butts, Karen Park

Spring 2025 OTD Capstone Symposium

Chinese transracial intercountry adoptees may experience discrimination, microaggressions, and stereotyping by not feeling like they fit in with White American or traditional Chinese cultures due to an upbringing of a different race and ethnicity. These barriers may result in a lack of engagement in cultural experiences further impacting their sense of identity and cultural belongingness. A qualitative phenomenological research approach was used to understand how seven Chinese transracial adoptees identity development and sense of cultural belongingness relate to their occupational participation during their early adulthood years. Data was collected through a 45-minute, audio-recorded virtual semi-structured interview via Microsoft Teams and …

Sensory Strategies For Trainees At Autism Career Training (Act), Emily A. Kay

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was completed in partnership with Autism Career Training (ACT) who’s mission is to provide vocational training for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to bridge the gap between completion of high school level education and entering the workforce. The purpose of this project is to introduce sensory regulation activities to ACT students using Ayer’s Sensory Integration Theory. Additionally, it is to provide education for ACT staff on sensory regulation techniques, and introduction of resources for the ASD population in Middle Tennessee. The primary goal of this project is to increase participation in daily vocational tasks and …