Thesis (Ed.M.)--Boston University / PLEASE NOTE: Boston University Libraries did not receive an Authorization To Manage form for this thesis or dissertation. It is therefore not openly accessible, though it may be available by request. If you are the author or principal advisor of this work and would like to request open access for it, please contact us at open-help@bu.edu. Thank you. / This study was the initial research conducted to ascertain the validity of a prevocational behavior checklist. The instrument under investigation was developed at the South Shore Rehabilitation Center in Quincy, Massachusetts. The Center's assessment instrument entitled, 466 Behaviors Necessary to Function Successfully as a Sheltered Worker, was used for assessing the skills of 60 severely retarded subjects enrolled in the Center's prevocational program. The major purpose of this study was to identify which of the 466 behaviors comprising the checklist contributed highly discriminating information. Test scores from 60 severely retarded adults were collected and processed in two phases of the study. Phase I included the analysis of the distribution of scores, elimination of behaviors that did not discriminate between 5 percent or less of the sample. In Phase II of this study, the investigator statistically analyzed behavior-to-Specific Skill Area correlations. If the analysis resulted in a correlation coefficient of less than +.5, the behavior was dropped from the checklist. This procedure was completed in four consecutive series. Thus, the investigator guaranteed that the remaining items were providing reliable information about the related Specific Skill Areas. Phase I of this study resulted in the elimination of 218 behaviors from the checklist and further calculations. Only 248 behaviors discriminated differences between more than 5 percent of the sample. Of the 248 behaviors, 144 behaviors met the +.5 criterion in Phase II. The investigator concluded that 114 behaviors comprising 25 Specific Skill Areas on the assessment instrument were contributing discriminating information. Recommendations were made to continue research of the prevocational behavior checklist. The recommended research would contribute to validating the instrument, producing an effective method of assessing vocational skills of severely retarded adults. / 2031-01-02

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a significant public health concern that affects an estimated 5.3 million Americans. Approximately, 1 out of every 60 individuals experience a disability related to TBI, thus highlighting the significant burden on the affected population (ASBMB, 2021). A study conducted by Sharma et. al, stated that only 40.8% of individuals were able to return to employment after two years of experiencing BI, while a significant proportion of 20% remained unable to resume work due to the secondary deficits of their BI (2022). Evidence indicates that return-to-work (RTW) rates among individuals diagnosed with BI are significantly lower due to physical and cognitive deficits. The presence of unemployment, especially among the BI population can result reduced opportunities for community engagement, a loss of sense of purpose or identity, and a notable decline in overall quality of life (QoL). Occupational therapy (OT) is critical in the development of employability skills necessary for successful community reintegration including RTW. Despite this connection, there is no training module for professionals to refer to when delivering prevocational services to individuals with BI. In the attempt to bridge this gap, the Comprehensive Intervention for Prevocational Programming (CIPP) was developed and implemented. The CIPP represents an OT centered approach designed to facilitate the RTW process following a brain injury (BI). The primary goal of CIPP is to provide professionals with education on the prevocational process, enabling successful RTW. This intervention is structured around four modules, each serving distinct purposes: introduction to prevocational services, examination of BI's impact on RTW, outlining covered services, and defining the Occupational Therapy Practitioner's (OTP) role within the prevocational sector. Results of the study provided clinical evidence supporting the effectiveness of the CIPP as an impactful tool in educating professionals on the delivery of pre-employment services and further defining the role of the OTP in this domain. / Temple University. College of Public Health / Health and Rehabilitation Sciences