Now, more than ever, there is a need to increase children’s access to quality and equitable social and emotional learning (SEL) programming, especially within the out-of-school time (OST) setting. Mobilizing occupational therapy (OT) students in a service-learning context is an effective way to increase necessary personnel for this effort. Doing so warrants the development of a framework that offers robust bidirectional SEL and establishes effective guidelines for engagement. A search of the evidence-based literature revealed cognitive reappraisal as an important point for content impact within a trauma-informed approach that aligns with posttraumatic growth outcomes. Isolating the core ingredient as perspective, a fundamental component of integrative complexity, a framework entitled Storying is proposed that targets cognitive flexibility, intellectual values, and openness. Fictional story-making is the ideal playground for exploration of perspectives at a safe psychological distance. Informed by the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework (OTPF), Storying challenges one to open focus and expand beyond emotional awareness to recognition and analysis of experience: the dynamic interplay between mind, body, and environment.

This study aims to evaluate classroom management from teachers’ perspectives and the effects on classroom management for diverse learners. Research on classroom management is reviewed, with an emphasis on lines of inquiry originating in preventative measures, with implications for teacher education. Preventive, system-based approaches to management provide a basis for shifting negative dispositions and assisting teachers to plan and organize classroom activities to decrease behavior referrals. Studies of teacher dispositions and affect provide additional perspective on teacher development and on factors that influence management, which effect student outcomes. Utilization of and collaboration with occupational therapists in the area of classroom management is highlighted as a means to assist with systemic change in the academic environment.

INTRODUCTION OF THE PROBLEM: According to McCrory et al., (2017) a sports related concussion is a traumatic brain injury induced by biomechanical forces (pp. 839). It is estimated that up to 1.9 million of those reports account for adolescents and children (Bryan et al., 2016, as cited in Halstead et al., 2018). Despite the high prevalence, many adolescent athletes have limited knowledge regarding concussions and even with the knowledge they refuse to report their possible concussion to a coach or another authority figure. A professional’s knowledge and self-efficacy to identify and treat a possible concussion are key components in the recovery and safety of the adolescent athlete. PROPOSED INTERVENTION: To address the above area of need, this author is proposing the Concussion Education Reporting and Training (CERT) program. The primary stakeholders participating in the program will be adolescent athletes participating in team-based sports for their respective schools and school-based staff. The adolescent athlete portion will be divided into two sections. The first section will be with the entire team to educate them on signs and symptoms of concussions, management, return to play guidelines, and the importance of reporting concussions. The second part will be provided to selected members of the team identified by the coaches. This phase will focus on implementing strategies to increase their reporting of concussions and encouragement of teammates to report their concussions. DESIGN: Qualitative and quantitative data will be collected through pre and post survey, comparison of reporting concussions through the seasons, and semi-structured interviews with participants. CONCLUSION: Supported by evidence found in literature, this program has the capability to educate and promote concussion awareness that will prevent devastating outcomes for your student athletes impacting their quality of life and will provide staff with the means to effectively manage student athletes’ concussions to maintain their independence and return to full participation in athletics and academics.

Dream On is an innovative and holistic program aimed at promoting positive bedtime experiences and healthy sleep in preschoolers and elementary school-aged children with neurodevelopmental delays and behavioral sleep problems. Behavioral sleep problems in children may present as bedtime refusal or resistance, delayed sleep onset, nighttime wakings, nighttime fears, cosleeping, and daytime sleepiness. This may lead to decreased quantity and quality of sleep and also impact children’s executive functioning skills, behaviors, health, and overall wellbeing. Furthermore, sleep problems in children can have a detrimental influence on the entire family’s well-being. Thorough literature reviews were conducted to determine the contributing factors that lead to behavioral sleep problems in children and to ascertain which nonpharmacological interventions are impactful in improving sleep in children with neurodevelopmental delays. Dream On is a theory-driven parent program that is customizable to each child. Parents will participate in six 45-minute modules, one-on-one with the program creator either in person or online. A variety of evidence-based strategies will be offered incorporated from the following: parent education and parent training, sleep hygiene, behavioral interventions, mindfulness-based interventions, sensory-based strategies, and doll therapy. During a pilot program of Dream On, program evaluation will be performed, measuring changes in children’s sleep, executive functioning, sensory processing, and functional skills. Interviews will also be conducted following program implementation to gain insight into the parent perspective and experience of Dream On. The doctoral project includes detailed plans for program evaluation, funding, and dissemination. / 2024-08-31T00:00:00Z

Sensory processing challenges have been associated with participation difficulties across different occupational domains. Commonly affected areas include activity competence, social interactions, and participation in school or leisure activities (Butera et al., 2020; Thye et al., 2018). Occupation-focused interventions have previously found success in addressing participation challenges (Gantam, 2020). Similarly, problem solving approaches have been successful in facilitating the occupational performance and social participation of children and youth with neurodevelopmental disorders (Brooks & Bannigan, 2021; Gantam, 2020). Different Cups for Different Folks (DCDF) is an occupational therapy program, with an educational and interventional component. It is targeted to adolescents with age-appropriate cognitive skills whose sensory processing patterns interfere with their participation in occupations. The DCDF program presents a low-cost occupation-focused intervention that equips adolescents with resources to contextualize and address their participation challenges. There are four key features of the DCDF program: discussing sensory processing to contextualize participation challenges, presenting cognitive strategies to address said challenges, promoting transfer of learning by creating opportunities where program users design their own strategies, and participating in the program’s group sessions.

Little is known about occupational therapy (OT) practitioners’ experiences of harassment, discrimination, and aggression from patients, despite research in other health professions. It is the author’s hypothesis that the prevalence of Harmful Client Behavior (HCB) is significant and has a negative impact. A pilot study was conducted to determine the feasibility of the author’s methods to obtain prevalence and impact data that is representative of practitioners in the United States. The goals of this preliminary study were to increase awareness of the problem of HCB, to determine the need for a future larger-scale descriptive study, and to guide future actions to address this phenomenon. The quantitative arm of the study collected data on the prevalence and impact of HCB using a Qualtrics survey. Sixty-four respondents completed the anonymous survey and results indicate that HCB is common (92% encountered HCB in the last year), is under-addressed in OT degree programs (75% did not receive information about HCB during their OT degree program), is underreported (only 47% did not report), and has negative impacts (67% reported negative impacts). The qualitative arm of the study had three participants who engaged in either a focus group (n=2) or an individual interview (n=1). Results revealed that employer responsiveness appears to moderate the impact of the HCB. The most significant impact reported by qualitative study participants relates to professional role identity and job performance; when an employer was dismissive, this tended to lead to self-doubt of one’s clinical skills, whereas a supportive employer tended to minimize the harm encountered. This study has many implications for the field, especially given AOTA’s Vision 2025: Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The occupational therapy profession is diversifying, thus harmful client behavior needs to be addressed at the national level in order to support and retain a more diverse and inclusive workforce. / 2023-02-28T00:00:00Z

Falls are an unexpected event in which an individual experiences a loss of balance, spontaneously or due to an external stimuli, and comes to rest on the floor. Accidental falls are the most common cause of non-fatal injury in the United States. This dissertation investigated fall risk factors in two populations with emerging fall risk, people with obesity and people living with HIV. First, we studied how weight loss four and eight months after bariatric surgery affected psychosocial factors related to fall risk like gait self-efficacy and fear of falling. Results indicated that psychosocial factors do not change after surgery. However, both four and eight months after surgery, higher gait self-efficacy and lower of fear of falling were correlated with longer and faster steps. Second, we studied how participants with obesity crossed obstacles while seated during an exergame task compared to controls. We found that participants with obesity hit more obstacles than controls. Third, we described a fall prevention intervention protocol for people living with HIV and alcohol use. The intervention contained three components, virtual group sessions, phone check-ins and home exercises to address the motor, psychosocial, and environmental risk factors associated with falling. Taken together, this dissertation continues to push the research forward in best ways to decrease fall risk through physical activity participation and inform future interventions. / 2024-09-01T00:00:00Z

INTRODUCTION: Common perinatal mental disorders (CPMDs) are a significant contributor to disability globally for women during and after pregnancy, though the role of occupational therapy in addressing perinatal mental health is only just emerging. CPMDs present a complex challenge for healthcare providers to identify and treat, and often remain undetected and therefore go untreated. The lack of identification in part reflects structural and psychosocial barriers to care that are influenced by mental health stigma. Low and middle-income countries have begun addressing the treatment gap by scaling up psychosocial support through primary healthcare workers, but these providers are often overstretched. Training providers to demonstrate engagement factors through culturally tailored digital methods is an effective and feasible way to scale up psychosocial support. METHODS: A cinematic training package for maternity care workers in South Africa was designed to demonstrate the important role of empathy in mental health promotion during routine perinatal care. Primary objectives included community engagement, film production and editing, and gathering feedback from key stakeholders regarding the film’s acceptability and feasibility for dissemination across South Africa. The film aims to acknowledge typical challenges faced by maternity care workers while introducing accessible methods to integrate mental health into routine maternity care. RESULTS: Stakeholder feedback revealed that the cinematic training package and its content are contextually appropriate. Feedback was synthesized to include: shortening scenes, adding on-screen text to highlight empathic skills, and inserting interactive discussion points between scenes. CONCLUSION: Interdisciplinary stakeholder collaboration that centered community needs led to the development of an innovative and relevant training package to integrate mental health care into low-resource, maternity settings. Recommendations include customizing the training package based on clinic needs, tracking dissemination, and evaluating its impact on maternity care workers and women with CPMDs. The occupational therapy lens was used to engage in strengths-based, person-centered perinatal mental health promotion. / 2023-09-12T00:00:00Z

The Crafting COmmuniTy Coalition (C3) aims to promote occupational engagement in female refugees by addressing occupational deprivation and marginalization. The 12-week program will join female refugee participants with occupational therapy students as interventionists, volunteer business consultants, volunteer artists, and sponsoring community-based social service organizations in a collaborative business venture. Utilizing the Community Coalition Action Theory and the Health Belief Model, C3 seeks to increase participants' perceived levels of self-efficacy and well-being by fostering entrepreneurial and self-care skills. Drawing from research that indicates the value of collective occupation, social support, and the promotion of purpose and belonging within a spiritually and culturally inclusive environment, C3 seeks to confirm occupational therapy's role as a critical discipline in refugee service provision.

The occurrence of mental disorders in the Indian population is increasing. In 2017, 14% of the total Indian population were affected by mental disorders of varying severity (Sagar et al., 2020). Millions of people in India were facing the struggles associated with severe mental illness (SMI) conditions such as schizophrenia, schizo-affective disorders, bipolar disorders, and severe forms of anxiety and depression in 2017 (Sagar et al., 2020). Adults with mental illness have voiced many personal definitions of recovery. Deegan (1988) & Leete (1989), from their own experiences with mental illness, defined recovery as the development of new meaning and purpose in one’s life, beyond the symptoms, disability, and stigma of mental illness. In a study conducted by Gopal et al., 2020, return to work and holding employment were considered common indicators of recovery as per clients’ and caregivers’ perspectives. However, adults with SMI continue to report unmet needs in finding a job, helping with stress at a job, and maintaining a job (Grover et al., 2015; Khare et al., 2020). My program titled “Home-based Employment: A Path to HOPE (Productive Habits, Occupational Participation, Empowerment) for Adults with SMI” is created to bridge this gap. This program will offer occupational therapy treatment sessions with an emphasis on finding and completing work assignments at home for clients with SMI. The long-term goal of this program is to improve quality of life, reduce hospitalizations, improve self-management of illness for adults with SMI, and to reduce caregiver burden. The author’s hope is that positive experiences associated with occupational participation will result in empowerment and hope for adults with SMI in India.