- Browse by Date
Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects
Permanent URI for this collection
This collection includes capstone projects authored by doctoral students in the Department of Occupational Therapy.
If you are an OTD student and need access to upload your project, please contact the IUPUI University Library Center for Digital Scholarship (digschol@iupui.edu).
If you are an OTD student and need access to upload your project, please contact the IUPUI University Library Center for Digital Scholarship (digschol@iupui.edu).
Browse
Browsing Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects by Issue Date
Now showing 1 - 10 of 142
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Enhancing Therapy-Based Programs Through Virtual Volunteer Training(2021) Bloom, Cara E.; Chase, Anthony; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Jensen, DenisseGiGi’s Playhouse is a non-profit organization that serves individuals with Down syndrome from infancy through adulthood. GiGi’s supports the development, acceptance, and achievements of those with Down syndrome alongside their families. Due to the limited number of paid staff members at GiGi’s, they rely on volunteers to lead therapy-based programs. However according to the Executive Director of GiGi’s Playhouse Indianapolis, volunteers are not comprehensively trained during their in-person orientation. This capstone project involved transitioning orientation from a one-time in-person training to an enhanced e-learning training. There are multiple heightened components of the online training including the addition of supplementary resources, a glossary of terms, and a quiz about Down syndrome. This project is sustainable for the Playhouse as well as time-saving for site staff who no longer have to coordinate and implement volunteer training. The capstone student gained advanced skills in both education and program development during the doctoral capstone experience (DCE).Item The Impact of a Sensory-Based Parent Coaching Program on the Occupational Performance of Toddlers with Developmental Disabilities(2021) Stoll, Hannah B.; Zeigler, Jayson; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Dehoff, AbbySensory processing challenges are common in children ages 0 to 3 receiving early intervention services and interfere with the occupational performance of children during family mealtimes, playtimes, self-care activities, and community outings. This program utilized 9 to 10 in-home parent coaching sessions to implement sensory strategies addressing parent identified occupational performance problems with 6 families. Pre- and post-test results indicated a significant improvement in parent ratings of child performance and parent satisfaction following the parent coaching program. This study adds to the growing body of evidence supporting the use of parent coaching strategies when working with pediatric populations and specifically demonstrates the potential value of the coaching model in implementing sensory strategies.Item Improving Family Engagement, Cultural Competence, and Socioeconomic Awareness in First Steps Provider Training(2021) Cousins, Kaela T. O.; Chase, Tony; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Young, Constance V.To effectively demonstrate equity within the practice of early intervention, providers must feel that they are supported and equipped with family-centered and evidence-based strategies encouraged by their early intervention programs, such as First Steps. First Steps is the statewide early intervention program from the Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services for Indiana. To perform best practice and encourage positive child outcomes, early intervention providers should continuously apply family engagement, cultural competence, and socioeconomic awareness throughout their work. Although the importance of these aspects is emphasized in various core values and principles, it can be a challenge to apply them due to ambiguity of these terms, lack of professional development on these topics, and the tendency to solely focus on the child. To address these challenges, this capstone will aim to reduce the ambiguity of these terms, to provide training for First Steps providers on these topics, and to better understand the perspectives of different families on how to strengthen these domains within First Steps. The overall purpose of this capstone is to conduct virtual focus groups with families of First Steps and to use their feedback with evidence-based principles to create a professional development course for First Steps providers. Thus, this capstone will aim to practice inclusion of family voices within the professional development course on family engagement, cultural competence, and socioeconomic awareness to promote First Steps providers in producing more positive child outcomes.Item A Telehealth Initiative at Hopebridge, LLC: A Doctoral Capstone Project(2021-04) Fulton, Grace; Chase, Anthony; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Hatfield, HaleyThe spread in telehealth utilization has been astonishing, with the United States Center for Disease Control (2020) reporting 154% growth in just one years’ time. Though telehealth practice itself has grown, available resources have not emerged at a suitable rate to meet the training needs that exist (Camden & Silva, 2021). With the sudden onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, telehealth was implemented by therapists in many healthcare settings, most of whom are accustomed to offering in-person services only. Likewise, Hopebridge, LLC implemented telehealth to allow continued provision of medically necessary therapy services for children with autism spectrum disorder. Current trends indicate that not only has telehealth been useful during the crisis of Covid-19, but it may, in fact be here to stay (Licurse et al., 2020). Hopebridge leaders partnered with an occupational therapy doctoral capstone student to contribute to an organizational telehealth initiative. The ultimate purpose of the project was to assist in efforts to create long-term telehealth sustainability and acceptability. Following in-depth processes to determine site needs, a gap in therapist preparation for telehealth was identified. The capstone project was designed to increase therapist competence and self-efficacy when approaching telehealth using a targeted virtual webinar series. The following describes the full capstone process and efforts made to enhance telehealth services provided at Hopebridge.Item Occupational Therapy’s Role in Low Vision: A Doctoral Capstone Experience(2021-04) Wolford, Charly L.; Bednarski, Julie A.; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Riccio, LindaLow vision is a prevalent condition found in the aging population. Occupational therapists hold a unique skillset in which they are able to assess and treat low vision, however due to lack of education, training, and confidence it is often dismissed in practice. Therefore, the purpose of this doctoral capstone was to develop and implement a low vision program to increase the quality of low vision care being provided to residents in subacute low vision programs. In order to determine program specifics, the capstone student designed and implemented a low vision survey via Qualtrics. From the results of the Qualtrics survey the student designed the “Low Vision Assessment and Treatment Resource for Occupational Therapists” which included topics surrounding eye anatomy and age-related conditions, low vision assessments, low vision interventions, sample goals, community resources and a case study. Five narrated PowerPoints surrounding the same topic were also designed and distributed via Email. After distribution of the designed program a post survey was completed to determine program success. Respondents reported knowledge on low vision causes increased from a mean of 3.56/5 to 3.72/5, while confidence assessing and implementing low vision interventions increased from 3.03/5 to 3.07/5 and 3.28/5 to 3.52/5, respectively. Successful implementation of the capstone process was the first step in narrowing the gap of high-quality low vision care being provided. Additional training and education in low vision is needed in occupational therapy curriculums in order for practitioners to feel more confident in addressing low vision in the occupational therapy process.Item Doctoral Capstone Experiential at Camp Mariposa: Aaron’s Place(2021-04) Huber, Megan H.; Wilburn, Victoria G.; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Wilburn, Victoria G.Dependence on alcohol, illicit substances, and opioids impact the parent-child relationship, childhood development, and child behaviors (Romanowicz et al., 2019). There is a strong association between parental substance abuse and subsequent child maltreatment (Opioids and Youth, 2018). Substance use disorder (SUD) can lead to family trauma and significantly impact the child’s life trajectory. However, given the support, knowledge, and tools necessary to intervene, it is possible to mitigate the negative effects of SUD and trauma. Camp Mariposa: Aaron’s Place is a camp for youth ages 9-12 who have been impacted by a family member’s SUD. By applying underutilized approaches to family and group therapy, such as yoga, theatre, and nature-based crafts, this camp promotes resiliency, protective factors, and post-traumatic growth.Item The Efficacy and Feasibility of Occupational Therapy Programming Focused on Health and Wellness within a Homeless Shelter(2021-04) Munson, Victoria; Wasmuth, Sally; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Hoffman, LisaHomelessness is a serious problem and can have many negative effects, including poor health (Hodge et al., 2017). Homelessness is closely tied to occupational deprivation and occupational injustice (Cunningham & Slade, 2019). The purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to address the occupational needs of individuals experiencing homelessness. By working with the Wheeler Mission Center for Women and Children, this project aimed to decrease occupational deprivation and increase overall wellness through the implementation of occupation-based programming. Occupation-based programing was introduced over the course of 14 weeks, in combination with ongoing program evaluation. Success of the program was evaluated in a number of different ways, including distributing pre- and post-program surveys, evaluating results from the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure and by receiving verbal feedback from staff members. Participants were recruited from the Foundations of Wellness program at the Wheeler Mission and included individuals with a wide range of health concerns. Results indicated that participants had statistically significant increases in satisfaction with programming following the implementation of occupation-based programming, as well as significant increases in self-perceived occupational performance and satisfaction. These results can be used to advocate for the role of occupational therapists within homeless shelters, as they can increase occupational engagement and participant satisfaction. Additional research is needed to further define the role of occupational therapists within homeless shelters and to further investigate the impact occupational therapists can have on homeless populations.Item Building Essential Skills Together: Developing Employment and Skill Building Opportunities for Adults of All Abilities(2021-04) Lawson, Rebekah; Van Antwerp, Leah; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Winkler, DanielleThe purpose of this doctoral capstone project was to address the gap in vocational and life skill services for Autistic young adults during their transition to adulthood. At the Building Essential Skills Together nonprofit organization, there is a goal to address this need and offer inclusive supported employment and life skill programs to adults of all abilities. Participants in these programs included two Autistic young adults on the Building Essential Skills Together team. Both young adults participated in food truck and cleaning/maintenance supported employment opportunities, completed weekly concession skill building experiences, and hosted a virtual trivia night using their interests. One young adult also participated in a 5-week life skills program led by the doctoral capstone student. This project utilized visual scripts, modeling, and prompting techniques during supported employment and skill building opportunities, and vocational and life skills assessments were established for future evaluation and tracking purposes. The Assessment of Functional Living Skills (AFLS)- Vocational Protocol was modified for the nonprofit’s food truck and cleaning/maintenance supported employment opportunities, and a non-standardized skills inventory was created for the life skills curriculum from the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (4th ed.). Development and implementation of supported employment and life skills materials during this project were guided by the Ecological Human Performance Model and Strengths-Based Frame of Reference for Autistic Individuals. Site feedback was obtained through electronic surveys at the conclusion of the project and indicated that project materials and implementation promoted inclusivity, independence, confidence, growth, and meaning for team members, as well as a foundation for the nonprofit programs.Item Occupational Therapy's Role in Hand Therapy: Approaches and Perspectives(2021-04) Shelton, Hayley; Albright, Megan; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; Roscetti, SallyHand therapy is a practice area within occupational therapy. Occupational therapists have a unique skillset in which they are able to treat patients with upper extremity musculoskeletal injuries while realizing that each patient is an occupational being. The purpose of this capstone was to identify reasons occupational therapy practitioners lacked occupation-based interventions in treatment sessions, search the literature to find the best way to implement occupation-based interventions, and for the capstone student to utilize the findings from the research to provide the best possible patient care. Research suggests a combination of the biomechanical frame of reference and occupation focused frame of reference is the best approach to patient care in hand therapy. However, having the skillset to do that comes after months of experience. This capstone student identified the ways having a capstone in hand therapy in addition to a level II fieldwork in hand therapy advanced their skillset past that of an entry level practitioner. The capstone student implemented occupation-based interventions into treatment sessions and utilized advanced skills, such as provocative testing, to advance their skills beyond a level II fieldwork student. The student then created a table outlining the differences between a fieldwork student and a capstone student for future students and practitioners to use as a reference. Keywords: hand therapy, occupational therapy, occupation-based, capstone student, advanced clinical skillItem Developmental Playbook, Staff Training, and Resources for Community Child Development Center: Infant to Four-Year-Old Programs(2021-04-13) Egnatoff, Emily; Petrenchik, Terry; Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Health and Human Sciences; White, DebraResearchers suggest that lower levels of socioeconomic status (SES) in children are associated with higher rates of infant mortality (Haider, 2014), higher rates of obesity (Levine, 2011), decreased success in education (Sheridan & McLaughlin, 2016), and have lasting impacts on behavior, learning, and health (Shonkoff & Garner, 2012). Sheridan & McLaughlin (2016) discuss how poverty can negatively affect the child's ability to have more exceptional school achievements, fewer difficulties with academics, and the ability to graduate from high school compared to children not raised in poverty. They found a correlation between the lack of learning experiences before entering school and the impact on memory, language skills, attention span, and unspoken and unambiguous learning processes. The purpose of the capstone project was to provide the Child Development Center (CDC) in a low-income area of Indianapolis with a developmental playbook incorporating age-appropriate play suggestions, educational materials, and additional resources for the child development center staff and the families that they serve to encourage child academic success. Project success was evaluated through the use of quantitative and qualitative data from participants. Due to low teacher response rates, it is not possible to analyze the significance between pre-and post-survey responses. However, in-person qualitative data was obtained to provide insight on project successfulness from the teacher's perspective. Executive staff reported they were extremely satisfied with the materials delivered and presented, and the materials were excellent and valuable to the CDC.