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  Analysis of Firefighters’ Psychological Trauma and Interrupted Domains

  Alyssa Garcia, Pamela Kasyan-Howe, Kristin Domville, and Kristian Llaca

  Firefighters are at a high risk of experiencing posttraumatic stress, anxiety, depression (Teoh et al., 2019), suicidality, substance abuse (Bing-Canar et al., 2019), and burnout (Teoh et al., 2019). Firefighters are regularly exposed to traumatic events on calls which results in their decreased mental health; and associated decreased participation in meaningful occupations, routines, and roles (Edgelow & Cramm, 2020; Edgelow et al., 2021; Wittwer et al., 2021). This project contains both research and a program. The purpose of this research was to understand how firefighter demographics interact with interrupted occupations, routines, and roles and at what frequency when faced with work-related psychological trauma and stress (Edgelow et al., 2021; Gulliver et al., 2021; Pennington et al., 2022). There were relationships between the years of firefighter experience as well as marital status with participation in occupations, routine changes, and role identification. The next step for research is to further study demographic interactions with stress and functional impairment and with more nuance in a qualitative, mixed methods, and longitudinal study. The purpose of this program was to educate firefighters on ways to re-engage in interrupted occupations, routines, and roles to reduce the negative effects of work-related psychological trauma (Edgelow & Cramm, 2020; Torchalla et al., 2019). Participants found the workshop interesting, useful, and informative, especially the mental health statistics for firefighters. Future implications for this program are to implement it at every level of the career, deliver education to loved ones, and advocate to administration, unions, and local council members.

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  An Occupational Therapy Approach to Promote Body Positivity in Middle School Aged Youth

  Janis Galindez and Jazminne Orozco Arteaga

  Middle school aged children are in a vulnerable developmental period that pose challenges toward maintaining a positive body image. Consequently, body image can be a mental health concern that can lead to a decrease in occupational performance in education, leisure, and social participation.

  School settings currently do not have the appropriate resources or mental health initiatives to address occupational performance problems related to body image with middle school aged youth. However, occupational therapists (OTs) have the potential to provide mental health services to address body image in school and community settings that promote skills needed for meaningful participation in education, leisure, and socializing.

  The purpose of this capstone project was to demonstrate OT’s value in promoting body positivity through sensory and social emotional learning (SEL) approaches. This capstone experience revealed that school mental health initiatives can recognize how body image can be implemented as tier 1 interventions to promote performance in education, leisure, and social participation with an entire student body.

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  An Occupational Therapy Approach to Play for Pediatric Cancer Patients

  Michelle Erika Dytan and Karen Park

  Play as an occupation has been long identified as a primary aspect of a child’s life (Moore & Lynch, 2017). Play provides children with ways to explore the world while learning skills to improve critical thinking, creativity, and positive self-esteem, and simply to have fun (Guirguis, 2018; Yanof, 2019). Children with cancer face barriers that limit their ability to engage in play, with negative consequences to their social, cognitive, and emotional development (Nijhof et al., 2018). There is an evident gap in a lack of play opportunities in community-based settings, which may limit a child’s personal development, social skills, and leave a negative impact on their mental health outcomes (Frygner-Holm et al., 2020). As families play a vital role in a child’s continuum of care, there is often a lack of social engagement and psychosocial support for caregivers (Jones et al. 2022). Therefore, this capstone project aimed to develop a program for children with cancer to increase play opportunities to improve social participation and mental health outcomes while providing support for caregivers in a community-based setting. In learning about the lived experiences of children with cancer and their caregivers, informal interviews and occupational profiles were gathered to examine supports and barriers in their environment that affected their occupational performance (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2020). Several barriers to occupational performance included the effects of cancer treatments, being in and out of hospitals, transitioning to a community, social isolation, and negative mental health outcomes. The program established weekly groups for children with cancer to engage in play, alongside caregiver support groups. Several resources were also provided to children, families, and staff, focusing on wellness, play considerations for children with cancer, mental health resources, cultural considerations, support groups, and much more. This project contributes to the profession of occupational therapy by providing a valuable, client-centered role in supporting children with cancer and their caregivers as they transition to a community-based setting to promote meaningful play activities and wellness resources to develop skills needed for their daily life as they transition into a new environment and unfamiliar time in their lives.

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  Adaptive Sports Equipment: A Resource for Clinicians, Coaches, & Athletes

  Allison Chown, Steven M. Gerardi, and Christopher Ebner

  About 61 million adults who live in the United States (US) have a disability, which equates to about one in four adults in the US (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020). Unfortunately, only one out of every ten people who need assistive technology (AT) have access to the proper equipment, with lack of awareness of the devices being one of the causes (World Health Organization [WHO], 2018). It has been noted in literature that a lack of awareness exists amongst clinicians, coaches, & athletes regarding available adaptive equipment (AE) to support participation in adaptive sports ([AS] Bergem, 2020). The lack of knowledge of adaptive sports equipment amongst clinicians, coaches, and athletes with disabilities is a barrier to participation in AS. The purpose of this capstone project was to create an online resource that describes the types of AE available to enable participation in AS by athletes with disabilities. The Human Activity Assistive Technology (HAAT) Model was used to develop this online resource that considered a range of activities, contexts, and client factors that determine the selection of AE to participate in sports. A comprehensive adaptive sports equipment resource was published on CAF’s website that provides information on AE for 18 sports total. Further expansion of the webpage is needed to include AE for additional sports, ensuing improved access to and knowledge of adaptive sports equipment among clinicians, coaches, and athletes with disabilities.

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  An Exploration of the Experience of Leisure Among Adults Who Immigrated to the United States from Latin American Countries

  Violeta Chavez Serrano, Jazminne Orozco Arteaga, and Karen McCarthy

  Kaplan (1975) defined leisure as a self determined activity that is pleasant and allows for personal growth. Although the diversity among the population in the United States has continued to increase over the past years (United States Census Bureau, 2019) the amount of leisure research related to race and ethnicity is relatively limited. According to Floyd et al., (2008) only 4.5% of published articles highlighted the impact of race and ethnicity on leisure. Exploring how personal context influences occupational engagement, by examining a specific group's experience engaging in an occupation can help further develop the understanding of how personal factors impact occupational performance and meaning. Adults who immigrate to the United States from Latin American Countries are faced with multiple factors that impact how they engage in leisure such as residing in a new environment, language barriers, cultural disconnect, and high emphasis on work productivity (Stodolska & Shinew, 2015). The results obtained from this research can help promote awareness regarding the lived experience of Latino immigrant adults, and increase understanding of how environmental factors impact immigrant adults' participation and definition in leisure. This information can help support the development of culturally relevant care and increase occupational science literature related to leisure, race and ethnicity.

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  Promoting Neurodiversity Across The Lifespan

  Erika Chavez and Karen Park

  A poster to assess the overall needs of neurodiverse populations who participate in adult day programs and have opportunities to engage within their community. The purpose was to empower neurodiverse populations throughout adulthood to be themselves and engage with others and in occupations as they see fit.

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  Database of Video Games and Their Therapeutic Properties

  Tyler Brinkman, Steven M. Gerardi, and Kaitlyn Jones

  A capstone project poster presentation showcasing the development of an online database that catalogs commercially available video games and their therapeutic properties to serve as a tool to facilitate video game use as therapeutic media in occupational therapy practice.

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  Educational Modules Promoting Neurodiversity-Affirming Sensory Interventions

  Deanna Bourgeois, Mary Smith, and Gina Benavente

  Neurodivergent children often experience differences in sensory processing and self-regulation. Traditional sensory-based interventions are frequently used by occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) and caregivers to address dysregulation. Sensory-based interventions are strengths-based but not always neurodiversity-affirming. There are few educational resources available that promote neurodiversity-affirming sensory interventions.

  The purpose of this project was to create self-paced educational modules to teach neurodiversity-affirming sensory interventions promoting children's self-regulation. The student investigator developed virtual educational modules and piloted them with OTP, occupational therapy students, and caregivers during the capstone experience. The participants engaged with the modules and also submitted responses to pre-and post-surveys. Based on analysis of the mixed-methods surveys, research participants increased confidence in their knowledge of neurodiversity principles, sensory processing, self-regulation, and neurodivergent experiences.

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  The Role of Occupational Therapy in a Student Athlete’s Transition from High School to College

  Justus Basinger, Keisa Boykin, and Mary Shotwell

  The purpose of the project is to identify the issues facing student-athletes as they transition from high school to college and to determine occupational therapists’ role in the transition for student-athletes. To allow for specialized help in the transition process from high school to college, this research project will provide greater detail about the areas in which student-athletes experience stressors.

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  CALM SR: Classroom Activities for Learning and Managing Self-Regulation

  Corina Arroyo, Angela Labrie Blackwell, and Mallorie Garcia

  CALM SR is a program developed for 3-4-year-olds to increase successful participation in desired occupations due to improved self-regulation skills. This program is designed for implementation in a preschool setting over the course of 9 weeks. This program incorporates activities that target sill acquisition across multiple domains. Activities are supplemented by literature, visual displays, modeling, and facilitation of the self-regulation process.

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  Tech 4 Kids: Increasing Opportunities for Children with Disabilities to Explore Technical Theatre Arts

  Kaitlyn Allemand, Angela Blackwell, and Erik Pérez

  This poster presentation is about a four-week program for children with disabilities named Tech 4 Kids. The program focused on expanding opportunities for a creative outlet and improving participants' self-competence, creativity, well-being, and social-emotional skills through activities surrounding the stage, set, lighting, props, and costuming.

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  Supporting Black Mothers in Health Management Occupations During Prenatal Care: An Online Resource for Occupational Therapists

  Aminee Alexander, Mary Smith, and Diamond Rashad

  Black women are disproportionately affected by high maternal morbidity and mortality rates, impacting their ability to perform their role as mothers. Research has shown that close to half of these maternal morbidity and mortality events are preventable, demonstrating that care that employs prevention strategies and supports self-management of conditions is beneficial to lowering the rate at which these events occur. Although maternal health (MH) is an emerging area of practice for the profession, occupational therapists (OTs) are well equipped to provide preventative care to expectant mothers and assist in providing care that can aid in lowering the maternal morbidity and mortality rates.

  Because there is limited guidance available for occupational therapy practitioners (OTP) on their role in working with black expectant mothers, the purpose of this capstone project was to create an online resource for OTs interested in black maternal health that focuses on improving health management occupations to aid in the prevention of maternal morbidity and mortality events. This was created by interviewing and observing MH stakeholders, interviewing OTP that practice in MH, and performing an extensive literature review. Once the resource was created, OTP and occupational therapy students peer reviewed the resource then provided feedback on the relevance of the information. Upon the conclusion of the revision process, the project dissemination included sharing the resource with the capstone team and capstone experiential site, releasing to the public, and future presentations at various conferences.