Occupational Therapy Commons^™

Treating Mothers With Postpartum Depression While In The Nicu, Arrie Belnap, Mary Jan Greer, Aimee Doughty

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The presentation is about an educational program developed to educate mothers with or at risk for postpartum depression (PPD) while their baby is in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Mothers learned about the nature of PPD, occupations to implement to decrease symptoms of PPD, and occupations that they can participate in to care for their NICU babies. The evaluations, interventions, and outcomes of the program are discussed.

Occupational Therapy’S Role In Addressing Wellness In Underserved Communities, Kimberlyna Chheang, Amy Lyons-Brown, Anna Saavedra

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This capstone project addresses sociodemographic disparities in community wellness and health services in Kern County, CA, focusing on underserved communities facing trauma and systemic inequalities. In collaboration with the Community Action Partnership of Kern (CAPK) and their East Kern Family Resource Center (EKFRC), it aims to lay the foundation for community-based, tailored interventions using occupational therapy (OT) to enhance community well-being and promote access to critical services to support wellbeing.

The Role Of Occupational Therapy With Neurodiversity-Inclusive Workplace Design​, Jasmine Hou, Susan Macdermott

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this capstone project is to raise awareness and understanding of neurodiversity to foster neuroinclusive work environments. By addressing employment challenges faced by the neurodiverse community, occupational therapists can support neurodistinct adults who often lack accessible services to navigate the job cycle, promote opportunities for neurodistinct individuals to succeed in the workforce, and educate employers on neuroinclusive design.

Outdoor Recreation For People With Spinal Cord Injuries: An Educational Video Series, Siarra N. Walker, Steven M. Gerardi, Heather Rennerfeldt

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

More than 15 million people globally are living with spinal cord injury (SCI). Only half of people with SCI engage in leisure activities and approximately 71% of the population reports dissatisfaction in their leisure participation. There are numerous intrinsic and extrinsic barriers that lead to these significant declines in leisure exploration and participation, including lack of knowledge and inaccurate accessible online information. In correlation with these barriers, occupational therapy practitioners underutilize leisure participation during the rehabilitation process for people with SCI and this is an underreported topic in the literature. Occupational therapy practitioners and people with SCI lack knowledge of …

Occupational Impact Of Urinary Incontinence, Hannah Case, Karen Park

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The purpose of this capstone project was to conduct a research study to identify if children with UI encountered occupational impacts due to their condition, as well as their caregivers. Twelve caregivers participated in an online survey investigating the occupational impact (supports, barriers, and limitations) of being a caregiver to a child who encounters UI. The survey addressed how their child’s UI affects various occupations. The findings indicate a significant impact on leisure participation and home management. The qualitative data was acquired through unobtrusive methods, including narratives, blogs, and lived experiences, to provide the perspective of how UI affects children. …

Consideration Of Language, Culture-Education, And Advocacy For Latino Families Who Use Therapy Services, Melina Rodriguez, Rachael Fox, Mary Greer

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Latino families of children with ASD face additional barriers within society compared to other families, including surrounding stigma within the culture, language barriers, lack of resources, and lack of education on how to access these resources. One of the focuses of occupational therapy is to provide education and advocacy to individuals and their families who face occupational barriers. This program was created to provide education to Latino families of children diagnosed with ASD through participation in weekly sessions that cover various topics related to ASD.

Addressing The Potential Impacts Of Mental Illness Symptoms On Daily Occupations For Adolescents, Ashley Manjai, Mary Greer, Terah Harrison

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

This presentation discusses a program developed for adolescents to address mental illness symptoms and its impact on personal hygiene, academic performance, leisure, and social participation. The modules were developed under the title "Healthy Living" to take a more holistic approach to addressing mental health and the issues teenagers face daily. This presentation will provide an overview of the program's purpose, methods, and conclusion.

Home Health Program For Newly Hired Occupational Therapists, Benjamin Elliott, Rebecca King

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Occupational therapists working in the field of home health care are four times lower than other settings. The program was created for newly hired OTs outlining symptoms, assessments, precautions, and interventions relevant to common diagnoses seen in home health.

Exploration Of Club Motorcycle Riding For Veteans, Dakota Strahl, Amy Lyons-Brown

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

There is significantly limited research regarding the occupation of club motorcycle riding, and even more limited with its application to the veteran population

The study yielded 17 survey participants and 7 interview participants from the VFW MC. The study aimed to discover the benefits of club motorcycle riding for the veteran population through a Doing, Being, Becoming, and Belonging Framework. The data consisted of both quantitative and qualitative components which revealed four overall themes.

The four main themes that came from the data analysis were (1) Camaraderie, (2) Mental and Emotional Health Through Occupation, (3) Reconstruction of Identity, and (4) …

Adapted Cheerleading Program For The Pediatric Population, Hailee Cantrell, Mary Greer, Jasmine Mathew

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

There are limited adapted programs with educated professionals that exist for children with childhood disabilities to be able to adapt activities to the specific needs of the child. Due to the limited opportunities for participation in leisure activities, these children have limited opportunities to improve physical, verbal, or emotional skills with their peers. The objective of this capstone was to create an adapted cheerleading program for the pediatric population to improve their physical, emotional, and verbal abilities as well as improve their mental health and overall quality of life.

Barriers To Early Intervention Access In Under-Resourced Communities: Professionals' Perspectives, Georges Ambroise, Jazminne Orozco-Arteaga

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Limited socioeconomic resources pose a barrier to accessing early intervention (EI) services.

The study yielded 33 participants of EI professionals. The study included an online survey and an optional semi-structured interview. Following data collection, Braun and Clarke’s six-step thematic analysis was utilized to identify themes from the surveys and interview transcriptions (Braun and Clarke, 2006).

The main themes that came from the data analysis are (1) there are barriers impacting access to EI experienced by families in under-resourced communities, (2) there are current supports for families in under-resourced communities accessing EI, (3) EI professionals play a role in decreasing barriers, …

An Occupational Therapy Perspective Of Post Secondary Transitions For High School Students: Considering Socioeconomics And Opportunities, Aubrie Howell, Mary Greer, Kelley Spell-Hernandez

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

In most cases, an occupational therapist’s role in a post-secondary transition includes improving adolescents with disabilities’ functional preparedness to transition from a special education setting, into adult-based roles. Much of this work is explained by the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), and only encompasses occupational therapy’s role in post-secondary transitions for adolescents with a diagnosed disability. Unfortunately, these resources, programs, and services are not available to adolescents who do not have a disability. This barrier of not providing similar services or programs to adolescents without a disability creates a lack of opportunity for these individuals to explore possible career paths. …

Occupational Therapy's Role: Transition To College For Students With Learning Differences, Jewlie Lo, Susan Macdermott

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The project aimed to improve the prospect of success for students with learning differences transitioning to college, allowing them to accomplish their educational and career goals better. Additionally, it may provide educational opportunities for educators, occupational therapists, families, and these persons. When these individual's occupational demands are identified, occupational therapy programs can be designed to meet their requirements. OT professionals may have evidence and programs to assist these students and other interprofessional teams by providing unique assessments, interventions, and relevant findings. Raising awareness of the need for additional resources and accessibility can be aided by OT's increased presence in the …

Enhancing Co-Occupation Of Play For Families Experiencing Homelessness, Vienna Vargas, Susan Macdermott

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The presentation covers program development for families residing in transitional housing with the opportunity to engage in healthy play activities to promote health and wellness.

Returning To Occupations After Surviving Cancer, Sebastian Canales, Mary Jan Greer

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The presentation covers a program development to help assist cancer survivors transition back to meaningful occupations, including work, with decreased stress and anxiety, to increase their quality of life.

Manualized Occupational Therapy Intervention For Children And Adolescents With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Adam Mcmahon

Student Capstone Papers

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in children can cause physiological and psychological reactions that can lead to impaired executive functioning and self-regulation skills that interfere with occupational engagement. Occupational Therapy (OT) utilizes an occupational perspective to treat children with PTSD. However, there is an absence of a manualized OT intervention in the literature that incorporates an occupation-based approach, utilizes graded occupation as the primary intervention, and tracks treatment progress and outcomes. The purpose of this capstone project was to create a manualized OT intervention protocol for OT practitioners to treat children with PTSD guided by the model of human occupation and …

Development Of A Post Professional Neurorehabilitation Track At The University Of Zimbabwe, Alejandra Garcia, Angela L. Blackwell, Karen Aranha

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

Collaborated to create an Occupational Therapy Post Professional Neurorehabilitation Track (OTPPNCT) blueprint for the University of Zimbabwe. This poster describes the background, methods, product and discussion for this capstone project.

Manualized Occupational Therapy Intervention For Children And Adolescents With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Adam J. Mcmahon, Steven M. Gerardi

Summer 2024 OTD Capstone Symposium

The capstone poster demonstrates the purpose for a manualized occupational therapy (OT) intervention for OT practitioners to treat children with post-traumatic stress disorder. The intervention uses an occupation-based approach informed by behavioral activation therapy and the model of human occupation principles. The manual includes two parts. Part one demonstrates the foundational principles for OT practitioners to obtain knowledge, skills, and tools before implementing the intervention. Part two outlines the treatment process beginning with evaluation, introducing manualized OT intervention to the child and the family member(s) and/or caregiver(s), treatment application, progress note, and discharge. The manualized OT intervention will allow OT …

Sailing Is For Everyone: Developing An Adaptive Sailing Program For Seattle's Community Boating Center, Karoline J. Ashpole

OTD Capstone Projects

This doctoral capstone project was in partnership with Seattle’s community boating center, Sail Sand Point (SSP). SSP’s mission is “to bring the joy and life-enhancing benefits of sailing and small boats to people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds”. This project aimed to develop adaptive sailing programming to increase sailing access to individuals with disabilities. This included expanding the partnership with Outdoors For All, an adaptive outdoor recreation organization in Seattle. Through this partnership we hosted their summer camp for five sailing days with five additional days planned for after the completion of this project, demonstrating program sustainability and longevity. …

Bringing An Understanding Of Elementary School Teachers’ Rationale For Their Classroom Design To Ot Practice, Hannah Berry, Otd, Mscaot, Otr

Post-Professional Occupational Therapy Doctorate Culminating Presentations

Introduction

Physical, sensory, and social aspects of the classroom environment directly influence students’ behavior, learning and academic achievement. Both teachers and occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) approach the design, adaptation, and use of the classroom from their respective knowledge base (Wintle, et al, 2022). Grandisson et al. (2020) noted that OTPs can often know very little about the school personnel, their pedagogy, the school culture, or the classroom routines. This can lead to a disconnect between OTPs recommendations for classroom environment modifications and teachers’ design and use of the same space.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to explore the …