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Building Blocks for New Kinship Partnerships and Coalitions
Get PDFBuilding successful kinship partnerships and coalitions requires intentional effort to establish trust, align goals, and foster inclusivity. These collaborations are essential for addressing the unique and evolving needs of kinship families, who often face limited access to resources due to the informal nature of many caregiving arrangements. Effective partnerships prioritize clear missions, open communication, and active engagement with stakeholders, particularly those with lived experiences such as kinship caregivers. Research demonstrates that coordinated efforts among organizations enhance resource availability, improve advocacy capabilities, and strengthen service delivery. By integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion principles, coalitions can ensure that diverse perspectives shape solutions and drive meaningful progress. Collaborations also facilitate the development of innovative strategies to fill resource gaps, provide comprehensive support, and maintain responsiveness during times of crisis. This article highlights the importance of building robust partnerships and offers insights into best practices for forming coalitions that empower kinship families, foster resilience, and contribute to long-term success. Through collective action and shared commitment, agencies and organizations can effectively support kinship caregivers and children in their care
Perspectives of School-Based Occupational Therapists
Get PDFBackground: In the United States, schools are the second largest employer of occupational therapists (AOTA, 2020a). While research on school-based topics exist, to date there is no comprehensive study on school-based occupational therapy (OT) practice. The purpose of this study was to describe current implementation of the school-based OT process and better understand perspectives of school-based occupational therapists.
Methods: This descriptive study consisted of a researcher-developed survey with open- and close-ended demographic and practical questions related to the school-based OT process. A convenience sample of school-based occupational therapists were recruited with a snowball recruitment strategy via email and social media to complete a one-time electronic survey.
Results: Three hundred and thirty-one occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants from 41 states with varying experiences completed the survey. The respondents reported mostly consistent referral types, evaluation processes, and service delivery types. Their involvement on problem-solving and education teams varied.
Conclusion: This study qualitatively and quantitatively describes the respondents’ practice trends that vary from best practice guidelines and the barriers that cause this. To foster a paradigm shift to best practice, occupational therapists and educational leadership must collaborate to address the three major barriers of role confusion, transition to workload, and inconsistent view of OT leadership and empowerment
Sensory Processing and Sleep in Infants and Toddlers in Health Provider Shortage Areas - A Cohort Study
Get PDFBackground: This study delves into the interplay between sleep quality and sensory processing in infants and toddlers in underserved rural areas in the U.S. Despite established links between these variables in typically developing children, limited research explores this relationship in communities facing elevated rates of mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders.
Methods: We aimed to examine the connections between sensory processing at 10, 14, and 18 months postpartum and sleep quality at 18 months in a rural and medically underserved setting. A total of 44-53 participants completed the questionnaire and survey measures at the specified time points.
Results: Utilizing the Infant Toddler Sensory Profile-2 and the Infant Health and Sleep Questionnaire adapted from the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, our analysis revealed that infants within the majority range for registration at 10 and 18 months displayed enhanced sleep quality at 18 months, with the 14-month analysis showing a trend towards statistical significance.
Conclusion: These findings underscore the need to further explore the sensory processing domain of registration, given its consistent relationship with sleep outcomes across different ages in the sample. Infants in the majority range for sensation avoiding at 18 months exhibited improved sleep quality, suggesting that appropriately limiting exposure to noxious stimuli may contribute to more restorative sleep or vice versa
A Survey-Based Quantification of Imposter Phenomenon In Occupational Therapy
Get PDFBackground: Imposter phenomenon is a professional issue that negatively affects health professionals’ performance and well-being. This study examined imposter phenomenon’s prevalence in occupational therapy (OT). Researchers hypothesized that imposter phenomenon is prevalent in OT, more so in underrepresented groups. The rate of imposter phenomenon throughout OT was quantified and rates between demographic groups compared.
Method: This study used an exploratory, survey-based research design. Survey sections included informed consent, demographics, and the Clance Imposter Phenomenon Scale (CIPS). The CIPS measured rates of imposterism. Analyses of variances and independent group t-tests were performed to identify significant differences between groups. Inclusion criteria was occupational therapists and students, worldwide; recruitment via convenience sample and snowball methodology; incomplete responses excluded.
Results: Results included 655 responses (N = 655). The mean whole score of respondents was 55.87, with 83.97% of participants reporting, at minimum, moderate imposter experiences. Significant differences were found between demographic groups based on role, disability, ethnicity, degree, age, and years of experience. No significant differences were found between practice settings, genders, or AOTA membership.
Conclusion: Imposter phenomenon is prevalent throughout OT, with notable differences between demographic groups. This study points to the importance of mitigating imposter phenomenon throughout educational and professional contexts
Exploring the Relationship between Preadmission Grade Point Average and Selected Occupational Therapy Program Outcomes
Get PDFGrade point averages (GPAs) are often considered in admissions to occupational therapy programs, but the predictive value of GPAs has not been well-studied. The current study investigated if preadmission GPAs predicted whether students passed all occupational therapy program coursework and the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam on the first attempt. We analyzed 419 records of students who had matriculated in a master’s or doctoral occupational therapy program between 2010 and 2019. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to determine the effects of the independent variables science GPA and overall GPA on non-passing grades and on NBCOT exam outcomes. Preadmission GPAs were not predictive of non-passing grades in program coursework. Science GPA was a statistically significant predictor of NBCOT exam outcomes, p = .019. Overall GPA was not a significant predictor of NBCOT exam outcomes. Although preadmission GPAs were not found to be predictive of passing coursework on the first attempt, further research examining this important program outcome is recommended. Higher preadmission science GPA score was positively associated with passing NBCOT on the first attempt. Further research is warranted to investigate the potential usefulness of preadmission science GPA in admission to occupational therapy programs and in NBCOT exam preparation
Personal Narrative as Pedagogy: A Model for Socially Responsive Narrative-based Education in Occupational Therapy
Get PDFThe practice of occupational therapy relies on the collection and analysis of life narratives to provide responsive client-centered care. As developing holistic practitioners, occupational therapy students are taught to consider these shared stories within a larger context of historical and societal systems by acknowledging such factors as social determinants of health. Case studies are a frequently used tool to teach these skills; however, evidence supports that the identities of these educational stories’ authors can influence which perspectives are shared and, ultimately, impact developing occupational therapists’ perpetuation of or opposition to existing systems of oppression. Critical Race Theory and qualitative methodology suggest the praxis of infusing counter-narratives to promote more diverse perspectives in the classroom, and narrative medicine techniques offer well-evidenced effectiveness of learning through narratives, across health care settings. Theatre-based education, which enacts narratives using first-person and relevant body language, evokes learners’ mirror neurons and increases empathetic learning encounters, suggesting its promise as an effective teaching tool for occupational therapists. Combining these educational approaches, this paper urges an intentional focus on personal narrative as pedagogy and illustrates a model for centering personal narrative in occupational therapy education through a narrative theatre-based educational intervention that was used to prepare students to address local community needs of marginalized populations who are most greatly impacted by lead exposure and toxicity in Marion County, Indiana